TexasKayakFisherman.com

[quote="AyJay"]It seems to be working out. Now I've got to figure out how to pull the painter tape off without tearing up the edges of the paint.

I'll sure be interested in anybody can answer that one. I've tried pulling it off before the paint dries and that works ok but if you want to paint more than one coat, the chances of taping of a 2nd time in exactly the same lines is pretty slim.

In almost all cases you should pull the tape while the paint is green.

yep, should have, but I DESPISE re-taping between coats, too. Perhaps extreme care with a razor blade....

Well, the blue tape came off with really no trouble. The paint is still a bit soft, but that'll change in the next few days. The Rig-a-thon has begun!

It's really looking good now. You're not that far from completion. Looking forward to seeing all the photos and that should be soon.

Great Workmanship Where did U order UR front hatch from

Mike

Those two large hatches look like hatches Cobra uses on their yaks. My guess is Cobra.

Very nice. Can't wait to see it completed.

Thanks N/W

Mike

Man! Matt will most certainly be show casing that one. It's a classic.

preacher wrote:Man! Matt will most certainly be show casing that one. It's a classic.

Naw... it's an ugly pig.





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JEM wrote:

preacher wrote:Man! Matt will most certainly be show casing that one. It's a classic.

Naw... it's an ugly pig.





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As the lawyers say...challenge for cause! That's one spiffy high class fish chasin' ride! I just saw it in person, afloat in Inks Lake, not 6 hrs ago. That's a catalogue cover waiting to have its picture taken! Not shinin' you on, just statin' a fact!
PS...let's don't start on the Wye 13'6" stripper panel...that's another lovely story altogether!
Some truly beautiful boats appeared in the hill country today. Somebody in the boat plans business missed a helluva photo op! JMHO!

Well, I'll put up some pics, but they're not really sized well. I've got some bigger ones, but the 800x600 limit means I'll have to re-size.











How it got there.

The circle lock hatches are all Hobie hatches. The front one is a Cobra "A hatch. I think I told a few at the meet it was Hobie, but it's Cobra. They're hard to find, but can be ordered online. The screw in deckplates are Atwood, if I remember right. It has a hobie anchor trolley too. The rudder kit is a SmartTrack Toe pilot. It is very sturdy, though heavy.

It came in a little heavier than my target weight, it's nearly 80lbs fully rigged. If there is any drawback, it is that it is about 10lb heavier than my target weight.

Now for a quick performance review on the boat itself. I LOVE this boat. I love love love it. It paddles smoothly, it is very well balanced, it has both good initial and secondary stability, and it tracks very well, while still being reasonably maneuverable. It does a good job resisting heeling over. It is VERY solid. I took it out on the main lake, and ran it through some waves and boat wakes, and unlike rotomolds which would flex and oilcan, it was solid and steady. It is very easy to fish from. It's not super fast, but holds its own against other similar boats.

It is pretty easy to get back into, too. I jumped out for a swim, and climbed back in without a lot of effort.

I am very satisfied with the boat. I can't wait to try busting through some surf with it.

P.S., it is slimed, too. Used a teeny craw crankbait to troll up a bid redbreast sunfish and a white bass.

Almost forgot: It's a nice dry boat, too. It has about 1" or so of draft to spare with me in it on the scuppers. You plug the scuppers, and it's basically canoe dry. It catches the wind a little becasue it is fairly tall, but oh well...it's not that big of a deal.

AyJay wrote:The circle lock hatches are all Hobie hatches. The front one is a Cobra "A hatch. I think I told a few at the meet it was Hobie, but it's Cobra. They're hard to find, but can be ordered online. The screw in deckplates are Atwood, if I remember right. It has a hobie anchor trolley too. The rudder kit is a SmartTrack Toe pilot. It is very sturdy, though heavy.

It came in a little heavier than my target weight, it's nearly 80lbs fully rigged. If there is any drawback, it is that it is about 10lb heavier than my target weight.

Now for a quick performance review on the boat itself. I LOVE this boat. I love love love it. It paddles smoothly, it is very well balanced, it has both good initial and secondary stability, and it tracks very well, while still being reasonably maneuverable. It does a good job resisting heeling over. It is VERY solid. I took it out on the main lake, and ran it through some waves and boat wakes, and unlike rotomolds which would flex and oilcan, it was solid and steady. It is very easy to fish from. It's not super fast, but holds its own against other similar boats.

It is pretty easy to get back into, too. I jumped out for a swim, and climbed back in without a lot of effort.

I am very satisfied with the boat. I can't wait to try busting through some surf with it.

Man you did a fantastic job! I'll send you an email about those pictures.

Wow! That is one fine looking boat. Just curious as usual. Since she's all decked out, have you put it on a scale to see how much she weighs?

Roughly 80lb, with a bathroom scale.

At 80 pounds, too much boat for me. She is a beauty though. Love her looks.

Great Build and Nice meeting U at the round-up

Mike

Ajay's boat is a really fine boat. He went all out and did a great job. Lot of good detail and thought went into this. Great boat! Well done!

That is just a sweet boat. I got to say 80 pounds rigged ain't that bad. My Big Game (plastic) yak weighs in over that fully rigged. The Bumble Bee goes about 90 pounds rigged. That's because they're FISHIN BOATS and got lots of STUFF in em.

On the other hand my brother's Honey Bee only goes 42 pounds but we sacrificed about 4 feet in length to do that.

I can say that if it gets too much for you, I am willing to find a good home for it.

Ay Jay
Great looking boat and job building it.
Ron

Thanks everyone. It went in the water again sunday, and got a little wear and tear on the paint on Conroe. We'll see how it holds up over time, but it is easy to touch up. I can already tell I will need more coats where my heels sit using the footpegs.