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kayaks?

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
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I haven't had a lot of luck with my Kayak - I find it is more trouble than it is worth if you can find some good beach dive spots and you're willing to swim.

That said, I am so happy to finally have some friends with boats!
 
Reactions: Mr. X
yes i use a yak quite a lot its great to access different spots and for generally exploring the coast much of which in s devon is not easy to access from shore. a sit on top is best for getting in and out without having to land ashore can carry loads of kit plus food and drink to stay out all day and it doubles as a float. if you are going to paddle far it gets hot in a full wetsuit you can also fit a fish finder!
 
The best thing about the yak is the ability to access so many more places
I fitted a fishfinder and also carry a gps - very helpful here for finding specific reefs or features.
imo you also need safety gear like vhf and / or flares. By the time you have all that, a decent seat and your spearo gear it all gets quite an effort, which is worth bearing in mind.
I therefore tend to use my yak when i have plenty of time, make a good long session of it, in which case its fantastic, the fishfinder is great and i have paddled over a shoal of fish and jumped in. I think Sunfish is the master of this
I have also done a few drift dives, which is when the yak is fantastic for safety - drifting at 2 or 3 knots, then paddling back to go again... the yak adds to the whole spearo experience
 
Reactions: Mr. X
it is true that you can get overloaded with gear IF you let yourself but this is the same with most sports and activities i try to maintain a minimalistic approach and am not into technological gadgets [fish finders etc] i am not very successfull but enjoy it all the same. ialso enjoy kayaking in its own right and spearfishing is an interesting diversion and i like its relatively primitive simplicity as opposed to scuba in the same way as a kayak to a boat
 
I'd add that I think Kayaking might be a little more fun (and safe) if you have a buddy with a kayak.
 
I also think I'd like kayaking more if the waves were much smaller in my area and if there were no rocks where I like to launch from. I'm always concerned I'll lose some gear in the big waves on my way out (or damage my kayak on some rocks just beneath the surface).
 
Im getting back into kayak spearing as of next year, most of this year has been boat diving so need to get the fitness level back during the winter months

When I first started my yak was full of crap and took ages to setup next season Im going for less is better.

Must have items

1) mobile phone
2) gps/ compass
3) vhf radio
4) water
5) food
6) dive flag
7) anchor setup
8) dive gear


1-5 go in a dry bag inside the bow of the yak (hatch) Dive flag is attached to a box on the back which also has 2 bottles of water and my SMB

I often use a launch trolley to get the yak down to the shore line then take the trolley back to the van ( also depends how far the beach is)

I installed a paddle holder on the side which I also use for the gun when Im changing spots.

No fish finder as I use landscape reference points or the gps.

I use the old rotomod scramber xt kayak which is slow but very stable, Ive looked into getting a newer design, but just dont see the point as the xt is great.


As with any diving tell someone where you going and what time you will be back. If you going to explore new grounds a quick call to the coast guard to tell them what area you will be in and what time, will help them to find your body when you go missing.

Keep your anchor rope tidy and out of the way when you are on the yak. If you flip over and the rope is wrapped around your feet when the anchor decides to go for the bottom then you going to be in a whole heap of trouble.

hope this helps
 
Reactions: Mr. X
Yes get a good un malibue 2 or simler boie esential and a ankor nawt worse cumin up from a dive and it gon get a roomey 1 for all ur gear
 
i can imagine swell can be a problem for you but it is the pacific ocean not the english channel surfing might be the best thing for you !
 
Some of my most successful outings have been from a kayak. I have dove and fished off my "fleet" of yaks for years now and really, really enjoy it. I also have a 23' Parker Pilothouse boat and frankly whenever I'm on a yak, I miss being able to move 5 miles to a new spot and whenever I'm on the Parker, I miss being able to get in tight to the kelp and rocks (and the exercise).

Definitely take a "backpacker" approach to weight consciousness; if you are overloaded, it will really cut down on the fun.

I started out on a 80 lb Hobie (now nicknamed "The Barge") which took me on many many trips with an incredible amount of gear. A couple years later I bought a lightweight Cobra Tourer 15' and other than a small combo FF/GPS unit and AA battery pack. Wow, did my enjoyment factor go up! It is easier to paddle through the surf, lighter to load and unload from the truck, and just generally less crap to load up and unload (and wash) afterwards.

My typical kayak equipment consists of:

Yak with rudder and fiberglass composite paddle

In the hatch below deck:
Sm. drybag with fishing license, cell phone, hand held VHF, and snacks

A lanyard with clips is attached to a post under the seat so I can easily reach it while sitting. The dry bag is at the end of the line on the last clip. On the other clips I keep my mask, snorkel, knife, dive watch, gloves, stringer/game bag, and any other small gear I need while diving.

On the foredeck I lash my fins

On both sides of the rear 1/3 of the yak I have mounted bungee "paddle keepers". These hold two guns and a dive flag. The weight belt is usually in the rear tank well, but strapped to some padeyes in case I go over on a wave.

When I dive clear areas without kelp, I attach the butt of my gun to a 50' float line which is attached to the yak and I just pull it along while I hunt. If I'm in thick kelp, I use a SS kelp clip on a 12' section of float line to secure the yak to the kelp stalks.

Either way, I usually just swim my catch back to the yak and drop it in the tankwell so I don't have to drag it around.

My personal favorite yak for diving is the Scupper Pro from Ocean Kayak. If you can get one with two hatches, even better, but most have a bow hatch and a rear tankwell, which has it's advantages as well.

Good luck!

Brent

Water bottle
 
Due to the nature of how/where I do the majority of my fishing (Pembrokeshire) a kayak is an essential piece of kit.

As I can't just pop in for an evenings fish as I live so far away, I always spend a full day on the water, covering a lot of ground.

I use a 12ft Tarpon (wish I had bought the 14ft) which has a huge carrying capacity and is very stable for entering/leaving the boat. It has lots of storage space available with water proof hatches where you can keep the essentials listed above in a waterproof grab bag.

I always follow the same routine when entering/exiting the boat in order to prevent capsize or firing my fins away from the boat when trying to get them on due to my limited flexibility rofl. As space is a premium, I made a few modifications (seen in the picture) where 4 circular clips of the same diameter of my guns that secure them tightly and quickly on the side of the boat, leaving the rear well free for extra storage. The longline clips on the end of the guns just get clipped to a piece of rope around my seat when stowed for transport.

Fishing in currents is not a problem. I don't bother anchoring up, I attach the end of my tow line to a D-clip on my belt and in all honesty, even in rough weather it is only just more noticeable than a dive float. Only times it is difficult to handle is during a high wind when you have to overhand the the rope to give you some slack line to dive. Often the boat moves so quickly in the wind that it will pull you off the bottom

Hope it helps
 

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You use fish bags with ice or anything to keep your catch in good condition on your Yaks?

Where do you put fish on the Tarpon?

Thanks

Gav
 
OTGav said:
You use fish bags with ice or anything to keep your catch in good condition on your Yaks?

Where do you put fish on the Tarpon?

Thanks

Gav
Click to expand...

I have a triangluar fish bag that straps to the foredeck of the yak, but I rarely use it unless I am paddling far from shore and it is warm out (like in San Diego kelp beds looking for white seabass). Carrying the ice adds a lot of weight...
 
OTGav said:
You use fish bags with ice or anything to keep your catch in good condition on your Yaks?

Where do you put fish on the Tarpon?

Thanks

Gav
Click to expand...

I clip a stringer onto the shackles behind the seat and hang it over board when fishing. When travelling, I just pull the fish out and stick them in the back with the weight belt...I guess we do not have many sharks as you fellas though :blackeye

(I only realised this late season but when travelling any distance, take your weight belt off and stow it in the well at the back. That one ft distance makes a huge difference when it comes to travelling as the change in weight distribution on the boat makes the boat perform much better!)
 
Reactions: Mr. X
i use a stealth kayak made from fiberglass
great craft all is easy to load especialy to spearos

here are some vids about this kayak
enjoy

---
 
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Any of you kayak users bother with chain on your anchors? im talking about anchoring in fairly calm conditions\current no more than 6 metres deep - i use 18 metres of rope with 1 metre chain and 1.5kg anchor with a 3.6m inflatable boat and never have had any problems. Will not bothering with chain on a 0.7kg anchor for a kayak be a problem if im using similar amount of rope obviously a kayak is much lighter/less pull on a anchor? So if any of you use chain or dont let me know what you think, or should i just use my boat anchor maybe?
 
imo the light anchor alone should be fine in calm wind/tide. Although i am intrigued by the idea of anchoring up and diving separately as this is just not a realistic option for me. We had a bit of chat about this on here last year with some of the devon/kernow/dorset crew. They might shed some light on their rigs...
I use a 1.5kg anchor + 3m chain on my scupper pro when rod fishing, but thats probably well over the top, but feels good when fishing in the tide.
 
Hi Rob.
I use a little bit of chain, about half a metre, I think it saves the rope from rubbing too much.
But much more important is to incorporate a bungee into the system, this takes the shock out of all the knocks and tugs in the swell, saves stress on the tie-in point on the kayak and reduces noise that might scare fish.
The method I use is a bungee tied to the kayak, to the end of the bungee is attached a carabina, simply clove-hitch the rope to the carabina at the depth required.
Then for security the rope is clove-hitched directly to the kayak with some slack between the two hitches to allow the bungee to stretch, again using a climbing carabina.
Clove-hitches will never slip or come undone and are easy to tie with wet hands or with gloves on.
 
Reactions: robdigital
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