Am I on a good track, or is it overkill?

[CurtNAz]

So, some of you have responded to my thread "I'm a big boy...kayak suggestions" (or something like that) and this has helped me in a great deal.
The result is, I've decided on a kayak....some may agree, some may not....but that's the nature of the sport I'll be getting a Hobie Outback...(pending no surprises for the upcoming year of a new kayak coming out).

Here's what I have in mind so far for outfitting.

- Turbo ST Fins
- Hobie Sailing Rudder
- Humminbird 385ci
- Scotty rod mounts with maybe a couple of RAM mounts in the forward foot wells (out of the way)
- Ocean LED Amphibian A3s (x2) I do a lot of night fishing and thought a couple of lightweight low amerage LED lights on the bottom of the hull would be cool.
- Johnny Bar set up of some sort to facilitate an outrigger when needed.

And I think that's about it.

I have a couple other questions in regards to outfitting...
#1. The Fishfinder/sonar....Has anyone ever used or heard of anyone using a side imaging sonar? I'm just wondering if the Kayak would be stable enough to provide a good reading, or if it would be a waste of money.
#2. Transducer mounting - I will probably use the Humminbird Kit with the grease or whatever it is, but has anyone mounted a transducer in the method shown here?
http://kayakfishingblog.com/?p=82
I wonder if this method would interfere with the rudder, and also wonder if it would create cavitation or air bubbles...
#3. (Just remembered this one) This would probably involve those who may do some night fishing from their boats, but has anyone ever used a small generator on their yaks, like maybe a small Honda EU1000 to keep their battery charges or power some lights? Just wondering.

I do want to thank everyone on here for their assistance and also ideas I have gained while searching. I can tell that this is going to be probably one of the most addicting sports I get in to... My wife is already jumping on board and wanting a kayak as well.

[Pierless]

I see you are making progress!

Agree with Outback and larger fins.

It steers fine with the stock rudder. Why add a sailing rudder?

I do not use a fishfinder on my kayak. the fishfinders I have seen had thru-hull transducers, no bracket outside the hull and no cut below the waterline. having bumped bottom, rip rap, and pilings I would never hang a transducer in the water but that is my .02

try the rod mounts that are built in before you buy and add rod mounts. IMO. if you use a fly rod you do need to add a suitable mount. another way to add rod mounts might be on the live well or a storage box behind you.

talk to the dealer or factory before you start cutting holes for LEDs.

I would check the weight and cost of the Honda 1000. 30lbs might be more than you want to carry.

Take the price of the fishfinder and the Honda and you are real close to buying your wife a kayak too.

Outrigger? are you planning to troll? need more than 2-3 lines?


Accessories to look at:

if you fish in wind or current - anchor & anchor trolley, drift anchor
live well if you ever use live bait
LED night light on a pole

[CurtNAz]

As for the rudder, I heard that the larger rudder will make it steer better/tighter. By outriggers, I meant the float things....I was thinking they were called outriggers; maybe I'm wrong. Just thinking of those for more stability as I live next to a fairly large body of water...it's not the ocean, but it's a good size with some decent waves every now and then from boats.

The main thing is, I'm not going to just buy the boat and add stuff, I'll take it out a few times to figure where I want everything.

Although heavier and more $$$, I'm also still considering the Hobie ProAngler; wider & more stable, along with more capacity. We'll see. Purchase probably wont be until January or so; so I have a few months to think about stuff a little more.

With a PA, I may also be able to mount a transducer in the water. Although a lot of people have shoot through hull; there's just something about it that I don't trust very much :D

[Pierless]

By the time you are done "adding" to the Outback you will be back to the Pro Angler

For now let's talk about the Outback

IMO the stock rudder is enough. I agree with larger fins. Maybe you need the larger rudder if you want to add a sail but for peddling . . . .

I fish Mobile Bay. It can be glass and it has waves when the wind kicks up. I don't worry about waves tipping me over if I am sitting. When I stand to fly fish is when a wave can get me. I would expect to climb back on but just in case I wear a manual PFD and keep a PLB clipped on. I think you only need to consider outriggers if you want to stand.

A lot of boats have thru hull transducers. You lose something shooting thru a hull but this a slow moving (5-6 mph max??) yak and I doubt there are problems. Keep digging on this and talk to others. I would be real careful about mounting the ducer outside the hull on a bracket - my hull has bumped a lot of stuff when I go after redfish in the shallows.

I got the Angler over the Outback to get the fishing layout, lure storage, live well, and stability. Just make sure you can handle the hull on land alone.

[CurtNAz]

Thanks for the feedback. I thought of another idea....maybe get both :D PA for me and Outback for the Mrs. We'll see what she thinks, but she's been talking about going with me, so she'll need something. As for being able to handle the hull by myself; well, I don't think that will be an issue. I'm 6' and 260 lbs. right now. I'm also a detention officer so I don't think it would be heavier than dragging in a drunk inmate :D Quick question. I'm assuming you use the scupper mount wheels when you transport your PA. Do you transport it fully loaded (rods, reels, bait tank, etc.) which would go in excess of 100 lbs. I imagine for the gross weight of the boat, or do you load everything on afterwards. I'm just wondering if the scuppers wouldn't crack under the additional strain.

[Pierless]

I have a PA and an Outback. I use the PA for fishing, Outback is used by son or wife if they want to fish also. Outback is easier for a smaller person to peddle and maneuver. My Outback has the turbo fins.

Sounds as if the PA will not be heavy for you. 88 lbs is listed weight but not easy to grip. Requires hand strength. If you check the kayak forums a lot of guys don't want the PA because of the weight. Compared to a drunk inmate, I'll take the PA every time

I use the Hobie cart to move the PA any distance. Tires psi is 3 - 5 psi. Maybe this is the beach/sand version and if you haul across dirt they give you a different tire. I load the PA and then move. No problems.

Live well does not hold water on land. When I move the PA the live well is onboard and empty. I carry the bait bucket. The hobie cart uses same holes as the live well so you get the yak in the water, wade in and remove the cart (can fish with it lashed onboard), drop live well into the holes and switch on, drop bait into live well.

live well fits PA or Outback. live well has 3 vertical rod holders and they are better than the built in holders.