The outfitting is coming along. Much is delightful, some things make me scratch my head. Still have the install of the finder and to finish the rod storage rigging. Still trying to get it to stow 4 fly rods horizontally, but it is an interesting geometry problem. 

 

 

 

Took her out for a bit of a shake down cruse. Getting to know the motor and getting comfortable standing.

The spot lock works wonderfully. This is really going to change how I fish. The heading lock is really fantastic too.

I'm really happy with how easy it is to stand and deliver a fly.

Good job…

Thoughts on the stand-up bar? They seem to be polarizing and I haven't decided if I'll get one. If you fold it forward with the engine deployed, can you then bring the engine back up into the stowed position? 

 

Are you going to rig up a system of cables to deploy and retract the engine, or is it easy enough to crawl forward to do it?

 

 

1 hour ago, JbroBass said:

Thoughts on the stand-up bar? They seem to be polarizing and I haven't decided if I'll get one. If you fold it forward with the engine deployed, can you then bring the engine back up into the stowed position? 

 

Are you going to rig up a system of cables to deploy and retract the engine, or is it easy enough to crawl forward to do it?

 

 

I like it so far. Definitely welcome the extra stability this time of year. That water was cold! It might go come spring time as it certainly can be in the way and it is one more thing to attach/detach when setting up/tearing down for travel.

I played around a bit with putting it down and retracting the motor but it didn't quite go down far enough for me to be happy with things. Perhaps some more fiddling to get things fit right would solve it... 

I didn't mind crawling under the bar to launch/retract the motor. Not something I see doing all that often once I'm under way. I don't want more cables around to tangle fly line so it is manual method for me.

Thanks. Is it the NuCanoe bar or the YakAttack or another? 

The NuCanoe bar. I can't say I love the construction, but given the quality of several Yakattack bits I have seen I'm not sure theirs would be better...

How stable did the boat feel when seated? Are all your movements carefully planned, or where you immediately comfortable and able to shift weight around a bit without feeling like you're creeping on eggshells? Were you previously comfortable in a kayak, or is this your first? Thanks! 

 

(I'm trying to determine how early in the springtime I'll feel comfortable for my Unlimited maiden voyage lol)

I've been sea kayaking for 25+ years, mostly in skinny greenland boats. (But the seats are at the water level so it is a whole lot different...)

 

That said, this thing is a whole lot more stable than the Watercraft Slayer 14.5 that was my previous experience with fishing kayaks. Not a single moment of concern, I could just go about my fishing without a thought. Twist the seat around to access the crate just fine. It is a complete delight to fish from...

 

Standing to fly cast (a first for me) is not 100% but certainly in the 80% range my first time out...

 

I'm 6'1" 195 lbs.

Cool, thanks! I have some experience with sea kayaking years ago in boats with poor initial stability but great secondary stability (Nigel Dennis boats), but was wondering about sitting so high above the water. Sounds like I should get used to it pretty quick. 

1 hour ago, JbroBass said:

Cool, thanks! I have some experience with sea kayaking years ago in boats with poor initial stability but great secondary stability (Nigel Dennis boats), but was wondering about sitting so high above the water. Sounds like I should get used to it pretty quick. 

I still miss my old Explorer...

I favored the Romany, but I'm pretty sure that all his boats were awesome. 

Do still have this sweetheart for when I need some speed and grace...

 

Wow

It appears your standup bar was installed with offset toward bow.  I believe it is designed to offset toward seat to keep body more centered in yak when standing while also making it more convenient to grasp to assist in getting up from seat.    Are you experimenting?  

3 minutes ago, OldManLure said:

It appears your standup bar was installed with offset toward bow.  I believe it is designed to offset toward seat to keep body more centered in yak when standing while also making it more convenient to grasp to assist in getting up from seat.    Are you experimenting?  

Just following NuCanoe's instructions. with the offset towards the stern is their "double" configuration. Not sure I want to stand up if using it as a double...

 

I haven't decided on a final setup...

 

I have long arms and as it is, can reach the lower arms if I need to as I get up.

 

No more car-topping for this baby...

I bought a 5th wheel trailer this spring and have been busy getting it set up at a seasonal site on a lake and learning how to use everything, so I still haven't made the maiden voyage yet in my Unlimited, but I'm getting very close. I'm wondering how you feel about seat placement. I suppose I'll just fiddle around with mine as get used to it, but I'm curious if have you settled on a preferred position? My set-up is very similar to yours, with the MotorGuide upfront and the battery in the back.

 

I'm hoping I can cheat the seat forward so that the front edge of the seat is just behind the transducer port, basically where I drew the red line below. This will give me enough room to place my kayak box behind the seat in the exact position that I want it, and still be able to turn the seat fully without interference. Do you think moving the seat that far forward would be an issue?

 

I think moving forward might have an impact on tracking. I have been less happy than I had hoped about the tracking of the kayak. The stern scoots around and tends to make the boat fishtail at cruising speed. To counteract this, I try to sit as far back towards the stern as I can which helps a bit but is not a complete fix. I had started to set up a skeg to see if that would be a final fix when I messed up my shoulder and haven't been out fishing since. I weigh about 195. I have heard that heavier folks have less of a problem with this. Best of luck!

is yours the 10 footer?  my friend has the 10 and he put an inexpensive trolling motor on the back.  it is a bear to reach to lower and pick up.  in hindsight, he doenst love his setup and he will probably sell it to buy a pedal drive boat. he said it tracks funny to.  with the front motor it must pivot around like a ballet dancer. 

 

I do love the carrying capacity of those things.  and he pops up onto his feet d**n near subconsciously.  I dont like how the seat attaches.  those knobs you need to twist to tighten.  I think a click and go system would have been better.   those knobs are free floating, right?  you can easily lose them?

Our model we're discussing in the thread is 12'6". Interesting about the tracking. I read and watched a lot of reviews on this model and nobody complained about tracking. Considering it's 41" wide, I don't expect it to track like a racing boat, but I really hope it's not a huge headache! 

 

The seat mounts on top load gear tracks. The knobs are just standard top load track knobs. I don't see any great risk in losing them. 

On youtube there is a guy who has twin skegs on his unlimited.

I hate the track mounted seat base too, so put the quick release kit on the seat. Problem fixed.

Is the issue with the track mounted seat only a problem when you need to frequently remove the seat? It is a PITA to fully remove and replace the seat, but I don't need to ever do that so it's a non-issue for me. (Unless your issues go beyond that.)

 

Are you guys aware of any retractable skegs that mount to the square stern? It would seem to be an easy enough solution if I end up with tracking issues, but I can't seem to locate any commercially available options for this. 

I built one up with the nucanoe motor mount and a rudder from amazon. It still is a work in progress but it has promise.

Any more thoughts on the stand up bar since the last time I asked? Do you use it regularly?