Weighting down the bow. . .

[DanaPT]

Figured to share an observation.

I've been fishing from a very stable malibu x-factor.

When the wind picks up and the swell/wind chop is at the nastiest. . . paddling into the wind in not fun. Every paddle over wave/wind chop, boat wake, (you get the idea). . . results in the hull of my kayak getting blown off track and seems like the kayak is getting pushed back-wards.

I've been experimenting with weighting down the bow and have been very happy with adding a 20lb kettle bell into the front hatch.

This extra weight keeps the bow down in the water where I believe the kayak tracks better. As I get moving... momentum keeps me moving. ALso, when drifting the extra weight seems to help with a slow-er drift.

I'm sure there are drawbacks but so far, I've not encountered any. It does add an extra 20lbs, but it hasn't created problems. Even in a surf launch, the weight in the hull cuts through the wave as I punch through.

Figured to share something that works for me. I hope it helps you too.

[skrilla]

Funny, I experience almost the opposite. When I strap down a heavier fish up front it's tougher for me to track straight. Cutting through the chop is an even wetter experience. I don't notice much of a difference in drift speed.

But then again I'm in a smaller kayak and take the minimalist approach when hauling gear. I'm about 250lbs total ( kayak, gear, myself ) in the water. Most of the weight is toward the middle. A 20#+ fish strapped on board does significantly effect front/rear weight distribution on my rig. I have to pray to the fish gods that I catch another so I can strap em to the other end and hopefully balance out.

[lowprofile]

i have an xfactor and am about 230 plus gear (290ish with bait tank full) and my rig tracks great. but i do get pushed alot faster by the wind than the other yaks out there.