Occy's Kingfisher

[occy]

Thought it time to draw a few of my earlier posts together for a bit of an update as to where I am with Cavendish. I'm still very much in the early stages of fitout, and must admit a little tentative about cutting holes in her. But I am sure I will get over that.

I have attached some piccies of the crate setup from the previous DIY post, as well as some new ones of my nav light setup, which I fitted only yesterday.

Next is the fish finder and some more rod holders, followed by the anchor trolley. Then I reckon all I have to do is fit the rudder (in a couple of weeks hopefully) and take a closer look at how to fit the leccy motor, and I'm done I reckon.

Take a look at these.

[aleg75]

Looking good occy! when are you taking her out to get blood on her?

Ash

[occy]

Had her out for a couple of short spins and caught a couple on Saturday. Unfortuinately haven't been able to do much as I was ill. On the mend now though and will extract my vengence early tommorrow morning with Andrew and Kraley out of Drummoyne.

[Davey G]

mate, that is looking SWEET. love the nav light idea. brilliant!

[occy]

Yeh Davey, it certainly worked out OK. But I'm worried, as everything went so smoothly with the fitout, first time too. No mistakes at all, which isn't like me. I can also swap the hatches (back to front) if I want a bit more light in the cockpit. I will let you know how it goes when I take her out for our first night time date.

[Clarkos]

Nice setup Occy. I'd be interested to hear your review on the nav light when you get a chance to test it in anger.

[YakAtak]

Love the nav light mounting Occy, how much does the poll weigh roughly?

[Dodge]

I can also swap the hatches (back to front) if I want a bit more light in the cockpit.

Customizing is looking good occy and will enjoy seeing pics of the finished Cavendish.

Suspect the light at front may give you night blindness mate, and suspect a headlamp is better for rigging and hopefully landing of fish but as easy to sit side saddle when rigging and have the rear positioned light shining in your lap

[occy]

Yeh Richo I thought that too. I might need to black out an area with some tape if it's too bright.

Yakatak, the whole thing is surprisingly light, being ABS plastic and alloy. A couple of ounces only I suspect. Best thing it cost less than $30, and I didn't have to cut a whole in the hull.

I have also decided to fit a bar across the front of the cockpit, using a large stainless steel handle, to mount my fish finder and Snap lock rod holder.
I will post further pics when I can.

[justcrusin]

Gday Occy, don't know how this would go as a nav light but if you tint the cover red your night vision isn't affected.
She's looking good and that esky fits looks like a perfect fit.

Cheers dave

[occy]

Two more shots of the cockpit rack I have just set up. All that's missing is the fish finder, which I hope to pick up next week.

[occy]

What the?

[bazzoo]

Paul, maaaaate, [ as our mutual friend would say], thats one cool yak , love it , hmmmm , few questions buddy , do you use that grab rail to push against with your feet while paddling or is it solely for rod holders and fish finder,? have you moved your seat back up towards the front to get better foot contact with the front of the cockpit,? how did you get your hands into the hull to hold the nuts to secure the grab bar?, and that long seat pad looks sensational to a man with a crook back , how long is it and what brand and where did you get it?, i think thats sufficient questions for now your honour , the witness may step down, OCCY, shes a BEAUTY

[occy]

Hi Barry, nice meeting you yesterday. I can see we are going to have to get together to discuss this more seriously over a paddle and a beer or two.

In the meantime here are some details. The rail is only for mounting my fishfinder and the Snap Loc rod holder. The Kingfisher is quite curvy on the sides, which is not all that accessory friendly. I have mounted it so my feet slip comfortably underneath and it doesn't interfere with paddling. The main reason I did it though was to put things (especially the fish finder) a little closer to me. At my stage in life with failing eyesight closer is better, especially with LCD screens in bright light.

As for getting at the nuts, I am very happy to report that the Kingfisher has excellent internal access with those two huge hatches. I was easily able to get my head and one shoulder inside the hatch to reach the bolts. Now that's impressive.

I have moved the seat forward a bit to get a better leg position, as the cockpit in this yak is quite long. Good for tall people but I'm only 5'9" and getting shorter. I suspect that will change when I fit the rudder, as I will then be able to adjust them to get more purchase on something. pedals.

The cushion is simply one of those car seat cushion magnetic cover thingamees you can buy for $10 in your local bargain store. I find it provides a little more padding on the butt, where it's needed these days, and is easier on the legs as well. It gets wet on the water but that has never worried me, and importantly has the added advantage of cutting down on hull noise. No more sinkers and lures clanging around in the bottom of the cockpit.

[hairymick]

Hi Occy Sweet looking ride and set up mate. Looking forward to seeing some blood on her.