GreyNurse Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Well Raiders, Winter is upon us again and our thoughts turn to cold mornings, numb fingers and the hope of perhaps a nice salmon off the beach. One thing many of us are doing, I’m sure, is putting the kayak away until the warmer spring days beckon once again. OK, some of us will not be deterred and with the help of some warmer clothing and an unflinching love for the yak of choice, winter will still see the odd peddler and paddler (and motorer,) criss-crossing lakes, streams and estuaries in search of the bigger specimens of our bread and butter fish that will cheer up even the coldest soul, once landed. But this brief article is dedicated to those who store and snore the mornings away in bliss in a nice warm bed complete with a warm doona and, if lucky, an even warmer partner, beach trips aside. Many Raider yak owners at this stage either just place the yak in a corner and throw a tarp or rug over it, or suspend it from the ceiling, or place it on its side against the garage wall (best option for most PE yaks) and then promptly forget about its existence for the next four months or so. But is that really fair to the noble craft, or to you, for that matter? What I mean is, is now not the time to do those things to the yak that you hadn’t gotten around to last summer to due to the likes of last minute planned fishing trips and other activities such as shopping, mowing the lawn (does anyone have any AstroTurf going cheap)and household repairs? Bad enough that the domestic chores took up valuable fishing time, but even worse, you’ve now just realised that you’ve still not done those little “tricking out” projects that will make your life complete. So before retiring the yak for the winter, start tricking it out for next season. You may want to improve on a project that was a bit rough and ready at the time, but it worked nonetheless. Now is the time to give it a professional look and feel. Many of us only have the weekends’ daylight and the garages’ flouros, but others who work shift may be able to work on their projects in the mornings all week. And you have the advantage of the hardware and chandlers stores being open before you head off to your jobs. So waste no more time reading this, it’s off with you to buy spray paints, stainless nuts and bolts, and plenty of PVC. Oh, and don’t forget to post the pics of the finished product. Tell us how you went about it, step by step, if necessary. Just say it loud and proud! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Witha Posted May 11, 2014 Share Posted May 11, 2014 Nice post Grey bit of a wordsmith! Although I will be braving the cold in the yak, I definitely have a lot of work to do on it! Still need to install the sounder and anchor trolley, silicon up some attachments and work out a drift chute. When you say storing on its side why is this preferable? I've got mine winched to the ceiling now for space reasons. Also makes it tricky that half my house just got knocked down! And the builders are using the garage as a staging point for renovations Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefisherman6784 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 Like sydneyfisher12 Bring on the cold mornings I'm keeping out the yak ready to chase the salmon all winter All morning (just have to persuade dad cause we got hobie outfitter 2 seats or just take sydfisher out) Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefisherman6784 Posted May 12, 2014 Share Posted May 12, 2014 no need for your dad we will go out I wish we didn't have to go to school Yeh I know When we graduate and get a boat Everything will change Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreyNurse Posted May 12, 2014 Author Share Posted May 12, 2014 Nice post Grey bit of a wordsmith! Although I will be braving the cold in the yak, I definitely have a lot of work to do on it! Still need to install the sounder and anchor trolley, silicon up some attachments and work out a drift chute. When you say storing on its side why is this preferable? I've got mine winched to the ceiling now for space reasons. Also makes it tricky that half my house just got knocked down! And the builders are using the garage as a staging point for renovations Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk Good question on storage Witha, This article explains it well. http://shuswapkayaks.com/2012/03/10/how-to-store-a-kayak-properly/. Of course, I'm talking about rotomoulded hulls here. Hobie and other name brands may have their own recommended storage suggestions. I've noticed that even after a few hours on the roof racks, my yak actually starts to buckle outwards along the chine, about 2/3 of the way to the stern. This corrects itself after a day on its side. Sydneyfisher and Thefisherman, Power to you for maintaining the rage over winter. Hope you get heaps of good fish with your piscatorial predilections. Not for me, though, nor many other yakkers. (Might have something to do with age and lack of daylight opportunities) The above was written as a helpful suggestion to those fishos who will hibernate their yaks over the next few months. By getting those little projects done now, it bodes well for a good start to next spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fragmeister Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 At least with some of the Yak fisherman holed up for the winter those of us with boats wont be out-fished so often! ..and well done to the young fellas for their commitment... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefisherman6784 Posted May 13, 2014 Share Posted May 13, 2014 At least with some of the Yak fisherman holed up for the winter those of us with boats wont be out-fished so often! ..and well done to the young fellas for their commitment... Where committed in any weatherSun Rain Hail (probably not) Thunderstorm (bit risky) Summer Winter Spring Autumn Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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