[Fishmatics]

Greetings All fellow yakkers

I'm in the process of having a yak designed specifically for local conditions and would appreciate your valued and experienced input into the initial design. This is a unique opportunity as the yak is being designed from the "bottom up" and will not be a compromise or modification of any existing product.

My main objective is to have a design that is not a compromise between speed/stability/fish-ability but rather getting a balance between the three.

The craft should be strong and stable enough for Off-shore, creek, lake and dam fishing with out loosing any speed.

This is what has been discussed so far:

Stability.The boat is a little over 680mm wide with a sea-kayak shape and not too much rocker
Speed. Just short of 5m long.(The hull has smooth lines and no deviations(gull wings etc)
Provision to adjust and move the rudder peddles.
Under hull rudder with a rudder guard skeg.
Long internal fish hatch with rod chute to take rods up to 2.5 m.
Large fish hatch aperture
Dry hatch behind paddler with 6" inspection cover.
Cut out for a milk or esky behind dry well.
Target weight 26kg
2x rear rod holders with eyes for lanyards + 3rd baiting holder in front of paddler.
Provision for anchor and or drogue operation.
Resin Infusion construction - i.e. Fibreglass

Thanks and regards
Andrew

 

[Shoey]

Looks like you've got most of it covered. Maybe a couple of recessed tie down points to attach more gadgets, will show you what the swing has tomorrow.

 

[hairymick]

G'day Fishmatics,

I think you may have read my mind congratulations on finding someone to build it for you. Sounds similar to my Kadaitchi. only mine will be a little smaller, 4.5m X 650mm. I reckon you have all the bases covered. - perhaps provision for thigh straps 7 a tackle box.

Is this bloke going to make more of these - or is it a one off? could be a very good comercial opportunity. 8)

Please keep us posted mate. I will be very interested in this one.

 

[Mad Dog]

G'day fishmatics

What about a deck line all round and recessed handles on the side?........ also sometimes I wonder about the feasibility of built in retractable wheels (dont laugh!!!!) or at least a way of threading some kind of removable axle through the hull for attachment of big sand wheels (ok, now you can all laugh!!) Sorry guys, just waffling..........but then again..........

 

[Big O]

Fishmatics,

Have a look at this site. http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/guillemot/node/48/pics

This yak can do everything you want, with two notable exceptions.

1. It is plywood construction, not fibrelass. This is a benefit, is not a problem, as plywood/epoxy will be lighter than fibreglass. In this case, 20 Kg.

2. It has gullwings for stability, but is quite quick (see the design info) and can do everything you want, including handle surf.

The yak is designed by (arguably) the worlds leading kayak/canoe designer. A prototype has been built (see picture), but plans are still a month or two away from publication. It is likely that the boat will only be available in kit form from the USA.

I have decided to go this way. Take a careful look at the website. I will be surprised if you are not impressed.

Big O

 

[hairymick]

Hi Big O,

Thanks for the link. - interesting boat and very good specs.

Mate, what is the benifiet of the gull wing design over a more traditional Greenland style hull?

 

[fishbrain]

Hi andrew.
Maybe look at carbon fibre or epoxy resins to keep it lite and strong depending on cost . Keep the same rocker but with more nose lift and more V through the nose and taper tail in for less resistants & better tracking. Live bait tank with airator , internal rod holders,built in battery holder for sounder ,airator, etc .IPOD , DVD player and Stubbie holder are a must should be a complete rig . see ya soon Brad

 

[Scott]

Hi guys, my 2 cents worth.

My wish list is as follows;

5-5.5metres
Glass or Kevlar
Huge rear tankwell
Some easily accessible under deck storage. I personally place more emphasis on usable above deck storage area rather than heaps of hard to access water tight storage compartments.
Flat areas for mounting flush mount rod holders and electronics
No deck rigging or deck lines around the hull (my personal hate)
Rudder
Two tone hull, a light blue, green or granite hull below the surface or the water and a day glo high vis colour above the water.
I do not need thigh or hip braces ect as unlike a tourer or White water SIK, a fisho doesn’t wear a SOT like you do a SIK, you sit on a SOT and do not need the braces ect to facilitate turning, Eskimo rolling ect.
I like a bit of rocker to facilitate turning but no too much to enable good tracking.
A soft chine or multi chined hull rather than a hard chine for good secondary stability and with less emphasis on primary stability. Ideally I would like a hybrid hull design offering a flared V bow, which then transitions to a multi chined hull with continuous change from one to another such as on my P15 hull.

Catch ya Scott

 

[DogFish]

Well Fishmatics... you're certainly taking the bull by the horns!

That sounds like quite a serious undertaking for a (I assume) one-off kayak. Building a plug and then the mold is an expensive proposition, especially for a new and unproven design. If it is a one-off, have you considered doing it as a S&G plywood or cedar strip construction? Would be just as light, give you more options for on-the-fly modifications, and is also as strong or stronger than a kevlar/carbon reinforced E-glass layup.

The internal fish hold is an idea I'm also pursuing with my Kaskazi Pelican, but I intend to use an insulated water tight bag arrangement to minimise added weight, and have it removable for easy cleaning and to allow for inner hull access when required.

Here's some links I've bookmarked that you may find of interest:
http://www.warrenlightcraft.com/
http://eteamz.active.com/paddleshop/news/index.cfm?cat=204584
http://www.mirageseakayaks.com.au/features.html
http://www.howesurfskis.com/html/extasea.html
http://www.gkf.info/paddling/Utrustning/KajakBygge/KajakClapotis/KajakClapotis00.htm
http://www.thag-o-mizer.net/index.html

All the best there with your project and I'm looking forward to seeing what you develop. 8)

DogFish

 

[Big O]

****,

The sponsons provide greater stability whilst still allowing an efficient design.

In the case of the SOT I am looking at, the flat sponson undersides angled down from the top of the bow also provide lift when punching through surf or when catching following swells.

Regards,

Big O

 

[DogFish]

****,

The problem with a standard greenland type sit-in hull is that they are designed for a low COG. To use the same design as a SOT you would have to be sitting very low - typically below the waterline, to maintain the required design stabilty.

To get your butt above the waterline and allow the use of scupper drains or venturis requires that the hull be made wider, and sponsoons or gull wings are one way of acheiving this. The wings on the Little Wing kayak are a more elegant solution to providing width for stability only when required without generally compromising hull efficiency.

DogFish

 

[Scott]

Guys, you will be pleased to know that Dave from Howe surf skis has recently joined the forum. As you may or may not know, they build the extrasea which looks as though with some modifications could be one of the hotest fishing yaks around. I feel he is becoming aware of the potential for a top shelf fishing yak that would rival the Dorados ect.

Hopefully he will realise the market that exists for such a boat and start to produce one for us.

Catch ya Scott

 

[Big O]

Scott.

Looking at the Howe Extasea, and what he might do with a customised fishing kayak, all I can say is that Howe is going down the same path as the Guillemot SOT, and both for good reasons.

I can see trade-offs in both designs. For example, quoted beam and draft; and design compromises imposed by the method of construction.

Both of these guys are on the right path towards more efficient and usable fishing yaks (for a wide variety of conditions).

All in my very humble opinion.

Regards,

Big O

 

[Fishmatics]

Thanks for all the input.

As my intentions are commercial and I do not want to compromise the integrity of the forum, I will post my responses under the commercial section of the forum.

Thanks again for the positive input.

Regards
Andrew

 

[Salty Dog]

Hi Fishmatics. One fibreglass kayak that has had alot of the guys drooling, (me included) is the Kaskazi Dorado.

If your kayak ends up anything like those, you might be onto a winner.

 

[Fishmatics]

Hi All

I have kindly been given the green light to reply to queries and questions under the main section.

To answer the main question - yes, this will be a commercial venture.

The plug is having it's final touches and tweaks today in response to the input received from the forum - unfortunately no wheels or stubby holder.

I will be posting pictures of the final plug as soon as they are available. I am hoping to have the first shipment here in October (20 - 24 Yaks per shipment). Pricing is still to be finalised with a launch special that will be for forum members only.

Thanks again for the input and regards
Andrew

 

[DogFish]

Excellent!
Looking forward to the pictures and more details.

DogFish

 

[Fishmatics]

Herewith photo's of the plug.

 

[Fishmatics]

More Photo's of the plug

 

[Fishmatics]

Side View