After 10 years in a kayak ...

Come share your backwater or even blue water success and help others learn more about fishing from a 'yak.
Brad in Texas
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Brad in Texas » Wed Nov 20, 2019 2:44 pm

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I would go out for over a mile, then back to my boathouse in my Meyers Sportspal S-15, fished on my feet the whole way. I used a 280 CM double bladed paddle. Worked great. From paddling to TM to small outboard? A Sportspal is hard to beat.

One recommendation? If I planned to fish slow and methodical, I often took along a bladed-footed folding aluminum chair and straddled it over a midships thwart bar I had the factory install. Gosh, to say this was comfortable would be an understatement. A bench seat alone without back support can be troubling to many people.

S-11, S-13 and S-15 models are square stern for those who want the TM or small outboard mounted directly off the back.

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Brad in Texas » Wed Nov 20, 2019 2:48 pm

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Hogsticker2 » Wed Nov 20, 2019 8:56 pm

Brad in Texas wrote:
Wed Nov 20, 2019 2:44 pm
Image

I would go out for over a mile, then back to my boathouse in my Meyers Sportspal S-15, fished on my feet the whole way. I used a 280 CM double bladed paddle. Worked great. From paddling to TM to small outboard? A Sportspal is hard to beat.

One recommendation? If I planned to fish slow and methodical, I often took along a bladed-footed folding aluminum chair and straddled it over a midships thwart bar I had the factory install. Gosh, to say this was comfortable would be an understatement. A bench seat alone without back support can be troubling to many people.

S-11, S-13 and S-15 models are square stern for those who want the TM or small outboard mounted directly off the back.

Brad
You trying to get me to purchase this!?

Brad in Texas
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Brad in Texas » Thu Nov 21, 2019 5:06 am

Ha! Hogsticker!

It'll be up to you. It so depends on how and where one fishes, I think.

Having owned a Jackson Big Rig and A Bluesky 360, I must say that a Meyers is my favorite of the three by a long shot. So light, so versatile, better for camping loads, tandem fishing, standing and fishing so it opens up more power fishing opportunities. And, it'll "glide over the top of wet grass" as they say. Oh! And, pulling back in the lily pads, silently moving in, fishing in the little openings. Or, on windy days, just pulling into the pads and other surface vegetation that arrests wave action. Fish from those spots out into open water. Or, on the leeward side of small islands or on the non-windy side (there is usually one) on points.

One of the $20 folding aluminum chairs? You can pick one up with a finger. More comfortable than any kayak seat by far.

The best trick to learn in any canoe is managing position on the water . . . in wind and/or current. I used an anchor trolley on some occasions, a stake-out pole at other times. An Anchor Wizard would be a great choice. There are various versions of it sold and one mounted to the bow or stern of a Meyers would work very well.

My absolute favorite time to fish from a Meyers Sportspal? In the early mornings or late afternoons on rather placid water just letting the vessel sort of drift on its own.

Brad

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Hogsticker2 » Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:28 am

Yes, a nice slow drift in this would be great. You like standing and fishing from the Meyers better than the Angler 360? I would think that the 360 would be more stable, due to its pontoon design. When I pro and con it, weight / transportability and stability are at the top of my list. I'm all about simplicity, so I guess the canoe would be the obvious choice. But I'm having a hard time believing it's the most stable for some reason.

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Sat Nov 23, 2019 1:37 pm

Hogsticker2 wrote:
Thu Nov 21, 2019 8:28 am
But I'm having a hard time believing it's the most stable for some reason.
I guess stability is subjective, no real way to quantify it. It comes down to your particular level of coordination I guess. I too was tentative while still in my research phase, it was my chance meeting with another angler on the water that had one of these canoes where I saw first hand just how stable it could be. Between that and the video I linked in the 6th reply on page 1 of this thread, that was all the proof I needed. Also I had seen many of Brad's posts on various forums while reading up on these, I saw enough positives to go ahead and get it.

I get it that you may be hesitant to commit that kind of money on an unseen/test driven boat on the chance that it may not be "the one" for you. Myself, Brad and anyone else who owns one can rave about the stability of it all day long but that does you no good. I guess your only option is to try and find a dealer that could arrange a test drive on the water, which may or may not even be an option for you. Good luck on your search.

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Brad in Texas » Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:14 pm

Right, agree with uljersey's comments.

The 360 was VERY stable and it also slid right up into the bed of my Toyota Tacoma since it tapers in a bit toward the bow. The only negative related to the 360, for me, was its pedal system is/was simply an under-performer. Slow, slow, slow. And, I didn't like the pedal angle from its seat as much as from various standard kayaks.

Native has one coming out soon and my guess is it'll use its time-tested pedal drive and be a much better choice for anyone planning to use "human power" only. Native has a very good pedal drive.

But, for anyone planning on a motor/TM option, a 360 is a super choice.

But, dang, a Meyers Sportspal is just so great and very stable. I once crossed Wheeler Branch Lake in a strong wind under TM power and stood the whole way with a cross wind and waves lapping over the port side gunwale. I never even thought of sitting down. I felt that secure. Much more stable than my Big Rig, a large kayak. Too, it is great for a TM or a small outboard AND it paddles so very well. Camping out, taking out a friend? It is the best of them all. And, you could keep one for decades if you keep it clean and stored properly.

Brad

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Hogsticker2 » Mon Nov 25, 2019 8:16 pm

Brad in Texas wrote:
Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:14 pm
Right, agree with uljersey's comments.

The 360 was VERY stable and it also slid right up into the bed of my Toyota Tacoma since it tapers in a bit toward the bow. The only negative related to the 360, for me, was its pedal system is/was simply an under-performer. Slow, slow, slow. And, I didn't like the pedal angle from its seat as much as from various standard kayaks.

Native has one coming out soon and my guess is it'll use its time-tested pedal drive and be a much better choice for anyone planning to use "human power" only. Native has a very good pedal drive.

But, for anyone planning on a motor/TM option, a 360 is a super choice.

But, dang, a Meyers Sportspal is just so great and very stable. I once crossed Wheeler Branch Lake in a strong wind under TM power and stood the whole way with a cross wind and waves lapping over the port side gunwale. I never even thought of sitting down. I felt that secure. Much more stable than my Big Rig, a large kayak. Too, it is great for a TM or a small outboard AND it paddles so very well. Camping out, taking out a friend? It is the best of them all. And, you could keep one for decades if you keep it clean and stored properly.

Brad
Is the Native a similar platform to the 360, or another kayak?

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Brad in Texas » Thu Nov 28, 2019 3:21 am

The new Native catamaran style kayak hasn't been released yet but you can see a prototype of it on the company's website. It appears to be a simpler construct than a 360 featuring pontoons that can be adjusted while out on the water. So, it can be made "skinny or fat" on the fly. The 360's pontoons can be taken apart but with more effort and complication, but not out on the water.

I think Native ended up with this project, sort of inherited it, after making an acquisition. Oddly, at least based on what I have seen (a video or two), I don't see the Native pedal drive. That'd be a big mistake, I think, not to have pedals.

I think there will be a niche for catamaran kayaks just like there is for sailboats. The form has some pluses that will fit certain anglers.

Brad

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Sun Oct 18, 2020 2:13 pm

Saw this guy on the lake today and just had to talk with him. This is only the second one I've seen in person. He's the original owner, it's a 1977 Raddison, which was the precursor to Meyers. They still make Raddisons in Canada, but out of lighter gauge aluminum than their American made Meyer counterparts. The foam components are not original but the rest of it is intact. Pretty impressive that it's still going after well over 40 years ...
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by John G » Fri Dec 02, 2022 10:13 pm

Cool. I'm hoping to use my Old Town canoe for the first time next week.

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by TnTom » Thu Mar 09, 2023 12:23 pm

I really think that canoe of yours is so well designed, the number of ribs wow, and the weight is amazing. My 18' Grumman was near 100lb and my current Grumman is almost as heavy, How do you transport yours. I carried the 18 on the roof of my pickup with a rotateable t-bar so loading was easy enough but the 15' is wider and more awkward so its on a trailer. My only downside is that a canoe can be pesty in the wind, the 18 was tippy but I learned to hang my feet over the side sitting in the stern with the trolling motor and it was much easier to fish from (I wouldnt try that in Florida).
I sure love the looks of yours. The bow handle a real asset I might do that to mine. I havent had it in the water yet the place I like to put it in is still at winter pool maybe in a week or so Ill give it a shot.

How wide is the beam on yours?
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Thu Mar 09, 2023 4:27 pm

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Obviously the battery & trolling motor aren’t installed for transport due to weight, but both are installed within 90 seconds at the water’s edge or boat ramp. I have the whole loading/unloading process down to a science at this point. In had built a wheeled cart from PVC which worked fine but recently broke. The next one will be made from square aluminum tubing. I’ll post pics when that’s done.
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