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Setting up my Stealth Evo 465

27K views 41 replies 22 participants last post by  Redwood 
#1 ·
After seeing the incredible job you did on your BFS i have been waiting for this as soon as i heard you got the EVO. I will be watching with great interest so i can steal some ideas.
 
#2 ·
Indies Glass Yak Mod Shop

Our motto: I'm not afraid, gimme your glass and I'll hack into it.....No Problem!

Nice neat job, did you put in a rear inspection hatch? I think I may need to to allow more drying out. Pics mate pics keep em coming
 
#6 ·
(On a perception swing:) BBW used to use Scotty rod holders in front so he check the rod tips. That was definitely for pelagics (the Spanyish Mack king). I found the location troublesome if you have a good extended reach on the paddle catch. Using an 8" extender eased this issue, but no way as solid as the deck mounts. I like your way indie.
 
#8 ·
Brad, I'll be taking time here. Very nearly bought a Toura a couple of months back. Otoh I think the 575 is in a marketplace of 1 for the serious off shore game fisher.

My needs right now, balancing fishing with getting SWMBO on the water, the 465 is perfect. But then I can't wait for the new 475, I suspect it's going to be another level of Stealth awesome.

AND then there's the new Tiderace SIK range. I'll be playing with one soon which is a very silly decission. AND expedition Kayaks have been working with Zegul on a new SIK that seems designed just for me.

Yet another AND, if I do get my self sorted for a more adventurous GBR trip, the choice becomes 575, Tiderace, Zegul. God knows what you do with that kind of choice.

In the mean time... I will be reinvigorating the Swing for summer, not a choice I find boring in the slightest. :D

Exciting things happening in the world of kayaks at the moment.
 
#9 ·
Great stuff Dru, nice set up. Good to see someone sharing ideas with those of us that are more nervous about chopping up our boats to make improvements.
 
#13 ·
indiedog said:
Rod Chute Hatch and Wet mount install.

Tools needed; 100mm hatch, 6 x 3/16 x 1 SS countersunk bolts with nyloc nuts, a Dremel or hacksaw blade to cut the wall out, a drill, pencil, Sikaflex 291 Marine Sealant (white), face mask, safety glasses, 25mm black EVA, Cutting board, Small spanner, phillips screwdriver.

Not much new here in how I went about this but I'll explain in detail. It's important to access the outer hull area where there's only one skin of glass (and more importantly, no air) for the transducer to get through. I again chose the area beside the fish box as it's the most convenient. I did consider the rear hull but discounted it as you still need to get the cables from there up to the front somehow so would still need to get through the fish box side wall to manage this.

A 100mm hatch was purchased from Whitworths and the position worked out inside the chute to clear the foot wells and make sure there was room for the fixings and the proposed backing plate. The position of this was penciled onto the side wall. Note that the lid of most hatches seems to be the same diameter as hole that's required to fit the section that goes through the wall, so the lid was used as a template to mark out the size of the hole in the wall.
View attachment 9
I purchased an Ozito (Dremel copy, about $50 complete with flexible shaft) and used this to cut out the hole. It's an awkward job due to the position and easier with the Ozito (I did do the BFS with a hacksaw blade and managed it but it was painful). Make absolutely sure you use a face mask here as breathing in fibreglass dust is not good for you. Also use goggles if possible. Once the hole is cut slip the hatch frame into place and make sure it's all good. Mark through the fixing holes with a pencil and drill them out either with a small drill or the Ozito.
View attachment 8
View attachment 7
I always use a backing plate when I install hatches or rod holders. The glass of the rod chute walls and the top deck is not that solid and if you only fit the hatches/holders in with say 6 bolts or screws then there's only a small area of glass stopping that bolt/screw from pulling out. The other thing is that by cutting a whopping great hole in the wall/deck, you are weakening the structure of the yak. The glass can still flex if unsupported between the bolts so if there's any stress in the yak (say going out through the surf for example) then this is the obvious weak point in the system. Using the backing plate helps to lock the wall into its original position and keep it all tight, plus it spreads any loads evenly around the opening, not just in the bolt hole area. I've found plastic cutting board to be the best as it is waterproof, UV stable, and cheap.

For the backing plate again use the lid as a template and mark out the internal hole diameter and cut out with a jigsaw. Again plan this out as you can sometimes fit one backing plate inside the centre of another as I did using a 100mm and 150mm hatch. Next cut the outside diameter of the backing plate. You'll end up with a frisbee looking circle. Slip this over the back of the hatch frame and mark and drill the bolt holes. With a hacksaw cut the backing plate on one side only so that you can spread it sufficiently to corkscrew it into the smaller hole in the side wall. It's worth doing a practice fit before the sikaflex goes in as you don't want to discover things don't line up once that's on (Note this is a good time to install the wet mount foam pad so skip down to that bit before completing the hatch install). Once you are happy and the backing plate is in put a couple of bolts in from the outer hull side and then use these to fit the plate to the rod chute wall. It's now ready for final installation. (Take a look at the last pic in this post to see backing plate in place as described.
View attachment 6

View attachment 5
Take the hatch frame (with the lid out) and generously cover the back of the flange with Sikaflex. Position this into the hole in the rod chute and line up with the 2 bolts already in place and then fit all the way in. Install the other 4 fixing bolts the correct way using the small spanner and phillips screwdriver and then turn the two guide bolts around so that all 6 are now in the right way. Wipe away the excess Sikaflex and clean up with a chux dipped in mineral turps. Job done.
OK...Im going to attempt to replicate this install on the 575! Wish me luck

Nb. Im a bloody goose, I just finished mounting the transducer under the seat (didnt want to cut into the wall to be honest and theres lots of room way back under the seat) Took to spin yesty, no reading. Then it occurred to me there's some space between the bottom of the yak and the bottom of the fish hatch even though its probably only a few mm which is probably buggering up the sounding (its bounces off 2m deph for some weird reason).

ARGH
 
#14 ·
Cheers mate

Yeah I have done a few before, this one tricked me with the air space, Im a dingbat. I Siliconed in the Tranducer too :twisted: so its a pain in the Ringhole to undoo...ahh well.

The Screen install works nicely, decided to move it towards me and not on the lid, the small and low profile 4x works well here. I put the battery in a padded camera bag and shoved it up next to the Transducer, and velcro'ed the cable in on the other side. Was a good idea tat he time..... :lol:

I will get to work over the next week and cut the hole out as you have done mate.





 
#15 ·
Brad I only just saw this thread. It looks like the transducer is at an angle due to the curve of the hull, is this right? Wouldn't that affect the depth reading?
 
#16 ·
Just my 2cents worth on this, and I'm no genius when it comes to mods. Bruce had told me that in the manufacture of previous Stealth models, that the compound he used to join the hatch area to the bottom of the hull, actually had an expanding characteristic. This helped fill any void or imperfections between the 2 surfaces and gives a better bond. Unfortunately, this almost certainly means air bubbles. This is why we fit trans. to the side of the fish box where they only shoot through a single glass layer. I expect that this would apply to the ProFisha's as well.
 
#17 ·
Indie,

Sorry about late reply have been camping over the week. Yep I plan to re-do the whole lot, stick the Tranny and cords into the side wall and battery into the day hatch, have bought the things I need I just a a few (beer) free days t get it done ;-) FOund some nice rubber grommets from Jaycar that are much slimmer than previous efforts.

Will probably go silicon mount again as I store and carry the Yak on its side, cant be arsed with wet mount. The Transducer cleaned up pretty quick after pulling it from old silicon so its not un-doable by any-means
 
#18 ·
Hi Indie,
mate i found some rubber plugs that are designed for pushing over chair legs, at Clark Rubber, they are soft and I push one over the end of the cable and its sealed, very tight fit and should keep out the salt (it worked well for a 300c I had for a year or so a while back). Perhaps not ideal though I admit. For most trips however the transducer will start set up, excluding big surf trips. Anyway Ill see how it goes....trying to keep it simple as possible without cords everywhere and limiting things on the hatch lid.
 
#22 ·
Indeed,
thanks again Indie for sharing all your ideas.

Finally finished the mods on the 475 a week or so ago, got the hatch in the side wall with backing plate as you did, and cables running through a separate sealed hole, and battery now at the back in the day hatch. Transducer is siliconed in as I tend to flip the yak on its side a lot when carrying down beach. Took some fart assing around but all good now, cleared up a lot of space under the seat. :) Now I need to get some bloody fish in the hatch before summer disappears!
 
#23 ·
Hi Indie,

First of all - your tutorials are awesome. God-send for newbies like me who have never played with fibreglass. Thank you very much for the effort in capturing the process and explaining it.

I am about to install some flush-mount rod holders in my Stealh Splash and, naturally, I am petrified of drilling into my kayak. I rub this thing with pure Brasilian carnuba wax, so getting anything sharp near it just goes against the grain. However I have every intent on fishing from this kayak on my birthday (coming up) so what's gotta be done gotta be done!

I noticed from your pictures that the Ozito leaves a somewhat jagged edge to any cuts made by it. So, I am curious why you chose to use the Ozito to cut the holes, rather than a circular saw followed by some filing/grinding which, based on YouTube video, may result in a cleaner cut?

Please note, by no means is this an attempt at criticism in any way. It's just that I've got a Dremel with the same attachment as the Ozito in your pics. I also have a hole saw. Just trying to decide what'll result in a better outcome, particularly for a newbie in manipulating fibreglass in any way.

PS. I've practiced cutting a rod holder hole in plastic using Dremel cut-off wheel, but the ~2cm diameter of the wheel results in a jagged edge. I've also used the same attachment you seem to use with your Ozito, which results in a clean cut but I think this may be due to the fact I was cutting (ie. melting) into plastic rather than cutting through fibreglass which I'm guessing is somewhat brittle. Hole-saw through plastic is a piece of cake, but not sure how it would work with fibreglass.

Cheers!
 
#24 ·
Stevie said:
Hi Indie,
mate i found some rubber plugs that are designed for pushing over chair legs, at Clark Rubber, they are soft and I push one over the end of the cable and its sealed, very tight fit and should keep out the salt (it worked well for a 300c I had for a year or so a while back). Perhaps not ideal though I admit. For most trips however the transducer will start set up, excluding big surf trips. Anyway Ill see how it goes....trying to keep it simple as possible without cords everywhere and limiting things on the hatch lid.
I have the same system and my kayak is stored outside.
I've used the rubber covers for about 5 years on my previous sounder and now on the HDS5 and haven't had a problem yet.

Love your work Indie.
 
#25 ·
indiedog said:
cjbfisher said:
indiedog said:
Or was it puckered and gripping the seat?
Yeah, bit of sphincter suction going on I think.
keza said:
I have the same system and my kayak is stored outside.
Kez, wasnt sure why outside storage would effect the sphincter pucker? Note, no pucker required for a SIK.

:lol: :twisted: :lol:
 
#26 ·
dru said:
indiedog said:
cjbfisher said:
Yeah, bit of sphincter suction going on I think.
keza said:
I have the same system and my kayak is stored outside.
Kez, wasnt sure why outside storage would effect the sphincter pucker? Note, no pucker required for a SIK.

:lol: :twisted: :lol:
Are you a journo Dru ?
I recognise your style from the 7.30 report.
 
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