Finally a Kayak Owner

[Garibaldi_Hunter]

Well after lurking around this site and renting/borrowing kayaks for the past year I finally made the purchase and picked up a Malibu Extreme. Now comes the fun part of getting this thing rigged up.

Have a couple of questions though:

1. What fishfinders have you guys had success with? I'm looking to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of 300.00. I would definitely prefer a color display and GPS capability is nice but not necessary as I plan on purchasing a handheld. Any thoughts? Anyone see any deals lately? I know Cabelas has allot of the Lowrance units on sale right now but not really familiar with their units.

2. Does anyone use an ONNO paddle? I've been considering a Werner Cory Vecken but was looking at the ONNO paddles and they are lighter and less expensive. Looking on their site the craftsmanship looks to be extremely high quality as well. I paddle with an aggressive high angle and I'm looking at something in a 230-240cm length. I like the fact the ONNO's are adjustable however have not been able to find any reviews.

3. Any suggestions as far as VHF radios go?

4. Anyone know where to get the metal hoops (where you click the seat to). I can only find nylon ones but would like to replace them all with stainless.


Still not sure what I'l be doing as far as bait tanks go. I like the concept behind the Kayaktank however not sure I want to spend the money right now. Will probably be using a bait tube for a while until I get the more necessary items added on. Picked this kayak up extremely cheap and its basically in new condition.


Thanks for any help/advice you guys can give. Will be coming to a beach launch near you very soon.

[buttchaser]

I use a Raymarine ds400x digital color fishfinder , easy to use, But There are lots of different types of FF to choose from ...

I bought mine at Westmarine and bought the insurance for it ,total came out to $350, This was about 2 years ago and glad I bought the Ins. because I broke the Pin on the Monitor where the Power cord hooks in to the monitor, Just got back from Westmarine with a New FF , Easy exchange with no Hassels
Whatever you choose , Buy the insurance

[madscientist]

1. Almost any FF will work well and you pretty much get what you pay for. Additional warranty is a very good idea. If you fish a lot, you will kill sonars. I've had excellent customer service with Lowrance. very fast cross shipped replacements.

2. I like my werner and I know people with ONNOs that like them, but I understand the guy that makes them can be hard to get in touch with.

3. I had a west marine brand one that kept killing batteries because of a bad o ring. Standard horizons are good, but I'm not super happy with mine. A dry bag is a good idea regardless, just don't leave it in there.

4. West marine has stainless deck loops. No real reason to replace them except perhaps the seat attachment ones if you put a lot of pressure on your seat. I've never broken a nylon one, though I have had the aluminium rivets corrode and fail.

Kayatank is awesome, worth every penny if you are going to fish bait.

[Garibaldi_Hunter]

Thanks for the info.

Anyone ever use this fish finder? Found it for 319.00 without transducer. Comes with a free weathersense module (not sure if I would ever use it) but at an 80.00 value might be a nice little add on.
Humminbird 747C LCD Fishfinder

I will definitely be going with the kayaktank. I really like the idea of freeing up deck space. the extreme has so much storage space anyways giving up one hatch does not seem to be a real loss.

I'm still not sure what I want to do with the paddles. I've considered saving some money and picking up a cheaper carbon paddle however I've used one of the Werner Camano paddles and really liked the feel however not sure I want to spend 350.00 on a paddle. If I go with the werner CoryVecken I may just pickup the glass model to save a little. For now I have an inexpensive paddle that does the job but definitely want to pickup a nicer one soon.

Spending money on toys is almost as fun is using them.

[lamb]

Congrats on your new kayak!!

First of, a friendly reminder for all that the search button (or link) is your best friend. The chances are - any question newcomer to the sport will have has been asked before on this or other yak fishing boards (kayak4fish.com, yakfishing.com, etc.).

I just verified the search is working here on BWE after the upgrade :

http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=457&highlight=finder
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=1101&highlight=finder
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/showthread.php?t=200&highlight=finder

I currently use Lawrence M68c (color & GPS). I got it used last year and it’s still gpoing strong. Love the sonar, I hate GPS so I don’t use it (I’m a Garmin eTrex fan). It was easy upgrade from Eagle FishEasy sonar (the same transducer will work).

Take care of your ff/electronics to extend their life. You will go though them regardless.

I've been happy with West Marine brand VHF. Get that extended warranty, it's worth it... Don't recharge VHF unless it's totally empty as you'll shorten battery life (been there done that). Once fully charged, it ought to last multiple trips - 5 or 6. Disclaimer - this "drain fully then recharge" deal applies only to certain types of batteries, not all of them.

[DBITE]

+1 on the Raymarine ds400 (and the insurance ). You should also check out Aqua-Bound paddles. I have one of their carbon fiber paddles and it's great.

[Handymansd]

Ditto on the raymarine ds400x! I Love mine!

[ronbo613]

Been using an Eagle fishfinder, about $100, if the fish are there, it sees them.
I like a hand held GPS, that way I can use it away from the kayak.
Salt water and electronics don't go that well together, so I buy the cheapest thing that does the job.
Any money left over, well, I buy beer. Fishing is great, so is having a few beers and telling fish stories.

[Garibaldi_Hunter]

Thanks for the info guys. I just went ahead and ordered the RayMarine DS500X. Still undecided on the kayak paddle however I sent ONNO an email asking what their turnaround time was. If he replies in less than 2 days and the turnaround is not too large I may just go with an ONNO but if no reply then I'm going with the CoryVecken. Since Fred Hall starts tomorrow I'll be making a trip there after work and see what else I can pickup. Was going to wait on the DS500X but found a store getting rid of old inventory selling their last one NIB for 350 w/ Transducer. Dont think I'll be able to beat that deal.

[buttchaser]

I just went ahead and ordered the RayMarine DS500X

Great deal!!!You will like the Big screen on that Monitor....

Does your Extreme have the foam inside the yak?The reason I am asking is Because the transducer is Pretty big....

[Garibaldi_Hunter]

Yes it has the foam core. How has everyone else mounted their transducers?

I was hoping to mount it near the seat or just behind. Then I'm installing a kayatank in the rear hatch behind that.

[buttchaser]

Originally Posted by Garibaldi_Hunter

Yes it has the foam core. How has everyone else mounted their transducers?

I was hoping to mount it near the seat or just behind. Then I'm installing a kayatank in the rear hatch behind that.

I dont have a extreme, But have heard of people chipping the foam away , then install the transducer with goop ,You can also mount it on the stern .... Hopefully some one with a Extreme will chime in ......Here is a pic of the transducer .....,

[wavster]

Depending on the year of your eXtreme, you may or may not have the white layer
inside the hull. Transducers won't work well shooting through that, as it has air molecules in the
material. Be very careful if you have to cut out the additional layer, as you could very
easily cut through your hull.

I mount my transducer using a carriage bolt and turnbuckle through the scupper hole in the foot well.
This is not my favorite way (it tends to catch kelp) and would like to change it, but I'm
planning on getting a new eXtreme in the next couple of weeks, so I'm living with it.

[OB Paddler]

Hi G.H.,

Just a quick heads up, the Corryvrecken paddle rocks . Just remember it's a big paddle face. Also meaning that it takes a bit of strength to keep moving. Not so bad for a half day fishing in La jolla , and awesome for punching through surf at the launch...but I hear that most of the guy's like a lower impact touring paddle.

When you start covering a lot more ground you might wish you didn't have a paddle with so much "Bite". The advise I'm giving to you is the same that I received when looking for a paddle. That being said... I love my Werner Corryvrecken. I would recommend stopping by Aqua-Adventures and talking to Jennifer Kleck, she is a top female paddler in the US. and definitely know her s#!t.

OB Paddler

A.K.A

Todd

[OB Paddler]

Oh, and I almost forgot,

The Corryvrecken is a high angle paddle. Which means you need to determine what type of stroke you have. Picture from Werners website. You might want to try this paddle fit quiz.

[Useful Idiot]

Good info so far on the paddle. The Corrvrecken is a high angle blade shape which is more powerful but also more fatiguing (lightweight materials like carbon fiber will help to offset the fatigue factor). The Kalliste is a low angle alternative with a longer, narrower blade. We stock both paddles at OEX if you'd like to check em out.

If you have any questions on installing the transducer give us a call, we'd be more than happy to walk ya through it.
-Brian

[Garibaldi_Hunter]

Thanks guys for all the info. I'm still a little torn on what paddle to go with. I've spoken to patrick at ONNO and have been giving some serious consideration to the full blade paddle they sell which is a little smaller than the CoryVecken however not sure what their turnaround time is yet.

I know that OEX sells the kayatank I was curious about installation on this. I checked their website and the instructions say to install in the center hatch. Is there any reason for selecting the center hatch rather than the rear? I know that having it in the center is nice for having it accessible however I personally like to store tackle in this hatch as I access that far more than bait. Is there any noticeable ride difference from having it in the rear vs center?

What does OEX charge for installation? And how long does it usually take? for kayatank.

[Useful Idiot]

The kayatank is $370 installed (includes battery, timer switch, toggle switch, pump, everything needed). On an extreme you can put it in either hatch, but you need to decide beforehand because they are different bags. On the X-Factor you can only put it in the center hatch because of the angled rear hatch design. There's a few guys that have the kayatank in the rear hatch that I'm sure will chime in.

The longest part of the installation process is getting the tank. They're all made to order. We've been working on expediting the process a little bit, but once we have the tank it'll take us about 4 hours to install.
-Brian

[madscientist]

I have the kayatank in the rear on both my extremes. I prefer to have it behind me as I like o have the center hatch for tackle and such. The only drawback I've encountered is that the rear hatch area is deeper, so the tank holds more. This is not much of a problem and you could raise the bag with something underneath if the extra water volume was a concern. I usually just keep some beers in there to displace a bit of water, unless I have a ton of bait.

[OB Paddler]

GH, Brian is right, I was very impressed with the fact that OEX is now carrying Werner paddles. Another plus is they have them for the same price as everyone else. My understanding is that Werner controls the price on all paddles sales.

My only other advice is try before you buy, make sure the paddle you get is one you are comfortable paddling. I tried 8+ paddles before I bought the Corryvreckon glass (the carbon was not within my budget at the time).

Paddler - Out