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#801 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 254
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#802 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 30
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#803 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla
Posts: 2,641
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SOLO SKIFF Unloading and Loading System I Designed
FINALLY! After a few months since I told some people I know that I would film how I use the system I designed to unload and load my Solo Skiff, I did that today. I had to film it at home since conditions have kept me from being able to launch at La Jolla and film the process. It was a little harder at home because my driveway has this stupid slant that the construction company that built the house and poured the driveway thought that it needed much more slope than I think should have been needed, even with the extra rain and snow we get up in the mountains. I do believe that I covered most of what was important and if there is any additional information or more specific question, just post what those concerns are. I did forget to mention that all the Scotty bases and all the eyelets and hooks are installed using tri-fold aluminum 3/16" pop rivets. Those work great and I have always used them on my kayaks also. They allow you to mount things were there might not be a way to use pass through stainless steel bolts. The short Hobie H Rails and the swivel seat base are mounted with 1/4" through stainless steel bolts, large washers and nylock nuts. The Yakattack Mighty Mount XL gear track bases are of different lengths and all come with stainless steel screws that just screw into the polypropylene hull of the Solo Skiff. The triple rod holders on the rear are Blacktip triple nylon rod holders and I made a bracket that supports the upper section and are mounted to the Yakattack Mighty Mount XL bases using stainless steel carriage bolts that I ground two sides of the head slightly so they would slide in the gear tracks and also not rotate. They are easily removable by just loosening the nylock nuts and sliding the bolts out of the tracks, if I decide I don't want them on. The use of the ramp system is alot easier on the sand. Using it on boat ramps is also easy when you don't have to deal with boat wakes, no different then when using a boat trailer. Hope this helps all you guys that have one or are waiting for a Solo Skiff' Tight Lines.
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MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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#804 |
Olivenhain Bob
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Olivenhain, CA
Posts: 1,121
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A little over 11 years ago, I wrote the first post in the Share Your Innovations thread. It was a rainy day, just like today and I was just beginning to discover how rewarding it can be to modify my kayak so it works better.
Before responding to Mark's fabulous post on his Solo Skiff mods, I checked out the stats that this thread has accumulated over the years. 802 replies and 569,608 views. Wow! To everyone who has participated in this thread, thank you for all the wonderful advice. Back to Mark's video. It deserves another WOW! Very impressive stuff. Everything that Mark shows us in this video is well conceived, well designed and very innovative. IMO, it is one of the best posts that has appeared in this thread. Well done Mark. While watching the video, I thought of one additional small mod that might be worth considering. It occurred to me that as often as Mark launches and retrieves his Solo, one spot on the hull may be getting extra exposure to wear and tear. Every time the hull is winched onto his truck, a small spot on the bottom of the hull is constantly being abraded away by the beach sand. What if you created some kind of a pad, wheel or roller that could be strapped to the bow to protect this part of the hull from abrasion? Just a thought. See you on the water my friend. Bob |
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#805 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla
Posts: 2,641
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Thank You for the kind words Bob. Yes I do monitor the lower edge of the bow were the hull makes contact with the sand and have not had any real wear at that point but it is something I do keep an eye on. I know it can certainly be an issue. My friend Mikey (sd fish and sips) had that very problem and ended up plastic welding that area on his Solo Skiff and adding a piece of PVC to reinforce that area. In his case though, I think most of that wear was due to how often he launches from concrete boat ramps and not from loading but due to having a habit of landing on the ramp while still on the Solo Skiff and then walking off the bow once it had slid onto the ramp. He posted a uTube video on making that repair recently on his uTube channel SD FISH AND SIPS. I noticed years ago how extremely rough the concrete surface on the ramps is (for improved traction for car/truck tires). So I never drag or let my kayak or Solo Skiff slide or that surface. When loading my Solo Skiff onto my truck bed and extender on a boat ramp the bow is still in the water and floating so it never makes contact with the concrete. When I land on the ramp I stop and get out in 1' of water and lift the Solo or Kayak and pull it up far enough so that boat wakes don't move it around. It is absolutely something guys should be aware off, just like owning a fiberglass boat, you would never want the bow/keel area to contact the concrete. Thank You Bob for having started the Share Your Innovations Thread it is certainly the most viewed thread on BWE. Hope the weather improves so we can see each other on the water soon. Tight Lines!
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MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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#806 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Rancho Cucamonga
Posts: 609
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Mark, in regards to the potential wear point on the bottom of the hull, I have been researching methods of prevention as I have a fiberglass kayak on order. Some of the nor cal guys use helicopter blade tape since their sand and beaches are a little more rocky than ours. Its not cheap but it seems to do the trick for keeping the fiberglass from getting beat up if it incidentally drags across concrete/rock/etc. Its 14 mils thick which is a little less than 1/64", or about the thickness of 3 sheets of printer paper.
https://www.amazon.com/ISC-Racers-Ta.../dp/B004FKND3W
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IG: @blackflag_fishing Youtube: Blackflag Fishing 2014 Ocean Kayak T13 SOLD 2020 Hobie Outback SOLD 2021 Stealth Fisha 500 #StealthTribe |
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#807 | |
Large Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: La Verne, CA
Posts: 1,005
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Quote:
https://www.keeleazy.com/ |
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#808 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: On the water
Posts: 198
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Mark,
I watched Alan Batista's video on using Kydex to make a keelguard for my Solo. Pretty simple to do and it protects the Solo well. I used Kydex to protect my Topwater as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9wYd5o1BIU -Quang Quote:
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#809 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Posts: 1,919
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DIY Fish finder Sun Shade
I bought the container at Dollar Tree (probably find it at a 99cent store in SoCal). The plastic cuts like butter with a hand grinder(less vibration than using a reciprocation saw). Long straight cuts were done with a circular saw using a masonry blade. A belt sander laid upsidedown on the ground with the trigger locked "on", can be used for smoothing out any rough edges in the plastic. Circular holes were done with a drill. The finished design was sprayed with either paint or Plasti Dip for UV protection and glare reduction. The one on the left goes to a Dragonfly 7 and attaches with velcro. The Element 7 is screwed in on all 4 corners.
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#810 | |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla
Posts: 2,641
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Quote:
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MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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#811 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Posts: 1,919
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Fish Finder PVC Cactus Mount
Everytime I had to use the Hobie Latrine(mirage drive opening), I was getting annoyed by my fishfinder shade rubbing up against my side. So I decided to make a PVC mod to be able to swivel it outboard to give me more space as needed.
![]() It reminds me a little of a cactus. The base is made out of cutting boards, the stainless steel was a piece from the transom mount that came with my fishfinder. In the finalized version, I swapped out the ball mount for a socket as with an arm connected it was going to be too high. ![]() By loosening the wing nut on the top, I can swivel the arm out when needed. It is stable and serves its function well. Last edited by JohnMckroidJr; 06-10-2021 at 01:57 PM. |
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#812 |
n00b
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: San Diego
Posts: 19
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What an amazing thread. I haven't fabricated anything for my kayak, yet. It will happen soon and I'll make sure to share it here!
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-Semper Fi- 2015 Hobie Outback |
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#813 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Posts: 1,919
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Outrigger Rod holder
I wanted the spread between my trolling rods to be farther apart so I used 1-1/2" and 3/4" PVC with Scotty rod components #229 and 444 to make the solution.
![]() I used a heat gun to coax the 1-1/2" PVC pipe to fit in the slightly smaller diameter Hobie rod holder. A stainless steel bolt in the Trackmount is wing nutted tight to secure the support that prevents the holder from rotating aft. ![]() If the drag is set tight, the leverage of the extension sometimes turns the kayak when a fish strikes. ![]() |
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#814 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Rancho Cucamonga
Posts: 609
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Needed more organization in the hatch
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IG: @blackflag_fishing Youtube: Blackflag Fishing 2014 Ocean Kayak T13 SOLD 2020 Hobie Outback SOLD 2021 Stealth Fisha 500 #StealthTribe |
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#815 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Posts: 1,919
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Nice tackle storage rack. That does not look like BerleyPro, Where did you buy the materials to build it?
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#816 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Rancho Cucamonga
Posts: 609
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Quote:
. I was considering having a buddy mold it for me out of kydex but there is no good way to join the seams other than rivets and I wanted a 1 piece enclosed bin that was a little "cleaner". Additionally the berley pro would have required me to screw into my nice pretty fiberglass deck and I wasn't interested in doing that. I can print any variation of these to fit different tools, and containers. If anyone is interested, let me know.
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IG: @blackflag_fishing Youtube: Blackflag Fishing 2014 Ocean Kayak T13 SOLD 2020 Hobie Outback SOLD 2021 Stealth Fisha 500 #StealthTribe Last edited by SoCalEDC; 09-28-2021 at 08:39 AM. |
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#817 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Posts: 1,919
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Down Rigger 3.0
This version fits both the PA and Outback and was made for quick installation/removal without drilling any holes in the kayak.
![]() The beauty of the Cannon downrigger is that it can be lowered and raised with one hand incrementally. Periodically while the fish is running, my left-hand reaches back and cranks up the weight -- 2ft/crank to have it up and clear before the fish starts circling under the kayak. ![]() The DR serves double duty as a descending device for our of-season barotrama fish. ![]() The base is made out of cutting boards, PVC pipe, and stainless steel hardware. ![]() |
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#818 |
Junior
Join Date: Jun 2022
Posts: 2
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looks impressive!
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#819 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Fort Lauderdale
Posts: 1,919
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Pro Angler with 2.5hp Outboard
Kayakers started doing this modification about 7 years ago in SE Florida. As of now the only fracture that I have heard of was when somebody hit a piling on a pier.
I bought the Alma and was going to do the mod myself, but then this one came up for sale for less than it was going to cost me to complete what I had started. |
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#820 |
Junior
Join Date: Dec 2022
Location: Washington
Posts: 1
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Hi guys!
I newbie at this but thanks to you I find out more useful . Fishing for me it is a way to analyze their own thoughts in soliude, to make the right decisions without the bustle of the city and office walls. Really thanks guys! ![]() ![]()
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![]() ![]() Last edited by Ethan659; 01-03-2023 at 04:38 AM. |
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Tags |
kayak fishing inovations, kayak rigging ideas |
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