Malibu Stealth 14 and Stealth 12 out for a test ride?

[lamb]

Hell yeah.



Brent calls me all stoked… Malibu Stealth 12 and Stealth 14 prototypes arrived in the shop. He has them all rigged up, bait tanks wired up and all.

Gameplan: take them out for a ride in the Big Bay and fish for halibut. We were going to try Rick Da Masta Goose’s bounce ball rigs (more on that later), fire up the live wells, check out how they do, go to the bait barge and load up on some live bait. Look for the flat kind and see how the new yaks feel.

Beautiful calm day in San Diego Bay.

We got to sniff around Stealth 12 and Stealth 14 on the beach, checking out all the features.



Stealth 14 seems like XFactor hull with radically redesigned deck, especially the space right in front of you.

Stealth 12 is very similar - Stealth 14 minus the back hatch and 2 ft shorter.

Both kayaks have the new bait tank / livewell built right in the hull, in the space front of the seat. It’s great to see fishing kayak manufacturers designing their boats with live bait on their mind.

OEX guys did great job plumbing it; they threw in water intake control valve. Killer, it lets you adjust how much water flows in. You can adjust the flow for different bait and different load.

The new deck layout on both boats has got to get your attention…



Left hatch opens up to give you access under the hood, to your live-well pump and all the plumbing.

The hull is designed with recessed area for bait pump installation, so the surface of the pump is flush with the bottom of the kayak. That reduces the drag and protects the pump. There's a screen on the pump that ought to keep the kelp and eelgrass out.





Right hatch is a tackle box – pretty cool and handy. I stored my pliers, hooks, line and picked out a bunch of lures to play with.



Another nice touch – both seat scupper holes now have the drain plugs, giving you option to keep them open or close them completely. I can see that being handy for fishing in different type waters.



Two very pretty kayaks, no doubt.





Gator hatch, rod holders, cup holder, the standard stuff...

Bow and stern are similar to xFactor, at least it seemed to me. Keep in mind, I’m an eXtreme guy.





Brent brought to my attention that lower end of the back hatch has been raised up a bit, to keep it above the water level for bigger bodies on board.



Not surprisingly, both Stealth 12 and Stealth 14 felt very stable.

They paddled easily through the glassy bay.

Comfortable fishing platforms.



I started dragging Rick’s bounce ball rig with 1lbs ball. 5 mins into it, a little halibut hangs himself on a hootchie:



Stoked!

Not that Masta DaGoose’s halibut rigs needed any proof that they work, what we were not sure was whether they could be fished with from a kayak. Rick has got halibut rigs figured out, and he recently started www.bestofbiggame.com where he makes his rigs available. We’re happy that OEX & www.kayakfishingsupplies.com will be carrying Rick’s bounce ball rigs in stock as well! They are slightly modified specifically for kayak fishermen. For all of you that may not know him - Rick DaGoose is one of the best SoCal halibut fisherman and awesome guy. His rigs are the first class quality craftsmanship, and the best part – THEY WORK! If you’re serious about halibut fishing, give these bounce ball rigs a try.

We made it to the barge and loaded up on some sardines.

They seemed pretty happy.



Bait tank hatch was easy to open and close. The seal worked pretty good. The water was draining smoothly right down the scupper holes. Adjustable intake valve was pretty handy to control the level of water flowing in.



A clear 6” screw-on round hatch in the middle makes it easy to keep an eye on the bait. It enables you to reach for the bait without popping the whole main big hatch open:



All in all, I think I liked the built in tank!



Dropped a healthy sardine down to the bottom while I was taking the pictures of the tank.

The tip of my rod soon starts bouncing…

Keeper (or almost a keeper?) halibut sings in.





Let her go in exchange for a promise that she will find me fishing at La Jolla in WCW season 2029, and make whatever I offer that day her last meal.

Picked up another short halibut on a bounce ball on my way back; it shook off the hook before I got to take a pic.

Fun day on the water trying out some new yaks from the Malibu house.