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To outrig or not?


GreyNurse

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Hi Raiders,

I'd like some advice / opinions.

Firstly, I have to confess that I'm a yak virgin, and as such, broke the first rule by not trying before buying. Not the first time and won't be the last. Nonetheless, I made an online purchase after a lot of looking, reading (this and other forums) and watching videos, of what appears to be a nice little fishing yak at less that $500. I'm expecting delivery this week.

My yak's specs are length:270cm, width: 82cm, weight, approx 20Kg. I stand 5',8" in Her Majesty's measurements and weigh 65Kg. I'm not young, but neither am I a coffin cheater. I plan to do most of my fishing in quiet waterways like the upper Georges, Narrabeen lake, etc, but I'm sure that I'll eventully wander down to the estuary mouths in short order.

I'd been researching yak accessories and spent this evening covering outriggers, both store bought and DIY. Interestingly, one blog that I read suggested that SOT yaks are stable enough not to need outriggers. I like the sound of that, but, well, I'd like to hear from some of you that have used them.

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Cheers,

Nursie

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Hi Nursie welcome to kayak fishing, :banana: before you load yourself up with fishing gear,etc get yourself a good life jacket, PFD, :sun: and Secure the paddle with a paddle lease then just paddle around till you feel comfortable and stable in your new kayak.

when In safe water and near the shore, tip out and try getting back onto your kayak when its upside down , turning it right side up and climbing back on you need to know this procedure before venturing to far out. Hobie Kayaks have small outriggers that fit on their Hobie kayaks i don't know how they would work on yours.

best of luck ted

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Thanks Ted,

Yeah, the yak arrived today and it certainly looks the goods. I'm already there with going out first to learn the basics of kayaking. Not looking forward to self dunking, but, like you and others suggest, it has to be done. Just read a blog where the author offered this advice: "Dress to swim, rig to flip." Seems like very sensible advice.

But all that will have to wait a bit anyhow. I have to buy the PFD and roof racks yet. The weather's warming up already, so it won't be long before I'm on the water.

Nursie

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If you are planning on being in calm sheltered water, you shouldnt need an outrigger, in fact its probably going to be more of a hinderance. At first you will feel as if you are going to tip out with every little bump, but that should pass once you get the feel of it.

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Mate, looking at the width of that Yak and it looks like it's got a really flat underside. No outriggers required. I've got something similar in the Ocean Kayak range and I've never felt concerned about tipping over, and I normally fish around the heads of botany Bay.

Are you sure it's 65kg? That seems very heavy. My Yak is only 26kg.

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LOL. If the yak weighed 65kg, I wouldn't need an outrigger, I'd use it as a downrigger!

Thanks for the opinions guys. Yeah, it has a fairly flat keel. Picking up roof racks and PFD on saturday morning and, with the forecast of light winds in the arvo, I'll be launching her.

Nursie

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I used to weigh 80kg, but a bought of illness last year stripped the weight off and I'm slow to put it back on. But look on the bright side.... us skinnies offer less wind resistence! Handy in a yak. :sun:

Now I'm gonna risk hijacking my own thread here. When I tie the yak to the roof racks,

(1) can I use nylon rope, or should I invest in straps? and

(2) do I need bow and stern tie downs to the front and rear of the car? At 20kg and 2.7m, I was thinking of just tying bow and stern lines back to the roof rack bars to keep the yak from sliding forwards or backwards.

Edited by GreyNurse
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Straps for sure, but use a piece of towel or cloth

as the plastic the yak is made of is slippery with very little grip.

I used to tie mine down from the front & back as well, just to be safe.

I can't see a problem with those lines going back to the roof racks.

Cheers,

Grant.

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Done and done, fellas,

And thanks to all who have contributed to my learning curve.

A peice of neoprene mat that I almost threw out, wrapped and taped around the rack bars provides a great base for the yak to nest. I went with tie down straps ($15 a pair) and there is no movement after a 5k test drive. (See pic below)

Wew! I'm stuffed after running around Sydney buying the necessaries this morning. Spent a lot of time at that boating camping and fishing store at Bankstown, choosing a PFD. I followed Roberta's advice and bought a manual/auto inflatable. The regular foam filled ones are too bulky for comfortable yaking. Although this is my first yak, I've had the opprtunity to paddle a conoe around Wandandian Creek on a few occasions. The life jacket that came with that took as much out of me as paddling into the wind! I wound up taking it off, which, when you think about it, is too risky, even on familiar waters.

Ok, time to rest up. I'll launch at dawn.

Cheers,

Nursie

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Not wrong Scratchie. The maiden voyage was fantastic! No fish biting. Just baby bream and a few mullet spotted. Had a paddle malfunction. The glue failed on the lock collar. No biggy. Lost track of time and realised 4hrs had passed on the water, so I put in and went home to a lovely Father's day lunch, courtesy of She Who Must Be Obeyed.

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Looks awesome nursie! Shane about the fish but I know what u mean by losing track of time, 4hrs goes really quick. Hope to rig the water snake I bought and fish finder this week! Lookout Saturday!!!

Cheers scratchie!!!

P.s spent the day at the hunter for Father's Day!

The wife obeyed and drove home. Lol

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