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.
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uljersey
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After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Tue Sep 17, 2019 5:00 pm

... it was time for a change. I had a blast kayak fishing and have no plans on getting rid of either of my two kayaks, but started looking into these a few months back and got the bug.

14' Meyers Sportspal. Designed for fishing and hunting, it's a very stable platform. The ability to not just be able to stand up, but go through the motions of fishing without tipping was the deciding factor for me. Earlier this season while I was still researching these, I came across another fisherman on the lake who had one so I got an unbiased opinion and saw first hand how stable it was when he stood up and rocked it side to side without ever coming close to tipping. That pretty much cemented the deal for me. The ability to stand and stretch the legs and be able to cover much more water, plus all the extra room are just a few advantages over a traditional kayak.

It actually weighs about 6-7 lbs less than my 12' kayks, they're about 65 lbs, this is listed as 58 lbs. with a 650 lb capacity. It's all aluminum with reinforcing ribs and a dense foam liner, which makes for a quiet ride. The foam sponsons on the sides are an additional measure of stability. Mine has a 30 lb Minnkota powered by a group 27 Duracell deep cycle battery which should be way more than enough for a long day.

It'll be a week before I get out in it as I'm on call for work ... man that's just mean :evil:


Here's a link to the Meyers site - https://www.meyersboat.com/#/sportspal/
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Hogsticker2
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Hogsticker2 » Tue Sep 17, 2019 8:52 pm

I've been looking at these for a while now. Where did you purchase it from? Which kayaks do you own, and how much greater is the stability?

Dalleinf
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Dalleinf » Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:00 pm

It looks sweet. Very mcuh so. How does a motor on the side affect placement in the water, I wonder.

I have been happy with my Jackson Big Rig, but use it too little as 1) It will only fit me and, 2) It is quite heavy throw around solo.
That stable canoe with room for two and low weight seems perfect to me. I hope you catch some monsters from that thing.

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by zodiak311 » Wed Sep 18, 2019 12:58 am

=D>
You have piqued my interest. Please keep us updated!
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Jeffbro999 » Wed Sep 18, 2019 10:55 am

Good looking boat for sure. Remember Brad bringing these up a while ago. What types of areas are you fishing in this? Big lakes, small lakes, rivers, ponds? How about durability, realize you don’t have any time on the water yet but how do you think it would hold up to rocks and oyster shells? Thanks, and have fun on the maiden voyage!

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uljersey
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Wed Sep 18, 2019 2:34 pm

JBcrankaddict wrote:
Wed Sep 18, 2019 10:55 am
Good looking boat for sure. Remember Brad bringing these up a while ago. What types of areas are you fishing in this? Big lakes, small lakes, rivers, ponds? How about durability, realize you don’t have any time on the water yet but how do you think it would hold up to rocks and oyster shells? Thanks, and have fun on the maiden voyage!
Not much in the way of rocks and shells in my waters. Sand, muck and silt are pretty much the order of the day out here. Submerged logs are my biggest obstacle. Areas I fish are primarily sand pits, smaller lakes and tributaries of the Delaware River. There is one large (for New Jersey) 900 acre reservoir that I'm really looking forward to exploring more thoroughly. It was tough in a kayak due to the size of it and not being able to cover water quickly, having a motor will make learning it that much easier.

As far as durability goes, I haven't really read anything negative. Lets be realistic, it's .032" aircraft aluminum (which is heat treated and hardened), it's gonna get it's share of dings and battle scars. That doesn't bother me in the least. There are many still out there that are decades old still going. The few negative reviews I have read are from those who knocked it for it's poor performance as a paddling canoe - it was primarily designed to be a fishing/hunting platform that could be paddled, but was never intended to be a touring canoe. You want stability ? Then you gotta make it wide. You want to go fast ? Then it's gotta be narrow to cut through the water with minimal resistance. Don't buy cowboy boots to go running and then b*tch that you went slow and your feet hurt :lol:

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uljersey
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Wed Sep 18, 2019 2:37 pm

Dalleinf wrote:
Tue Sep 17, 2019 11:00 pm
It looks sweet. Very mcuh so. How does a motor on the side affect placement in the water, I wonder.

I have been happy with my Jackson Big Rig, but use it too little as 1) It will only fit me and, 2) It is quite heavy throw around solo.
That stable canoe with room for two and low weight seems perfect to me. I hope you catch some monsters from that thing.
This video is one of the better ones I've come across for explaining and demonstrating it's abilities. Very well done, not just someone talking in circles with obnoxious music blaring in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsPLpOHgCoU&t=1253s

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uljersey
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Wed Sep 18, 2019 2:45 pm

Hogsticker2 wrote:
Tue Sep 17, 2019 8:52 pm
I've been looking at these for a while now. Where did you purchase it from? Which kayaks do you own, and how much greater is the stability?
Send me a message and i'll tell you where I bought it.

I have 2 Perceptions. One is a 2010 Pro Angler which was my first kayak. The second is a 2016 Pescador Pro.

As for stability, I haven't had it out yet as I just got it this past Monday. It will be a week until it hits the water. I have no doubts about it's stability.

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Hogsticker2 » Wed Sep 18, 2019 2:54 pm

Keep me posted on the stability. You can always use outrigger style stabilizers to.

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by scrapiron » Fri Sep 20, 2019 10:12 am

Congrats on the new ride!

I'm thinking of moving away from a SOT kayak in favor of a lightweight solo canoe. My Cuda LT is only 65#, but man, it's getting tougher each year to move/unload/load it. Not sure how it'll work inshore, but those 20# weights are sure enticing.

AND, love the trolling motor.... :)

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Jeffbro999 » Thu Sep 26, 2019 9:48 am

Thank you for the details, definitely appreciated. Looking forward to an on the water review.

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uljersey
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:25 pm

JBcrankaddict wrote: [/img]1569516490 user_id=13665]
Thank you for the details, definitely appreciated. Looking forward to an on the water review.
Finally, all legal and ready to go. Went out today on the maiden voyage, it's officially christened properly :D
Image
Image

The stability is there, without a doubt. Standing and going through the motions of fishing (casting, reeling, etc.) are no problem HOWEVER a sudden violent or jerky movement while standing will POSSIBLY result in you going in. I tripped on a Plano box that was on the floor ... I caught myself and regained balance quickly, but that was a good lesson to learn. As long as your movements are fluid you'll be fine, just avoid sudden erratic ones while standing if possible. By the way, I weigh 185 lbs, just to give a point of reference. The canoe is rated for 615 lbs.

I was able to stand with the motor on full power (approximately 5 mph according to my phone's gps app) and adjust course without ever getting the sensation that I was unstable or about to 'lose it' ... same thing being anchored and fishing from a standing position. As the day wore on the wind gusts increased substantially (not full blown howling but still pretty gusty) and again I never felt I was in danger.

I stayed out for a little over 6 hours and still had 75% charge left on the battery, pretty impressive being half my journey was against the wind and current. I will be investing in a weed cutter prop as I did get fouled a few times, but all in all it was pretty uneventful.

A few more items of note ... First, the dense foam liner makes for an extremely quiet ride, no worries about sound being amplified through the boat into the water such as from moving tackle bags or moving yourself throughout the canoe. Navigating from the rear to the front of the vessel and back again is accomplished easily and safely, just stay fairly centered and you'll be fine. Secondly, and this was the bonus of the day, I felt great at the end of the trip. After 6 hours + in the kayak I would have to unfold myself from a sitting position and ached the whole ride home. After 6 hours in the canoe I stepped right out and honestly felt I could have easily gone another couple of hours. Being able to stand and stretch when I wanted to made all of the difference.

Well that's it for now. I'm happy, no buyer's remorse here. Looking forward to many more trips ...

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by Hogsticker2 » Sat Sep 28, 2019 7:25 pm

Right on

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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by zodiak311 » Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:01 pm

uljersey wrote:
Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:25 pm
JBcrankaddict wrote: [/img]1569516490 user_id=13665]
Thank you for the details, definitely appreciated. Looking forward to an on the water review.
Finally, all legal and ready to go. Went out today on the maiden voyage, it's officially christened properly :D
Image
Image

The stability is there, without a doubt. Standing and going through the motions of fishing (casting, reeling, etc.) are no problem HOWEVER a sudden violent or jerky movement while standing will POSSIBLY result in you going in. I tripped on a Plano box that was on the floor ... I caught myself and regained balance quickly, but that was a good lesson to learn. As long as your movements are fluid you'll be fine, just avoid sudden erratic ones while standing if possible. By the way, I weigh 185 lbs, just to give a point of reference. The canoe is rated for 615 lbs.

I was able to stand with the motor on full power (approximately 5 mph according to my phone's gps app) and adjust course without ever getting the sensation that I was unstable or about to 'lose it' ... same thing being anchored and fishing from a standing position. As the day wore on the wind gusts increased substantially (not full blown howling but still pretty gusty) and again I never felt I was in danger.

I stayed out for a little over 6 hours and still had 75% charge left on the battery, pretty impressive being half my journey was against the wind and current. I will be investing in a weed cutter prop as I did get fouled a few times, but all in all it was pretty uneventful.

A few more items of note ... First, the dense foam liner makes for an extremely quiet ride, no worries about sound being amplified through the boat into the water such as from moving tackle bags or moving yourself throughout the canoe. Navigating from the rear to the front of the vessel and back again is accomplished easily and safely, just stay fairly centered and you'll be fine. Secondly, and this was the bonus of the day, I felt great at the end of the trip. After 6 hours + in the kayak I would have to unfold myself from a sitting position and ached the whole ride home. After 6 hours in the canoe I stepped right out and honestly felt I could have easily gone another couple of hours. Being able to stand and stretch when I wanted to made all of the difference.

Well that's it for now. I'm happy, no buyer's remorse here. Looking forward to many more trips ...
Awesome to hear! My back would probably thank me as well. Do you think a few mods to increase stability when you stand help? I am very interested in this.
Get your kids hooked on fishing, and they'll never have any money for drugs or alcohol.

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uljersey
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Re: After 10 years in a kayak ...

Post by uljersey » Sun Sep 29, 2019 4:08 am

zodiak311 wrote:
Sat Sep 28, 2019 9:01 pm
uljersey wrote:
Sat Sep 28, 2019 4:25 pm
JBcrankaddict wrote: [/img]1569516490 user_id=13665]
Thank you for the details, definitely appreciated. Looking forward to an on the water review.
Finally, all legal and ready to go. Went out today on the maiden voyage, it's officially christened properly :D
Image
Image

The stability is there, without a doubt. Standing and going through the motions of fishing (casting, reeling, etc.) are no problem HOWEVER a sudden violent or jerky movement while standing will POSSIBLY result in you going in. I tripped on a Plano box that was on the floor ... I caught myself and regained balance quickly, but that was a good lesson to learn. As long as your movements are fluid you'll be fine, just avoid sudden erratic ones while standing if possible. By the way, I weigh 185 lbs, just to give a point of reference. The canoe is rated for 615 lbs.

I was able to stand with the motor on full power (approximately 5 mph according to my phone's gps app) and adjust course without ever getting the sensation that I was unstable or about to 'lose it' ... same thing being anchored and fishing from a standing position. As the day wore on the wind gusts increased substantially (not full blown howling but still pretty gusty) and again I never felt I was in danger.

I stayed out for a little over 6 hours and still had 75% charge left on the battery, pretty impressive being half my journey was against the wind and current. I will be investing in a weed cutter prop as I did get fouled a few times, but all in all it was pretty uneventful.

A few more items of note ... First, the dense foam liner makes for an extremely quiet ride, no worries about sound being amplified through the boat into the water such as from moving tackle bags or moving yourself throughout the canoe. Navigating from the rear to the front of the vessel and back again is accomplished easily and safely, just stay fairly centered and you'll be fine. Secondly, and this was the bonus of the day, I felt great at the end of the trip. After 6 hours + in the kayak I would have to unfold myself from a sitting position and ached the whole ride home. After 6 hours in the canoe I stepped right out and honestly felt I could have easily gone another couple of hours. Being able to stand and stretch when I wanted to made all of the difference.

Well that's it for now. I'm happy, no buyer's remorse here. Looking forward to many more trips ...
Awesome to hear! My back would probably thank me as well. Do you think a few mods to increase stability when you stand help? I am very interested in this.
I saw a video where someone had fabricated outriggers with floats attached and also had installed a platform midship. It was impressive, but personally I have no plans at this time to go that route.

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