Share Your Innovations

[surfrider]

After almost losing my YT to a Hammer, while on a fish clip a couple weeks back, I decided to get an insulated fish bag to accommodate my long paddles in hot temps and sharky waters. Found a nice product on Amazon for $120, but procrastinated too long before ordering and wanted to fish last weekend. So, I went to Lowes and bought some reflective insulation material, Silicone caulk, Velcro pads, and foil tape. $35 and an hour later, I had a Redneck fish bag to fit perfectly in the rear and under the bungies of my Stealth-14! I took (2) 7lb bags of ice; which I kept below in a collapsible cooler in the front hatch, until needed. After picking up a small YT and a Bonito, I emptied one bag of ice in the foil bag along with the bled fishes. 2 nice 15-16lb YT tail and a Bonito later, I added the second bag of ice. Caught a 3rd respectable yellowtail on the paddle in, which I slid under the bag, being it was already bulging! I did roll it in the surf, not surprising with my heavily loaded yak plus the added 80lbs of fish in the trunk. BUT, surprising the bag held up nicely, and was floating alongside and easy to retrieve. Had to look around for a minute to find the "loose" YT being tossed in the surf; which a nice gal retrieved for me, during this sharky "closed-beach" day in LaJolla! After a 10 hour day on the water, I still had a 3/4 bag of un-melted ice, and the fish were nice and cool. The only difficulty was cleaning the bag.... which I expected would be a one-time disposable and shreaded from fins anyhow? I simply opened up one long seam to wash thoroughly which I will later need to retape. Caulk did not do much for adding strength, but did keep the blood and fish juices from draining through the scupper! Also on a bad fish day, it could double as a tanning reflector..... or on a real bad day, a good way to signal aircraft or give a shark something to chew on (maybe they love popping bubbles too?)!

P.S. cooler in the pic is Mega-size with a 39" I.D.

[Cbad Mike]

Originally Posted by surfrider

After almost losing my YT to a Hammer, while on a fish clip a couple weeks back, I decided to get an insulated fish bag to accommodate my long paddles in hot temps and sharky waters. Found a nice product on Amazon for $120, but procrastinated too long before ordering and wanted to fish last weekend. So, I went to Lowes and bought some reflective insulation material, Silicone caulk, Velcro pads, and foil tape. $35 and an hour later, I had a Redneck fish bag to fit perfectly in the rear and under the bungies of my Stealth-14! I took (2) 7lb bags of ice; which I kept below in a collapsible cooler in the front hatch, until needed. After picking up a small YT and a Bonito, I emptied one bag of ice in the foil bag along with the bled fishes. 2 nice 15-16lb YT tail and a Bonito later, I added the second bag of ice. Caught a 3rd respectable yellowtail on the paddle in, which I slid under the bag, being it was already bulging! I did roll it in the surf, not surprising with my heavily loaded yak plus the added 80lbs of fish in the trunk. BUT, surprising the bag held up nicely, and was floating alongside and easy to retrieve. Had to look around for a minute to find the "loose" YT being tossed in the surf; which a nice gal retrieved for me, during this sharky "closed-beach" day in LaJolla! After a 10 hour day on the water, I still had a 3/4 bag of un-melted ice, and the fish were nice and cool. The only difficulty was cleaning the bag.... which I expected would be a one-time disposable and shreaded from fins anyhow? I simply opened up one long seam to wash thoroughly which I will later need to retape. Caulk did not do much for adding strength, but did keep the blood and fish juices from draining through the scupper! Also on a bad fish day, it could double as a tanning reflector..... or on a real bad day, a good way to signal aircraft or give a shark something to chew on (maybe they love popping bubbles too?)!

P.S. cooler in the pic is Mega-size with a 39" I.D.

I like it.
Good job and thanks for sharing.

[ctfphoto]

Cost: Free with a rock and I guess the forfeit of the CRV.

[yak-fishing-socal]

Okay so I totally failed miserably at trying to make a rod pod Center Hach tray anybody ever make one or bought one from somewhere here's what I had, did not hold up to my standards at all I guess I need to put more time it

sent from my thumbs on my G4

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by ChristLike

i am sorry but what does (AFT) mean. i spent a few minutes looking for the acronym online so i wouldnt look uncool, but i have a headache now lol

WHAT IS AFT

Creative genius works like this. The world would be a far less interesting place without non-linear thinkers.

[Divad]

Nice Idea, try using that as a mold and wrap it with fiberglass.

[yak-fishing-socal]

Originally Posted by Divad

Nice Idea, try using that as a mold and wrap it with fiberglass.

Thanks that's a good idea iv been wanting to try a fiberglass kit

sent from my thumbs on my G4

[igotpron]

Originally Posted by yak-fishing-socal

Thanks that's a good idea iv been wanting to try a fiberglass kit

sent from my thumbs on my G4

Just a thought but this kinda looks like a garden flower pot. Next time your at homedepot might want to take a look. Could be way off but that idea popped into my head when I saw the shape.

[yak-fishing-socal]

Lol it is that's what I hacked up

sent from my thumbs on my G4

[igotpron]

Ahh yes looks familiar. They had 24" and 36" models. Was the 24 to big?

[ChristLike]

Originally Posted by Hunters Pa

Looks very well thought out. One question - what do you do when a bigger fish makes a run aft?

Peddle system with rudder hands free turn around/ follow the fish

[Hunters Pa]

Originally Posted by ChristLike

Peddle system with rudder hands free turn around/ follow the fish

Cool! Didn't mean to sound like I was throwing rocks at your design. Just wondering how you would follow a runner. Guess I need to practice my 180 degree turns a bit more

[yak-fishing-socal]

Originally Posted by igotpron

Ahh yes looks familiar. They had 24" and 36" models. Was the 24 to big?

Yea had to cut it down and it still didn't fit properly because of the hatch cover

sent from my thumbs on my G4

[WARRIORMIKE]

I added some rail padding that is more commonly used for Baseball Fields to my trailer extender

Flat padding $ 9.95 per foot - The "t" bar is about 3ft across

Comes in Flat pad or Round pad at 2-1/2 in diameter

The flat pad is what I currently have on it. Just need to tie it down with zip ties . The round pad is what I have in my hands

The round padding is $12 per foot

Graphics are extra






I will be bringing these to the JAL event if interested

Mike

[DanaPT]

So had real miserable cart wheels. the kayak would slip off, I felt like an ox plowing a field pulling across the sand.

This was my second set of wheels of this type. Turns out I found a "never flat" all purpose wheel at home depot. Have to buy a set of 4 approx $60.

the wheels have 2 bearings in each and are 5/8s. so a 5/8 lag bolt on each side almost exactly fits perfect into the old axle. With a bit of electric tape at a couple of spots for a super snug fit, I hammered them into the old axle and they are snug and spin really well. I may try to drill a tap screw or something. we'll see.

A few outings so far. a world of difference vs. what I had. Let's see if it holds up longer than a year.

[Deez Knots!]

Hey guys. I saw a guy with one of these but i couldn't find any DIY's so i decided to make one:

Need a place to store your irons?

What you need:
Bucket
Bucket Lid
Utility Knife
Dremel tool
Drill Bit
Drill (You can use dremel tool as well)
IRONS!

Cut the inner circle off and the outer lip off with the utility knife!


The outer lip wraps around the outside of the bucket (this is the part that has to go) and the inner lip stays inside the bucket (do not cut this off)


Smooth out lid with dremel


Slide lid down halfway and drill out holes


Now add your irons in and voila! You have a safe way of transporting and storing your irons. The lid sits tightly inside and does not require glue; you can remove the lid and use the bucket when needed.



I drilled my holes out with my dremel tool so it came out looking pretty rough; I also did not bother smoothing out the inner circle. If you want yours looking better than mine, use a drill for the holes and smooth out the inner circle with dremel

[kayachapi]

I did this to get my wife out with me. She does not have the confidence in her vision and balance to go it alone. It sails pretty well, surprisingly well. I have not had another person on it yet, and don't know how it will act, but expect it to be fine. No Hobies were harmed in this mod. Everything is removable. I know, I'm a Kook.

[Hammerhead_77]

I broke the plastic Hobie wheels bouncing my fully loaded yak off a curb on the way back to the truck... I wanted something, wider, stronger and less expensive than the nice fat Hobie sand wheels.

HFT had a sale: $5 each. Axle cost $9. Bolts, washers, nuts, cotter pins, $5. total rated capacity for this should be over 600 lbs...more than needed for a 180 lb PA14!


The hubs on these bolt in, so I replaced the bolts with longer ones to create dualies and threaded the end of the axle for a nut with a cotter pin to keep it from walking.

[surf-bum]

Originally Posted by yak-fishing-socal

Okay so I totally failed miserably at trying to make a rod pod Center Hach tray anybody ever make one or bought one from somewhere here's what I had, did not hold up to my standards at all I guess I need to put more time it

sent from my thumbs on my G4

You can make a tray out of fiberglass. If you are savy with it. I grabbed some for sale signs, taped them together and taped a cardboard plate under it after I stuck it in the hatch. Laid the chopped strand mat (fiberglass sheets) in the molded bucket, wait for it to dry, then take it out. I stuck a piece of foam the hull to raise the mold to the height I wanted. Marked it off, and cut it off. Then mold flanges on the rim to make the seal.

Kind of confusing, but I actually made my own bait tank like this. you can DM me or call if you need pics. 808-722-4377

[miteofthesun]

Here is my interpretation of a simple and cheap rod leash.

It needs to be simple, corrosion resistant, strong, and inexpensive. Everything but the bungee was purchased at Home Depot.

Here is what you will need:
3/16" bungee cord ($9.50/50 ft. on eBay)
paracord ($4)
plastic snap buckles ($0.99 for two pairs)
plastic S-biners ($0.99/ea.)
lighter
tape measure
1/16" SS wire



I began by making a lanyard, which has a female snap buckle on one end, and a loop on the other. The length of the loop can be adjusted to fit your needs. The plastic snap buckles came with instructions on how to make the lanyard. It's about as easy as tying your shoes.



I made up some DIY stainless steel hog rings out of 1/16" SS wire.



After approximating my shock cord length, I attached a S-biner to one end, and the male snap buckle to the other. Then compress the SS hog rings around the bungee.



That's it! The loop end of the lanyard can be modified to attach to your particular rod/reel. It can be easily looped through reel clamps that have a ring. Velcro could be ran through the lanyard loop for attaching the leash to the rod.