My new Seabird Fisherman 12 arrived!

[jace89]

So finally my Seabird Fisherman 12 arrived, seems hes only one of the available seabirds in Australia atm, so after a long shipping voyage ( Thanks Anaconda! )
she has finally arrived. I got it half price on a sale at $549! So on my Student / Intern budget it comes up a treat!

These kayaks are made in Norway, last time I checked the vikings made pretty strong vessels!
Its 3.66m long and 76cm wide, Its got a great Catamaran style hull so it sits really well and can stand in it easy!
Weighs in at 25kg comes with 6 rod holders and some drink holders as well as the ever so handy SlideTrax system. ( If anyone has tips for making own DIY gear for this fitting please message me )
I also bought a nice fibreglass paddle with nylon blades which didnt break the bank.

Im super happy with how it is coming along, I did a couple of things this weekend Id love to show you guys seeing as its my first yak.

It poured all weekend, so I got the essentials in: Fitted GoPro HD mounts, rear eyelets for cart system, stainless steel clips for an elastic bungee area in the back.
Im not terribly strong so i wanted to create a way to load the kayak without going and buying a loading system. So I found an old bike rack and added a length of tubing to the plate,
Which I then fitted two PVC tubes covered in foam to roll on the tubing length acting as rollers, then fitted end caps. I tested it in the pouring rain by myself, works a treat up and down!

I then noticed I still had an old golf buggy! Cut the tubing sections and rebirthed it as a kayak cart, front plate sits under and clips around into eyelet holes to keep it steady, then the tail sits perfectly in the lip area.
The wheels are heavy duty ( For golf course bashing needs of course ) so it should run wheel for a while!

I think thats all for now, But id love to hear some tips plus Im looking for help finding front facing rod holders to fit in the slide trax system.
I checked a few places but their all in the US and cost a heap for what it is.

If its not retail, I can try build it if you have any tips.

Il add some pics at the bottom!




Cheers, and see you on the water!

[WoodDog]

Looks like a real nice kayak straight out of the shop. Will be interested to know how it goes.

I am currently looking at a skinny water kayak and have been keeping an eye on the Tarpon 100 or the Perception Impulse (SIK). I am really liking the slidetracks inbuilt into this one as it will allow me to get my accessories out of the way when I'm paddling with my long arms, but it is slighlty longer than I am originally thinking of.

Yet another kayak to add to list

Cheers

[Barrabundy]

Plenty of rod holders straight out of the box, can't complain about that, we all know they get used to hold more than just rods.

What you need to do now is go out and get some photos of your ugly feet either side of an even uglier fish lying in the bottom.

Enjoy your new kayak!

[jace89]

Haha Il get a few videos and pictures up soon hopefully if Sydney decides to throw some nice weather my way

[jace89]

My new Calcutta PFD arrived yesterday! Thanks to Ben at Horizon Line!
The vest was designed in the USA for a kayakers needs. Its a universal 50's rating which covers all our new aussie ratings.
This thing is super well made, loads of pockets and clips, Arm movement in this is a breeze! Really cheap compared to some on the market and arrived the next day after ordering.
Checkout more of their stuff here if your interested,
http://stores.ebay.com.au/Horizon-Line-Canoes?_trksid=p4340.l2563
http://www.horizonline.com.au
Very happy!

[camel]

Looking good Jace,

That channel down the center looks like it would help make it very stable. It's an interesting looking kayak.
Looking forward to your first trip report.

[jace89]

Sydney weather keeps haulting my trips!
Hopefully some trip reports and pics end of this week for its maiden paddle!

[jace89]

So i picked up a budget rod holder for $15 from whitworths on friday along with some nuts and bolts to fit my slidetracks system.
I originally built an aluminium plate to slide down the trax but it seemed easier to just bolt the rod holders straight to a sliding system.
Had 2 hrs before I had to pickup the girlfriend from work and the sun was shining! So I took it out for a quick test run, Link to the test run thread here : http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=55495
Works great! Pic attached below.

[Lazybugger]

Jace,

Apologies in advance and I hate to disparage the hard earned purchase of a struggling student but I saw these in anaconda on the weekend and to be honest your pics look exactly like the model I viewed and this yak has me more than a little concerned. In simple terms its more of a canoe than a kayak. There are no scuppers, basically what you have there is the plastic equivalent of a bath tub (plug in at least).

I hope you've considered what to do if you encounter heavy rain or thunderstorm, rogue waves,choppy seas, inconsiderate boaties/jetskiers who come too close and swamp you or even how you will get this upright should it be flipped. I wouldn't even consider taking this out in any sort of surf, even one foot waves breaking over this thing will slow you down, to the point you won't be able to get past them and it continually fill with water.

If you want to keep this I'd seriously consider making sure you have a food hand pump bilge and an electric one for this model.

Jace, I considered putting all of this in a PM but to be honest when it comes to yak purchases AKFF often comes top of a google search. While I don't know the area you are fishing in, I would hate to see a new Brisbane yaker take one of these onto moreton bay.

My feeling is this yak is designed for totally flat water scenarios such as narrow rivers or canals, which is not the normal fishing conditions most Australians use their kayak in. I'd almost be tempted to start a petition to Anaconda for them to stop importing this kayak or at least have signs up on them designating the sort of locations they are suitable for, I doubt their staff would know the dangers.

I'd love for some of the other experienced yakers in your area to check out your rig personally or the other guys on here get into an anaconda store and check one out and add their comments to this. If they disagree with me I won't be upset, I'd rather be shot down than take a risk that you or anotehr purchaser think you've got a great craft, because while it meets the functions we all look for fishingwise, in the safety department this model is sadly out of place.

Again I am really sorry. I know you are going to be upset to hear someone saying bad things about a big purchase you've made, but I think it needs to be said.

[camel]

Lazybugger raises some good points re safety. And it's not the sort of craft I'd consider taking offshore or through the surf zone.
But really its no different than the guys using the more open cockpit sit in sides like Old Town Loons, and Malibu Sierra 10's. Practice some wet enteries, Stick to the rivers and take the appropriate safety gear including pumps. I'd look at things as though I was fishing out of a canoe and plan accordingly.

[jace89]

Hey, Yes this is more of a sit inside kayak compared to a sit on top kayak and no no im not taking this offshore just riverways around and joining pittwater in sydney.
My initial thoughts were on a side mounted hand bilge, I dont want any electrics on board, Iv paddled canoes previously and I know that a bit of water can turn into uncontrollable water without a bilge or scupper..

When I get to the stage of going out of the heads I will be upgrading to something alot bigger then this. For $550 This is pretty ample for a starter I think.
Thanks for your experience and concerns, for now but this is pretty ample and seams trustworthy so far

[dru]

Hey, Yes this is more of a sit inside kayak compared to a sit on top kayak and no no im not taking this offshore just riverways around and joining pittwater in sydney.

Interesting design. Sort of a hybrid canoe/SIK. Perhaps a Kay-noe? They list skirts as an option, did you look at those? Looks like it might be a bugger to roll, even with the skirts.

My initial thoughts were on a side mounted hand bilge, I dont want any electrics on board, Iv paddled canoes previously and I know that a bit of water can turn into uncontrollable water without a bilge or scupper..

Keep it out of the rough stuff, but then a bucket and sponge might do? Definitely not for open water though. There is a point of selecting the vessel for the conditions.

When I get to the stage of going out of the heads I will be upgrading to something alot bigger then this. For $550 This is pretty ample for a starter I think.
Thanks for your experience and concerns, for now but this is pretty ample and seams trustworthy so far

Looks like stability to burn.I can see this yak on a bass hunt doing portage past the rocks, and short enough to get really narrow. Or hunting frogs. Have fun!

[jace89]

Interesting design. Sort of a hybrid canoe/SIK. Perhaps a Kay-noe?

Iv been looking for a name for it and I think you've found it

They're are alot of options but Anaconda dont stock anything, took them almost 2 months to find me one after their 50% off sale!
Their from Norway so getting accessories suck. But for the dirt cheap price nothing comes near it for what I need it for.
Plus all the other accessories I can put together and make like stuff for the slidetrax etc.

Im looking at feeding a hand pump through the left side cup holder for my bilge pump as I dont take to sipping lattes whilst fishing.
Its super super stable, First thing I did was try roll it in the shallows and I failed pretty hard at doing so..Guy on the sand thought I was nuts!

[Occy]

It looks very much like a few of the Wilderness Systems hybrid canoeyaks I've seen around lately. And at that price, despite it's limitations (which some have kindly pointed out above), it's a steal. Let us all know how it goes wont ya Jace.

[dru]

Hand pumps are good. I keep one in my SIK. So far have only had to use it pumping out the day hatch - when I forget the cover after changing lures. Seems pretty robust, but slow for the amount of water it would need to move if I got really swamped. I rely on emptying out the water while I am swimming (yes part of my recovery drill). Or secondly on a re-entry roll, for rougher conditions. The other thing is that i can paddle it swamped, not in swellthough. The pump finishes what is left. Do think about bucket/sponge. No doubt you can fit it in as part of your fishing kit anyway.

Might be worth trying some of this out. Like me, you'll need recovery techniques a little different from everyone one else. Think it through but maybe start with:

1 Can you re-enter in waist deep? Stability is your friend if you can work it out. But the gunnels are high to climb.
2 try re-enter over one of the ends. Might end up more practical.
3. Now swamp it. How does it handle? Can you swim it to shore?
4 try re-entry from deeper water (where you can't stand up). Only do this once you know you can swim it!
5. Have a play at the edges of its stability. Try to tip it over. Then try to go to the edge of stability WITHOUT tipping over.

I suspect you will find this confidence inspiring. The stability should stand out. BUT you may also find that once its past the point of stability there is nothing you can do to stop it. You will want to be familiar with the point of no return.

You are probably going to end up with a recovery system that involves getting to shallow water. So the old issues of how far can you swim. Towing a swamped yak, come into play

I think you'll have aball with this. mucking about is great fun, especially if it gets you fishing with confidence.

Tell us how you get on playing with it. Theres a bit of interest here