New Weapons!

[Dark Cloud]

Pulled the trigger on two kayaks today! Shopped around all week and found what we wanted. Had to drive to Scranton but saved a little over $100, plus they took 20% off the paddles.

Here they are strapped to the focus with my Super Delux McGuyver rig! Yep that is two pieces of metal like they use for stop signs, 4 yoga mats, two ratchet straps, and a couple of end tiedowns... 70mph down the highway and rock solid!

Maiden voyage on the Susky about 10 min from home...

Super stable! I could swing my legs back and forth without feeling tipsy. I had to lean a long way till it felt like she might go over...

Have a little rigging to do. Mine came with two recessed rod holders and two scotty holders(one mounted). Plenty of room for beverages, food, and gear...

Looking forward to the many places Beth, Tank, Friends, and I can use these!

[auggie78]

Looks like alot of fun for a small lake...lots of work of a bigger body of water lol

[Thunderman]

Nice toys you have there DC you should be able to take most anywhere they would work nice on the smaller bodys of water up here .The only problem is the people up here in the motar boats don't have much respect for the kayaks or other motar boats its .

[LightningBG]

The front bumper on that focus doesn't look too pleased with the new rig. I wonder if you could fashion some type of an eye bolt that came out through the lower grille? Maybe its no big deal, I'm no expert.

[Dark Cloud]

They actually paddle real easy. Not too much work at all. Alot of our useage will be on small rivers where you can let the current do most of the work

I'll have to fab something for the front of the focus. Lucky that piece is made of that real cheap but flexible plastic. Plus it not my only option for hauling these around...

Thunder - last weekend we were on a fairly busy lake with some big boats and waterskiers - I was pleasantly surprised how well they deal with waves. Big storms just rolled through here but hopelully we can get out this evening and do some exploring...

[iceman1603]

nice new toys. momma says we need to get them. probly a dozen people we camped with last weekend had them and looked like they were having a ball in fish creek with them.

[CNYFrank]

DC, you can take them anywhere you want. Stable and fun. I have a pirogue from Louisiana hanging in the garage and use to have a ball in Nebraska on the small lakes. Have thought about using it for the Fall walleye when the fish stay out past casting range. You'll need to get some of those temp lights for night.

[jeffreyd]

with the fabbing on the focus, bet you could figure a way to mount a trolling motor on the kayak. nice looking rides.

[Dark Cloud]

Calli - Thats how we ended up with them. We were at a cookout with about 15 people and 8 kayaks. Didnt want to wait for our turn or feel like we were hogging them, lol. Do some shopping around, there are deals to be had. The one mom n pops place we went didnt have good prices but do blow out demos at the end of the season. Richards sporting good had the best prices of box stores and I got them to take alot off mine - it was a 2 year old model with a cracked but fine handle. Neither of which they knew till I started talking to a manager.

Frank - I thought the same thing about those fall eyes. And as much as I dislike trolling I think it would be fun to cover some ground with two rods out looking for working fish...

Jeffery - I have alot of goof jurry rigs to my name, lol. The manager where I bought them didnt believe I was putting two kayaks on a focus. He came out before we left and was blown away with my rig. A trolling motor? No problem, only issure would be the weight of the battery...

I played around with them a bit today. Mine is a sit-on top and has drain holes for oversplash or water dripping off your paddle. Problem with them is when you load up heavy the water comes up through and floods your leg area. Them make plugs for em you can buy, no problem as they are not expensive. My brain got to working and I made my own. A block of cedar spun up on the lathe, some rubber tape, and a piece of cord. Think i'll glue a piece of foam on top for a lure keeper(no trebles )

Also rigged up a storage system for them...

[Dark Cloud]

Went for a little paddle after dinner today. With the rain we got the local creek was up enough to float/paddle without hitting bottom too much. Did not bring a rod though as it was quite murky. I grew up blocks from this creek and caught alot of smallies and rockbass here...

We covered a mile or two and Tank picked us up downstream...

FYI - Waterproof means water resistant! Both cells punched thier death tickets!

[Dark Cloud]

Also added some more mods. I put an anchor trolly system on mine. You drop anchor then tie the rope to the O-ring, then deploy the ring to the stern. Now the bost will safely hold in wind or current without being a safety hazard. They run about 30+ bucks, I made a trip to H depot and only have 11 bucks into it, plus it is easily removed

Also added a small gear basket mounted to the drain plug. One dollar at, yep the dollar store...

[harvey lee]

They look nice DC.

I would like to try one on some smaller creeks or rivers. Looks like the way to go and alot of fun ta boot.

[Dark Cloud]

Harv, im quite happy with em. Im really impressed with how stable and comfortable they are. You'd almost have to TRY and tip them...

Dont know if you noticed, but I did a "how to" diamond wrap in the rod-building forum. I remember you asking about one a while back...