The External Kayatank prototype brought to you from your friends at OEX - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Matt · 10-23-2008, 06:31 AM

So just to add to your already overwhelming choice of baittanks that are already currently available, CJ, Brett and I decided to try an build a new style of external kayatank similar to that of Art's or Aquachico as some of you may know him. One of the many reasons both CJ and I wanted a slightly different style bait tank was due to the fact that the OK Prowler Tridents have a rather unique proprietary tank well that we thought could be used more efficiently and could also have a better fitting bait tank in the well.
Now I have tried the thresher tank from Liquid fishing, bristol bay tank from Shimano, and the reliable 5 gallon bucket and all left me wanting something slightly different. These are all great bait tanks but I felt there was something better just out there and I hadn' seen it. About 4 months ago I ran into Art on the beach after an midweek evening session in LJ and he had the style of tank that I wanted, the original version of the external kayatank, that he built himself many years ago, Art was nice enough to let me check his baittank out and it went from there to the new generation.
There are two ways to plumb this tank, CJ's is done via an internal kayatank pump, very similar to the way Grego plumbed his bucket tank on his new x-13, and the other way is exactly the same as you would see on a standard bait tank with a bilge hanging over the side. Now the drains on both of these style of external kayatanks is achieved using a standard drain like you would see on any of the bucket tanks, however it is placed directly over one of your scupper holes in the rear tank well and is modified by drilling holes in the top of it to drain more efficiently and then glued in place to the "vinyl-like" kayatank material(see the pics below). In order to allow the kayatank to maintain its shape we have glued two square pieces of PVC to the inside of the tank the sides of the tankwell take care of the rest. This is also what allows the pump attachments to stay in place, as well as the drain plug, which I haven't installed in my tank yet. The lid of the tank also has the same PVC material glued to it, in order to let it sit flush and keep pressure on the cover so your macks don't escape and swim away, the lid has a cut through the pvc making it two half circles and allowing the tank to be easily accessed for that final bait that is hunkered down in the back of your tank.
The plumbing of the external kayatank is really clean with a on/off switch up by the fish finder run to the tank via a deck plug outlet so it is a superclean system that still allow you to use your plano box if you are so inclined.
I have found that the roughly 4+ gallons is more than enough to keep over 15-20+ mackerel swimming happily along all day on a 12v 10ah or 12v 7ah battery. The external tank while being somewhat of an oblong square allows the macks to swim in a semicircle and keep plenty fresh and ready to be used as bait.
"So why build an external kayatank?" Well that is a fairly easy question,
1. It sits flush with the tankwell so therefore lowers your center of gravity nicely.
2. Super easy access to your bait and keeps your bait really fresh with a massive amount of water flow and nice semi round shape to allow them to swim in their more natural motion of a circle.
3. If you are coming in during some larger than normal surf this tank is able to be folded up and put inside your kayak, not a neccesity much of the time at LJ but a definite nice advantage in other locales whether down south in Mex or Marine St or Big Rock in LJ or any of the North County launches.
4. Let's say you have a multiple fish day and you don't want to store your fish down your hatch you can lay them on top of this tank with little to no problem and they sit pefectly well on top versus having to try and figure out how to store them with say a more "rigid" sided bait tank.
5. I just think its a cool idea.
6. You can make this tank in almost any shape or size to fit any yak out there.
I have used this tank now for about 2weeks or so with no problems or concerns, it is super easy to wash out and clean, easily folded up and put in the hatch (i tried this out of my own curiosity to see how it worked and it did so just fine). There are currently only 2 of these that OEX has made but more will be on the way now that the design is pretty solid and we have worked out all of the kinks and the few problems we had. There are pictures below, if you have any questions regarding the tank feel free to PM me or harrass CJ all you want as it is his job!!!

the overview with deckplug

the hatch opening

sideview

the draining mechanism

the on/off switch at the front

Handymansd · 10-23-2008, 08:04 AM

Wow sounds like a great Tank! Especially if you plan to fish from other yaks like trips to Baja or Hawaii.

The one concern I see is that all polyvinyl chloride products break down quickly in sunlight. I am not a molecular chemist (maybe Doug can shed some light on this), but depending on the PVC and plastisizers used the materiel may "break down" quicker in sunlight. I know that shower pan liner will break down to the point of cracking if left in the sun in a couple of weeks.

It sure makes installation time fast though, and if the sunlight issue has been thought out I might just buy one too. Thanks for the report Matt!

Matt · 10-23-2008, 08:27 AM

Don't quote me on this but I believe Art's tank is way more than a couple years old?? Good question I will ask CJ and see if he knows

dgax65 · 10-23-2008, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Handymansd

The one concern I see is that all polyvinyl chloride products break down quickly in sunlight. I am not a molecular chemist (maybe Doug can shed some light on this)....

That's funny.

Ask Tyler. I think he IS a chemist.

I limit the spew of my BS to subjects like electronics.

Siebler · 10-23-2008, 11:18 AM

As Matt said, Art has had his external KayaTank deal for a Long time and as far as I know it has had no problems.

I have observed no breakdown of these tanks and I have had a few sitting in the sun for the past 3 years.

JrBasser · 10-24-2008, 12:54 PM

Actually, Matt, your tank was number 3 :-) I just havn't paddled the trident in months. Rockin the X-Factor for the bugs

JrBasser · 10-25-2008, 01:56 PM

My tank has been sitting out back for a few weeks and I noticed the vinyl glue on the outside of the tank yellowed pretty good. But I was pretty messy with it. I think I made CJ's tank a little neater and I also havn't noticed any major yellow stains on his. The tank is holding together pretty awesome though. And even if the sun exposed glue "comes apart", the inside of your tank is out of sunlight and will keep youor tank together and leak free. The cool thing is the tanks neatness is more important that its unleakability because if a corner drips a little bit, your a little safer than the internal version obviously.

mwm · 10-31-2008, 09:21 PM

Very nice design and in my opinion, the ability to stow the tank inside upon coming in to the beach is great. I have only had a kayak for about six months, and primarily have beached launched in North County where the surf is much larger than LJ. Being able to put all my gear inside the kayak has saved me alot of $$$ as I have never lost anything but my pride to the surf.

aguachico · 10-31-2008, 10:53 PM

Nice tank Matt.

Just to fill in some blanks. The external tank I have on my trident was originally built for the cabo. It was built by Mo about 7 years ago. The tank I built was for my Extreme.

I have modified my tank to be free standing, intake and outake changed. The main struture of this tank has been solid and well abused.

Cj is the premier tank builder, so I wouldn't even bother doing another tank myself. It's a lot of work and the fumes remove brain cells - as anyone who has met CJ will atest to.

I've seen many many bait tanks. IMHO, this setup is the best for a trident.

To my knowledge, the vinly glue does not break down in sun light. The materials and adhesives used are used by the Navy and SeaWorld.

Siebler · 11-01-2008, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aguachico

Cj is the premier tank builder, so I wouldn't even bother doing another tank myself. It's a lot of work and the fumes remove brain cells - as anyone who has met CJ will atest to.

Dont forget about Troutman too! Hes the real example

Thanks for your Input Art, after all you are the true inspiration for this tank.

I agree that this is by far the BEST tank for the Trident. And im not just saying that because we make them. I am on my 2nd trident and have had 4 or 5 tank set ups including the internal KayaTank. This new tank is sleek, light, and keeps bait alive wonderfully. The exhaust system on this tank was modeled after those used on sport boats. it allows only the freshest/newest water to stay within the tank. The intake is as low as possible and the exhaust is as high as you can get it.

telewka · 01-27-2009, 03:47 PM

I have been fishing out of my 18 ft. fiber glass/kevlar kayak for 3 years with a bait tube.I have finally got tired and I called Andy.He said there was a portable bait tank avaliable.I plan on drilling holes in bottom of cockpit for water flow in and out.I need to know the size and I only want 3 gals max.Thanks for any help.

Siebler · 01-28-2009, 10:13 AM

Intake is 3/4" fittings so a 1" hole. For the tank the Internal style usually drains through a 1 1/8" fitting (1 3/8" hole). The External however has been draining through a 1 1/2" fitting. Its all going to depend on what exactly you need. The External KayaTanks are designed specifically for certain boats.

If you need more information pleas email me

Cj@oeexpress.com

10-23-2008, 06:31 AM	#1
Matt Support your local pangas Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Lj Posts: 976	The External Kayatank prototype brought to you from your friends at OEX So just to add to your already overwhelming choice of baittanks that are already currently available, CJ, Brett and I decided to try an build a new style of external kayatank similar to that of Art's or Aquachico as some of you may know him. One of the many reasons both CJ and I wanted a slightly different style bait tank was due to the fact that the OK Prowler Tridents have a rather unique proprietary tank well that we thought could be used more efficiently and could also have a better fitting bait tank in the well. Now I have tried the thresher tank from Liquid fishing, bristol bay tank from Shimano, and the reliable 5 gallon bucket and all left me wanting something slightly different. These are all great bait tanks but I felt there was something better just out there and I hadn' seen it. About 4 months ago I ran into Art on the beach after an midweek evening session in LJ and he had the style of tank that I wanted, the original version of the external kayatank, that he built himself many years ago, Art was nice enough to let me check his baittank out and it went from there to the new generation. There are two ways to plumb this tank, CJ's is done via an internal kayatank pump, very similar to the way Grego plumbed his bucket tank on his new x-13, and the other way is exactly the same as you would see on a standard bait tank with a bilge hanging over the side. Now the drains on both of these style of external kayatanks is achieved using a standard drain like you would see on any of the bucket tanks, however it is placed directly over one of your scupper holes in the rear tank well and is modified by drilling holes in the top of it to drain more efficiently and then glued in place to the "vinyl-like" kayatank material(see the pics below). In order to allow the kayatank to maintain its shape we have glued two square pieces of PVC to the inside of the tank the sides of the tankwell take care of the rest. This is also what allows the pump attachments to stay in place, as well as the drain plug, which I haven't installed in my tank yet. The lid of the tank also has the same PVC material glued to it, in order to let it sit flush and keep pressure on the cover so your macks don't escape and swim away, the lid has a cut through the pvc making it two half circles and allowing the tank to be easily accessed for that final bait that is hunkered down in the back of your tank. The plumbing of the external kayatank is really clean with a on/off switch up by the fish finder run to the tank via a deck plug outlet so it is a superclean system that still allow you to use your plano box if you are so inclined. I have found that the roughly 4+ gallons is more than enough to keep over 15-20+ mackerel swimming happily along all day on a 12v 10ah or 12v 7ah battery. The external tank while being somewhat of an oblong square allows the macks to swim in a semicircle and keep plenty fresh and ready to be used as bait. "So why build an external kayatank?" Well that is a fairly easy question, 1. It sits flush with the tankwell so therefore lowers your center of gravity nicely. 2. Super easy access to your bait and keeps your bait really fresh with a massive amount of water flow and nice semi round shape to allow them to swim in their more natural motion of a circle. 3. If you are coming in during some larger than normal surf this tank is able to be folded up and put inside your kayak, not a neccesity much of the time at LJ but a definite nice advantage in other locales whether down south in Mex or Marine St or Big Rock in LJ or any of the North County launches. 4. Let's say you have a multiple fish day and you don't want to store your fish down your hatch you can lay them on top of this tank with little to no problem and they sit pefectly well on top versus having to try and figure out how to store them with say a more "rigid" sided bait tank. 5. I just think its a cool idea. 6. You can make this tank in almost any shape or size to fit any yak out there. I have used this tank now for about 2weeks or so with no problems or concerns, it is super easy to wash out and clean, easily folded up and put in the hatch (i tried this out of my own curiosity to see how it worked and it did so just fine). There are currently only 2 of these that OEX has made but more will be on the way now that the design is pretty solid and we have worked out all of the kinks and the few problems we had. There are pictures below, if you have any questions regarding the tank feel free to PM me or harrass CJ all you want as it is his job!!! the overview with deckplug the hatch opening sideview the draining mechanism the on/off switch at the front __________________ Thanks Matt F.

10-23-2008, 08:04 AM	#2
Handymansd Ancient Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: On The Water Posts: 935	Wow sounds like a great Tank! Especially if you plan to fish from other yaks like trips to Baja or Hawaii. The one concern I see is that all polyvinyl chloride products break down quickly in sunlight. I am not a molecular chemist (maybe Doug can shed some light on this), but depending on the PVC and plastisizers used the materiel may "break down" quicker in sunlight. I know that shower pan liner will break down to the point of cracking if left in the sun in a couple of weeks. It sure makes installation time fast though, and if the sunlight issue has been thought out I might just buy one too. Thanks for the report Matt! __________________ All men are equal before fish. -Herbert Hoover

10-23-2008, 08:27 AM	#3
Matt Support your local pangas Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Lj Posts: 976	Don't quote me on this but I believe Art's tank is way more than a couple years old?? Good question I will ask CJ and see if he knows __________________ Thanks Matt F.

10-23-2008, 11:18 AM	#5
Siebler Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richland Oregon Posts: 1,547	As Matt said, Art has had his external KayaTank deal for a Long time and as far as I know it has had no problems. I have observed no breakdown of these tanks and I have had a few sitting in the sun for the past 3 years. __________________ CJ Siebler

01-27-2009, 03:47 PM	#11
telewka Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 38	Will this work for a sit inside? I have been fishing out of my 18 ft. fiber glass/kevlar kayak for 3 years with a bait tube.I have finally got tired and I called Andy.He said there was a portable bait tank avaliable.I plan on drilling holes in bottom of cockpit for water flow in and out.I need to know the size and I only want 3 gals max.Thanks for any help.

10-24-2008, 12:54 PM	#6
JrBasser Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 260	Actually, Matt, your tank was number 3 :-) I just havn't paddled the trident in months. Rockin the X-Factor for the bugs

10-25-2008, 01:56 PM	#7
JrBasser Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 260	My tank has been sitting out back for a few weeks and I noticed the vinyl glue on the outside of the tank yellowed pretty good. But I was pretty messy with it. I think I made CJ's tank a little neater and I also havn't noticed any major yellow stains on his. The tank is holding together pretty awesome though. And even if the sun exposed glue "comes apart", the inside of your tank is out of sunlight and will keep youor tank together and leak free. The cool thing is the tanks neatness is more important that its unleakability because if a corner drips a little bit, your a little safer than the internal version obviously.

10-31-2008, 09:21 PM	#8
mwm Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 33	Very nice design and in my opinion, the ability to stow the tank inside upon coming in to the beach is great. I have only had a kayak for about six months, and primarily have beached launched in North County where the surf is much larger than LJ. Being able to put all my gear inside the kayak has saved me alot of $$$ as I have never lost anything but my pride to the surf.

10-31-2008, 10:53 PM	#9
aguachico Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 719	Nice tank Matt. Just to fill in some blanks. The external tank I have on my trident was originally built for the cabo. It was built by Mo about 7 years ago. The tank I built was for my Extreme. I have modified my tank to be free standing, intake and outake changed. The main struture of this tank has been solid and well abused. Cj is the premier tank builder, so I wouldn't even bother doing another tank myself. It's a lot of work and the fumes remove brain cells - as anyone who has met CJ will atest to. I've seen many many bait tanks. IMHO, this setup is the best for a trident. To my knowledge, the vinly glue does not break down in sun light. The materials and adhesives used are used by the Navy and SeaWorld.

01-28-2009, 10:13 AM	#12
Siebler Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richland Oregon Posts: 1,547	Intake is 3/4" fittings so a 1" hole. For the tank the Internal style usually drains through a 1 1/8" fitting (1 3/8" hole). The External however has been draining through a 1 1/2" fitting. Its all going to depend on what exactly you need. The External KayaTanks are designed specifically for certain boats. If you need more information pleas email me Cj@oeexpress.com __________________ CJ Siebler