I 11S input - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Mahigeer · 04-05-2018, 09:08 PM

Well,
Ever since the Mole was closed to hooping for lobsters due to MLPA, I wanted to find a way to hoop around the Avalon with kayak.

The Catalina Express does not allow kayaks on their ferries. The kayak rentals are not available at night. The boat rental is closed during winter months.
Even in summer they are available at night.
Sending a kayak to Avalon is costly and not practical.

I therefore bought a kayak (and found this site), so I could go hooping on the mainland. So far I have not done so due to safety concerns.

However, when I saw the i11S I had a new way to fish the Avalon. I have rented kayak at Avalon one time. It was paddling a cast iron tub with an anchor dragging behind it. Very heavy kayak. It was a very bad experience.

So far I have been to Avalon once with the i11S and plan to go back very soon. I wanted to post some pictures today, but had trouble uploading pictures again.

I will try to post a report when I come back.

monstahfish · 04-07-2018, 09:44 AM

These are great boats and I have taken them to florida, aruba and a few other places. I've actually had one out in 25kt winds and 3ft chop with no problems. That part of the benefit of the flat open deck is the water washes right off. Another really cool feature is how shallow it can go I pedaled across a 8in deep flat while others had to walk their kayaks across in florida, but that doesn't really register around here.
You don't have to worry about it cracking while folded, it's made for that. The biggest concern is warping the well or blowing a seam which are easily preventable. This can happen with leaving the pressure very high for long periods of time in high heat or putting too much pressure in. One example would be keeping it inflated at full pressure then strap it to the roof(adding even more pressure) of their car under heavy tension, then leave it in 90+ degree heat in direct sunlight. It specifically states in the manual not to do this. I would also put the mirage well plug in when not using it just for an extra factor of safety. You can leave it out in the sun during trips but it's not meant to be left out for weeks at a time. I would recommend reducing the pressure when not using it then just give it a quick top off when you're ready to go.

Saba Slayer · 04-07-2018, 10:00 AM

GREAT ADVICE...

Quote:

Originally Posted by monstahfish

These are great boats and I have taken them to florida, aruba and a few other places. I've actually had one out in 25kt winds and 3ft chop with no problems. That part of the benefit of the flat open deck is the water washes right off. Another really cool feature is how shallow it can go I pedaled across a 8in deep flat while others had to walk their kayaks across in florida, but that doesn't really register around here.
You don't have to worry about it cracking while folded, it's made for that. The biggest concern is warping the well or blowing a seam which are easily preventable. This can happen with leaving the pressure very high for long periods of time in high heat or putting too much pressure in. One example would be keeping it inflated at full pressure then strap it to the roof(adding even more pressure) of their car under heavy tension, then leave it in 90+ degree heat in direct sunlight. It specifically states in the manual not to do this. I would also put the mirage well plug in when not using it just for an extra factor of safety. You can leave it out in the sun during trips but it's not meant to be left out for weeks at a time. I would recommend reducing the pressure when not using it then just give it a quick top off when you're ready to go.

captwoody · 04-07-2018, 06:24 PM

Thanks for those pointers, I plan on using in high heat areas so the let out air tip, and use the plug make sense.

captwoody · 04-21-2018, 11:24 AM

Well picked up my I11S from Fastlane Thursday afternoon. Took I out for trial run Friday morning out of tidelands for couple of hours. Took about 10 minutes to set up. So I was pleased how fast it went. I transport it a little different to set up area. I have a neck/back injury so cant lift much so I take wheels and mirage drive in second trip so I don't have to lift all the weight out of jeep. When I first took off it was squirrely , but dropped rudder and fixed problem. there was a 10-15 mph wind at first but boat tracked well under power. Brought rod for bonefish which has spectra to cut eel grass so only got a few bites and caught one sbb before ending test ride. Normally fish 4lb Flouroclear which allow jigs to sink faster and gets way more bites than straight spectra but hey no skunk. Beached boat then had to move to deeper water to get wheels underneath. And hard wheels don't climb curbs very well, but that was about it for snags. Hayden showed me some tricks for putting in bag by folding it in which worked out well. Took 15 minutes to deflate, wipe down and put in bag. Both set up and take down times will decrease with practice for first time I was very pleased. The light weight will allow me to get back on the water and give me some sanity back. Overall great boat for people with physical limitations or storage issues

makobob · 04-21-2018, 02:03 PM

Nice report Capt Woody. Was thinking about one for me. But will wait until I get my fake leg. Thank you for taking the time to wtire this up. You too Mahigeer. Tight Lines all.

Mahigeer · 04-21-2018, 04:43 PM

Best wishes for the future trips.

As I was reading your post I realized that I posted "it took 2 hours for me to setup".

To be clear; this time included rigging up travel rods, figuring out how to tie everything down and packing my other gear to be put in storage.

Not just to inflate the kayak.

04-21-2018, 02:03 PM	#6
makobob Baitless on Baja Join Date: May 2013 Location: Vista California, Gonzaga, San Quintin, Asuncion, Mag Bay Posts: 4,250	Nice report Capt Woody. Was thinking about one for me. But will wait until I get my fake leg. Thank you for taking the time to wtire this up. You too Mahigeer. Tight Lines all. __________________ http://www.mako-ville.com Home 760-630-4470 Cell 760-520-2514 YES YOU CAN

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04-05-2018, 09:08 PM	#1
Mahigeer Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,908	Well, Ever since the Mole was closed to hooping for lobsters due to MLPA, I wanted to find a way to hoop around the Avalon with kayak. The Catalina Express does not allow kayaks on their ferries. The kayak rentals are not available at night. The boat rental is closed during winter months. Even in summer they are available at night. Sending a kayak to Avalon is costly and not practical. I therefore bought a kayak (and found this site), so I could go hooping on the mainland. So far I have not done so due to safety concerns. However, when I saw the i11S I had a new way to fish the Avalon. I have rented kayak at Avalon one time. It was paddling a cast iron tub with an anchor dragging behind it. Very heavy kayak. It was a very bad experience. So far I have been to Avalon once with the i11S and plan to go back very soon. I wanted to post some pictures today, but had trouble uploading pictures again. I will try to post a report when I come back.

04-07-2018, 09:44 AM	#2
monstahfish Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 423	These are great boats and I have taken them to florida, aruba and a few other places. I've actually had one out in 25kt winds and 3ft chop with no problems. That part of the benefit of the flat open deck is the water washes right off. Another really cool feature is how shallow it can go I pedaled across a 8in deep flat while others had to walk their kayaks across in florida, but that doesn't really register around here. You don't have to worry about it cracking while folded, it's made for that. The biggest concern is warping the well or blowing a seam which are easily preventable. This can happen with leaving the pressure very high for long periods of time in high heat or putting too much pressure in. One example would be keeping it inflated at full pressure then strap it to the roof(adding even more pressure) of their car under heavy tension, then leave it in 90+ degree heat in direct sunlight. It specifically states in the manual not to do this. I would also put the mirage well plug in when not using it just for an extra factor of safety. You can leave it out in the sun during trips but it's not meant to be left out for weeks at a time. I would recommend reducing the pressure when not using it then just give it a quick top off when you're ready to go.

04-07-2018, 06:24 PM	#4
captwoody Junior Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: murrieta Posts: 15	Thanks for those pointers, I plan on using in high heat areas so the let out air tip, and use the plug make sense.

04-21-2018, 04:43 PM	#7
Mahigeer Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,908	Best wishes for the future trips. As I was reading your post I realized that I posted "it took 2 hours for me to setup". To be clear; this time included rigging up travel rods, figuring out how to tie everything down and packing my other gear to be put in storage. Not just to inflate the kayak.