Boat Rigging

[Wayne Wells]

Could folks maybe post some pictures of various ways they have rigged cords, bungies, clips, whatever to carry things on the outside of the hull of their boats. Trying to NOT reinvent the wheel OR do something that I'll later find won't work, as I start modifying/rigging the boat for fishing, photo taking.

 

Also, anyone want to weigh in on using the boat as my cargo carrier on the drive down from South Carolina to Florida.

 

Old Town Vapor 10

[vivian]

Wayne,do you want pictures of kayak set up or canoe set up for fishing/photo's? It would help if you can post a picture of your boat.

[Wayne Wells]

The boat is hanging in the overhead of my garage but here are some pictures scavenged off of the Old Town site. Identical other than color.

[Kim Gass]

I hope you are day tripping. A rec kayak and a backcountry trip are not compatible. The Vapors intended burden is 275 lbs or less. Old Town is notorious for overestimating capacity. That cockpit is so open its inviting water. It really would be far safer if you got a hold of a sea kayak.

Plus at ten feet its going to be a haul against any contrary wind or tide.

Never never carry gear in your kayak on top of the car. Thats an invitation to a: lose suff and b; deform the hull. Plus is something really went wrong you would have a lot of extra weight in your missile.

[Wayne Wells]

Just day paddling.
Regarding a weighted missile, I would hope that folks keep a tether on anything they carry on their roof, such that it doesn't fly off in an uncontrolled fashion. If thethered correctly, it will only slide backwards and get dragged along behind you, as opposed to flying free on the highway.
I've got what I've got, what I'm looking for is rigging ideas.

[vivian]

Wayne, there is a discussion on rigging the Vapor on this forum. There are some simple ideas that would work:

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=1...

[Wayne Wells]

Thank You Vivian,
This just along the lines of what I am looking for.
Having broken my back several years ago, I'm hoping that backcountry paddling will work as a low impact form of UPPER body exercise for me. Beyond the fact of already knowing that my enjoyment of the Everglades outback transcends description.
If I enjoy paddling I suspect that I'll get something nicer, but out in East Boondockville South Carolina, getting rid of a relatively inexpensive boat is a much easier endeavour if backcountry paddling isn't for me.
I appreciate your patience AND broad knowledge base when dealing with the questions of a rank newbie.

Wayne

[vivian]

Wayne that boat is great for fishing and photography just in front of Flamingo towards Snake Bight. Plenty of birds AND fish to catch :-)

[Kim Gass]

I saw a paraplegic load up his sea canoe for a multiday solo at Collier. I sense that will be you in a couple of years. He was training for the around Florida race. Highly organized,for logical reasons everything had to go in a cerrtain place.

mmm E Boondockville is not so far from Charleston..East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival in April.

Back to fishing..I have no suggestions as I am only a walleye fisherman and they are not in Florida.

[Connie Mier]

Wayne, glad you will be able to get down to the glades this winter. Vivian's got you covered on the fishing end. As for photography, In that boat, I don't think you will have any problems carrying your camera equipment inside the hull (what kind of equipment?). I'd use a dry bag and if you can rig a stake out pole to tether to your boat, that will help stabilize it in the shallow waters.

And Wayne, seriously, I would be very skittish about putting stuff inside the boat to haul it down here. If it was only me on the road, I might be OK with it. All it takes is one little thing to fly out of the boat to cause a serious accident (goes without saying, but I said it anyway).
Connie

[Wayne Wells]

I have a special cover for the opening that was designed specifically to act as a lid.

"The Seals Kayak Cockpit Seal is a tear-resistant cockpit cover with superior UV protection that provides more secure protection that the basic Seals Cockpit Cover. The hull strap security feature makes this cockpit cover suitable for use during kayak transport on your vehicle."

Just looking to put a couple of the bulky but light items in, in any case. Not bringing Fort Knox's gold.

[Connie Mier]

That's all well and good, but I'm not concerned about your possessions, it's the unlucky person driving behind you that I'm worried about. "A cockpit cover suitable for use on your vehicle" does not guarantee that it will not come off. Personally, if you have unsecured items inside the cockpit, any of them are fair game. But, then again, I drive on I-95 in south florida all the time behind work trucks that carry all kinds of unsecured crap in the back of their trucks. So far, I haven't been impaled.

[Wayne Wells]

The company sells the cover expressly for that purpose. It comes with straps that completely wrap around the hull. NOT the type of cargo hatch cover used when paddling.

I actually would have thought that folks who were routinely doing a lot of multi-day paddling would naturally pre-pack the kayak such that all they did was lift it on to the roof at home then off of the roof and load the final odds and ends at the ramp. Really dictated by the ability of an individual to take it off of the roof.

I'm surprised that you all aren't. Seems intutive to me.

I know that I can keep the cover on. In that regard it will be no more than a Thule or Yakima cargo container.