New kayak in the works

I went to OEX yesterday to start the ball rolling on the new yak. They are checking with Malibu to find out just how much extra material is added to the rental yak molds. The Impression that I get is that it is a set amount and I won't have much choice. That's fine with me. I don't need a tank; just a sturdy yak. I might not be able to get started on the new yak for a while. Brent informed me that they don't do many X-Factor production runs anymore. I don't know what the schedule looks like, but I imagine it will be sometime in January before I see the new yak. I also found out that OEX isn't making Kayatanks anymore. I'll have to get CJ to make me one from the left-over material. No major delays to worry about. I'm starting to gather the bits and pieces that will be installed. Between the four different parts boxes in my office, I already have most of what I need.

I'm getting psyched. The latest YT reports have me more determined than ever to get this show on the road.

Is it in my genes?

From Family photos for web

Is it possible that I got my love of unstable watercraft from my Dad? That is my dad, paddling a canoe on Lake Washington circa 1960. Dad also taught me to fish.

From Family photos for web

Unfortunately, he wasn't much of a fisherman.

From Family photos for web

That's him on the left; holding the well-at-least-I-didn't-get-skunked fish.

Time for the new kayak

The time has finally come - I'm going to buy a new kayak. I am paying off my truck and the rest of my bills this week and I'll have enough spare change to get the yak. It has taken me a few months more than I expected, but the time has come. I will be heading over to the OEX Mission Bay store soon to order a custom Malibu X-Factor. I've already talked to Brent, the owner of OEX, about what I want. This X-Factor is going to be molded with additional material to make the hull a little thicker and more durable. The manufacturers sometimes do this with kayaks that are made for use with rental fleets. I'm not sure exactly how much more material they will use, but Brent thinks it will be about 5lbs. heavier. This might be my first non-yellow kayak. All of my Ocean Kayaks were yellow, as was my old X-Factor. The yellow used on the Malibu kayaks is a little dull and pale for my liking. I think I'll go with the mango instead. I still haven't decided yet. I am ordering this yak without any rod holders installed. The only flush mount rod holder that is going on this yak will be on the ridge, forward of the cup holder. I only need that one holder forward of the seat. I will also order the kayak without the hatches installed. I want to cut my own hatches, so I can do some special modifications. I will cut the forward hatch small and then roll the lip up. Doing this and adding whether seal tape to the underside of the forward hatch should keep a lot of the water out on those surf launches. I will also cut the center hatch and install my own Kayatank. The rear hatch will be modified to accept a converted X-Factor bait tank. I am going to permanently install the tank and seal the seam where it meets the hatch rim. The bottom of the tank will be removed to allow acess to the hull. The purpose of this mod is to keep the rear hatch well above the waterline. When my previous X-Factor was fully loaded, the bottom of the rear hatch was only an inch or two above the water. I never felt comfortable opening that hatch in choppy seas. I still need to work out the routing of cables and switch placement, but all of that will likely be on the side of the tank. The CoD rudders that Malibu sells are too flimsy, so I'll be installing a Feathercraft rudder system from Kayak Fishing Stuff. The only deck hardware will be a few nylon eyelets for leashes, bow and stern SS U-bolts for towing and lifting and two cleats on the starboard side. This yak will have far fewer rodholders that my previous. I'll have one 'assist' flush mount between my legs, two RAM tubes just behind the seat and three fixed tubes on the tank. I will also have one fixed gaff holder on the tank. I am trying to keep the weight and complexity to a minimum on this yak. The Lowrance 527c FF/GPS is going on a 6" RAM mount on the forward end of the center ridge.

This should be a pretty straight-forward installation. It is a little more work than I have done in the past, but I think it will go well. I've done most of these mods before. This mods for this new yak will address all the issues I had with the last X-Factor. It should be a cleaner, stripped-down version of the last. I will document the steps as I go through the installations and mods. It should be fun. You'll get to watch as I ruin my back and make a mess of the house over the next few months.