Seeking Input: Sit on top kayak

[Jake Watrous]

Instead a mirage or peddle drive (old town), you could also consider allowing for an electric drive. Could be a simple minnkota motor mounted permanently or something that could be slipped on when needed. For permanent options, I've seen clever designs using RC controllers remote steering and thrust control.
They also have motors you can attach to the rudder.
But for more nuts and bolts.... some standard kayak accessory rails strategically placed would be good. Great for rod holders, fish finders, etc.

An anchor trolly could be a nice touch. Light pole. Shallow anchor pole.

Keel protection.

And be sure to consider how one would flip it back over if they dump it. And how they would be getting back in.

Great ideas, and the ability to self-rescue is critical. I tend to overbuild on safety, but I’m still alive so I figure it’s all to the good. The canoe, for example, has two air chambers that will, according to the napkin math I did, float the canoe even if it’s full of water and has 100 lbs of additional weight. The full-length scuppers make emptying it easy by tipping. The double-hull of the sit-on-top could have an insane buoyancy (different from displacement) barring a breach.

Not sure about the electric motor as I tend to enjoy human-power on the homebuilt craft, but I do like the idea of inboard electric propellers.

Been thinking of doing a manual version of power poles ever since I first saw them in use on the flats. Might just go with an over-sized drift sock, though. I tried @clarkman ’s this weekend and it was amazing how it put the brakes on the canoe. Quieter than an anchor, too.

 

[krusty]

Great ideas, and the ability to self-rescue is critical. I tend to overbuild on safety, but I’m still alive so I figure it’s all to the good. The canoe, for example, has two air chambers that will, according to the napkin math I did, float the canoe even if it’s full of water and has 100 lbs of additional weight. The full-length scuppers make emptying it easy by tipping. The double-hull of the sit-on-top could have an insane buoyancy (different from displacement) barring a breach.

Not sure about the electric motor as I tend to enjoy human-power on the homebuilt craft, but I do like the idea of inboard electric propellers.

Been thinking of doing a manual version of power poles ever since I first saw them in use on the flats. Might just go with an over-sized drift sock, though. I tried @clarkman ’s this weekend and it was amazing how it put the brakes on the canoe. Quieter than an anchor, too.

I don't carry an anchor (or deal with an anchor trolley) on my Hobie with forward and reverse drive. It's easy to fin in place and hold position with appropriate rudder position even on a windy day...but I'm only dealing with freshwater lakes, not tides.

Your SOT will be big and heavy so I'd suggest a Mirage 180 drive with TurboFins.

 

[wanderingrichard]

@ Krusty;
I think his SOT will come in under the current trend of 100 + lb. roto molded yaks. Probably in the 65-75 lb range. That seems to be the trend with the home built wooden kayaks I've seen elsewhere.

@Zak; ChadK has a point. If you want to add accessory rails to it, look at the Yak Attak line. They seem to cover a large segment of the market.

 

[krusty]

@ Krusty;
I think his SOT will come in under the current trend of 100 + lb. roto molded yaks. Probably in the 65-75 lb range. That seems to be the trend with the home built wooden kayaks I've seen elsewhere.

@Zak; ChadK has a point. If you want to add accessory rails to it, look at the Yak Attak line. They seem to cover a large segment of the market.

If he can manage to build a craft of that low weight, intrinsically buoyant, and with such a wetted hull length....it will be very fast!

 

[Tallguy]

I've not had drive or drive well related tangle problems flyfishing from a Hobie, but that may be due to not standing up (which can result in its own line management problems)...I can cast at least 180 degrees from a sitting position and loose line safely resides on the cockpit deck between my legs. I suppose line management slobs could have issues and might benefit from wearing a little apron.

And unless the drive well is substantially larger than the drive the potential of flyline falling into it is a non-issue.

As for SOT scuppers in general, I've yet to have line or anything else swept into them.

I must be a line management slob who needs an apron I guess. I have fished the sound a few times for cutthroat and coho from my Hobie Revo 13 and still deal with line-mirage drive issues enough that I don't like fly fishing much from the Revo. I find I am often trying to cast long and strip fast, while sitting, and it's hard to keep a tight little line pile going in the little space between your seat and the drive, especially if you are kicking a bit to hold position or keep the kayak pointed in the right direction or it's windy. At least I end up with a pretty solid pile of line to manage.

I have had fly line often drop into the little crack between the mirage drive and the scupper and get caught there, that's not a perfect seal and thin gaps exist. Also, when waves are hitting the kayak, or you are moving in the sound, waves do create some up and down slosh of water up through the scupper that pulls your line back down the hole when it drains. My experience anyways.

I have tried a couple tarp and apron options, and they are marginally better but not great Mostly I decided I wanted to paddle something big and wide with a perfectly clean deck and a higher seat if I wanted to fly fish the sound. Like the voodoo.

 

[krusty]

I must be a line management slob who needs an apron I guess. I have fished the sound a few times for cutthroat and coho from my Hobie Revo 13 and still deal with line-mirage drive issues enough that I don't like fly fishing much from the Revo. I find I am often trying to cast long and strip fast, while sitting, and it's hard to keep a tight little line pile going in the little space between your seat and the drive, especially if you are kicking a bit to hold position or keep the kayak pointed in the right direction or it's windy. At least I end up with a pretty solid pile of line to manage.

I have had fly line often drop into the little crack between the mirage drive and the scupper and get caught there, that's not a perfect seal and thin gaps exist. Also, when waves are hitting the kayak, or you are moving in the sound, waves do create some up and down slosh of water up through the scupper that pulls your line back down the hole when it drains. My experience anyways.

I have tried a couple tarp and apron options, and they are marginally better but not great Mostly I decided I wanted to paddle something big and wide with a perfectly clean deck and a higher seat if I wanted to fly fish the sound. Like the voodoo.

I don't fish the sound, so I have no idea about the necessity of long casts in that environment (which would indeed result in greater amounts of retrieved flyline to manage) but freshwater lake fishing from a kayak allows one to bring the stealthy craft to the fish rather than using a long cast. Are searun cutthroat and coho more easily spooked than their freshwater cousins?

 

[Jake Watrous]

I don't fish the sound, so I have no idea about the necessity of long casts in that environment (which would indeed result in greater amounts of retrieved flyline to manage) but freshwater lake fishing from a kayak allows one to bring the stealthy craft to the fish rather than using a long cast. Are searun cutthroat and coho more easily spooked than their freshwater cousins?

Not usually, but the further you can cast the more time your fly is in the water.

As for the boat, my 18’ canoe with heavy seats (I designed an adjustable sliding system for the bow seat that adds a few pounds, and I didn’t skimp on wood or webbing for the seats) comes in under 70lbs fully rigged. The kayak is less than that, but I don’t remember how much.

I’m guessing it would be 60-65 at the most. 1/4” cedar is pretty light, and I don’t know that I need to go S glass on the inside of the outer hull or anywhere on the cockpit hull (either side). And I certainly wouldn’t do two layers except for the outer hull. Should save me some weight there.

 

[krusty]

Not usually, but the further you can cast the more time your fly is in the water.

...unless someone is spending a lot of time dealing with stripped line tangles!

 

[Jake Watrous]

...unless someone is spending a lot of time dealing with stripped line tangles!

Hence my boycott of Rio lines when on the Sound.

 

[Tallguy]

Yeah, not a question of being stealthy or spooking fish, just trying to cover as much water as you possibly can. Coho especially will follow it a lot, even hitting your fly the entire retrieve back. Longer cast is more chances to find one and more chances to hook it up if it's not committing. Just hard to be super tidy when you are using fast erratic two handed retrieves.