Hobie Revolution---FF install

Finally got some time after having company over the 4th till yesterday----made a dowel adapter and installed the Lowrance X-85 into the mast hole, here's the Revo sitting in the yard:




and the fish "finder", you can see the dowel stuck in the masthole. 



I made a well from Plumber's putty, then splorped about 2 ounces of silicone into it and plunked the transducer in, it took overnight to cure.



Here's Hobie's expensive (I was overcome by gear lust, Dan offered and I couldn't refuse) livewell, the intake tube sticks down thru the scupper hole, it's just lying in there, waiting to get into the water!  Plan is to go down to Point Robinson after "work" today... and see if I can scratch up a king or 2. The migratory kings are slow coming in, a friend got 2 yesterday (12# and 15#) after being skunked the last couple trips.  I pulled in a 15# last Thurs on west side of Vashon, but it had an adipose fin....so is still swimming.

Nice looking ride K! That's a real salmon slayer. So how do you like it?

Will have to head down your way for some salmon trolling this year. Went once last year and really liked the water down that way.

BTW what do you use the bait tank for?

Z

Looks really good. where did you run the cable through the hull for the transducer?

Nice Rig!!

But I'm a little concerned about your transducer. Did you squash it down to the hull or is it "floating" on the silicone? If its floating, it may give you some wonky readings and you may want to remount it. In any event you want to make sure its thoroughly cured or the transducer might make bubbles in the silicon.  I don't mean to send you into a panic, so you should try it on the water first. It may work great and read fine, but if not,,,.
Actually, its really not a big thing and you could mount it dry with a foam wedge.

Also that's a sweeet bait tank! But does Washington allow live bait?
Sorry to be such a doom sayer. 
but I really am just trying to help and that is a very nice rig!

Feel free to ignore me completely.

I don't know about Washington, but in Oregon live bait is a no-no on freshwater, but I think out in the ocean it's okay.  Bust out the sabiki and catch a few herring or anchovies on your way out to the fishing grounds.   Personally I like using a bait tube, much easier to deal with on a kayak.

Thanks for the headsup, Tupperware---I mashed the 'ducer down to the hull, but have not tried it yet.  Am chomping at the bit....as for live herring, I dunno.  Fishing in the Arima, we jig them from the Sound, or buy them live at the Point Defiance Boat house, and keep them alive in one of those floating gizmos, or in a bucket in the boat and they slowly perish./  We mostly plug-cut them, but sometimes send one down hooked under the dorsal fin....Before I had an Arima 15', I had a 14 foot Livingston named "Sick Leave".  You can never have too many boats!!!
  Coosbay, I  just made a little semicircle cutout on the lip of the hatch cover.  Still reluctant to put holes in the boat!  But I did buy a handful of those little u-shaped jobbies to make a bunch more lashpoints along the gunnels for handgrips, tie-downs or whatever.  Would like to see some pics of how you guys have pimped your rides....
   Zee, when I mooch, I like live bait, even if I have to plug-cut it----the fresh stuff is slimier and catches more fish than frozen.  Also, the rodholders are handy, and if I am trolling hardware, I can dump a load of stuff in the livewell for dry storage!  Will post the hardware I use in a separate message, took some pix this AM.
   Would love to have a Vashon Island fish-in, there's a Vashon Derby in August, I'll check the dates and post here.  I won it one year with a 12# king, the next year my buddy's daughter won it with a 22#.  There is plenty of room for more fishers, they usually get less than 30 fish entered, and you can fish anywhere in area 11. Good spots:  Dalco Point 2 hours into the flood, Point Robinson and Tramp Harbor on any slack, Point Beals on the flood, Dolphin Point at high or low slack, and for the canny with a depthfinder, Allen Bank.  But The weigh-in is on Vashon at Jensen Point, so fishing Quartermaster harbor is the closest, Neal Pt and Piner Pt both hold big kings, Piner at flood and Neal at low slack.  I saw a guy pull a 25# out of Neal Point in 15 feet of water on a minus tide.

Tupperware----went out last nite, the FF worked great.  Good signal, the downside was---no fish! Saw a couple clusters of herring but no salmon arches, getting a little worried that the run this year is so late.

Kallitype, Looks like you are wasting no time getting rigged up with the right stuff.

I notice that you have one of those Wheeleez kayak dollies. I was thinking of ordering one of those 7" wide by 11.8" dia wheels from them to construct a single-wheel dolly for my Ultimate 12. I'm thinking of a design that, when attached to the boat, would be like an "extended wheelbarrow" so that I can maneuver it down a twisty little 1-foot wide path.

I may not need it though, as I was just informed this Sunday by a fisherman I know who lives right by a crude "semi-public" (community) launch site that I can launch there (to access the same water the narrow path leads to). I can drive right up to the water's edge. Not much parking, but he told me I could park on the side of the road near his house. I might just do this, as it saves me a good mile of paddling each way.

What I need to know, though, is your opinion of the Wheeleez wheel assembly (tire, wheel, bushing/bearing) as they are rather expensive, and I have never seen one in person. Do they seem well made and durable? From what i could determine from visiting their website, they look like the best alternative out there that I have found, for wide, low pressure tires for the beach. Thanks!

By the way, I installed a foam puck behind the seat in my Native 12 to hold my transducer, and it works great! I installed another one I made under the seat on my Don Hill mini-drifter. I just set the portable unit on the floor of my yak between my feet or legs.

Conehead, the wheels you see in the yard pix  are the regular Hobie "heavy duty" wheels with the pneumatic tires.  They are great for sand/deep gravel, downside is the weight.  They are significantly bigger and the frame is heavier than the stock Hobie wheels, which are best for paved or dirt roads.  On Vashon, most launches are from mud or sand/gravel beaches, so I went with the fat tires.  Dunno about wheeleez, but the Hobies were about $129 or so...
   I envy your beach contact!!  Sounds like a great score, with parking to boot!!! And you'll save time not having to paddle that extra mile .

KT

What I need to know, though, is your opinion of the Wheeleez wheel assembly (tire, wheel, bushing/bearing) as they are rather expensive, and I have never seen one in person. Do they seem well made and durable? From what i could determine from visiting their website, they look like the best alternative out there that I have found, for wide, low pressure tires for the beach. Thanks!

WheelEz can't be beat IMO.. especially when it comes to soft sand. I've had inferior yak carts and the headaches they gave me were not worth it. Like the time my old cheap ass cart's plastic wheel exploded when I hit a bump. I had to carry my yak and gear 300 yards on my back to the car. Took 5 trips and was 95 degrees that day.

I know they're pricey but learn from my pain, I'd like to think it wasn't all in vain.

Z

The general consensus on kayak carts is Wheeleez.  I can point to several threads on several kayak fishing forums that say the same thing.  They are pricey but worth every penny.

I've had home made carts explode on me as well, and using non-balloon tires is a real pain on loose sand.  I won a set of the smaller sized ones at a raffle a year or two ago, and although they do work, they aren't nearly as nice as the full sized one.  If you buy a set, get the full sized beach cart.

Brian

A note on the Revo----the rodholders are behind the seat, I don't like them---plan to mount at least one Ram/Scotty on the starboard gunnel, up in front of the pedal drive.  Need to see what's going on, and have the rod easy to grab.  I used a little (size 000) Deep Six diver and a cone-type flasher last nite, a PITA with the rod well behind the seat.

A note on the Revo----the rodholders are behind the seat, I don't like them---plan to mount at least one Ram/Scotty on the starboard gunnel, up in front of the pedal drive.  Need to see what's going on, and have the rod easy to grab.  I used a little (size 000) Deep Six diver and a cone-type flasher last nite, a PITA with the rod well behind the seat.

You know I was going to mount one on my big A too but recently have been trollling holding the rod in my right hand with the rodbutt tucked into my pfd. I know it sounds pretty crazy but it's awesome to feel every little bump on the lure and setting the hook can't be faster or easier. It might be difficult since the Deep Six puts up a lot of resistance but maybe give it a shot just to see what it's like. I like it so far since it makes trolling more exciting.

Z

  That's the nice thing about the pedal drive---look Ma, no hands!

Tupperware----went out last nite, the FF worked great.  Good signal, the downside was---no fish! Saw a couple clusters of herring but no salmon arches, getting a little worried that the run this year is so late.

EXCELLENT! Glad it worked out for you and that looks like a really solid installation. Forget the fish arches as I have caught a lot of fish that "were not there" as long as the bottom reads well. Did you try the livewell? How's it paddle (pedal) with that chunk of water out back?

To be honest, I have never really liked rear mounted rod holders. They are okay for storage, but I prefer to have my rod at hand and in sight while trolling.
I used scotty flush mounts just out of paddle reach on both gunnels on my Hobie Big A. It needs the extension to get the rod butt out of the way, and you really only need one as you can rotate the rod holder to fish either side. (unless your using the other one as a downrigger)


Hmmmm, Vashon Island in early August? Sounds like a road trip to me!!!