[Shakey Jake]

So I was granted permission by the banker (wife) to put a few bucks into one of the dinky kayaks we have collecting dust in our basement. I used to run around in the bay flats of south Texas in a WS Tarpon 160i, but I sold it several years ago to help with wedding costs. Ive always loved being able to load up, put in, paddle/fish all day, and go in pretty much ANY depth of water I needed to, but I no longer have that ability..... for now

I will try and post photos and progress updates over the next few weeks as I have time to tinker with it down in the basement. The majority of my parts will come from *insert big-box store name here* as well as ebay. Some things will also be modified items that I already have sitting around the house. My wife said that I can put as much into it now, as I paid for it initially, so that gives me a tight(ish) budget to get this thing rigged out to get the job done.



Baseline - 8ft sit inside river kayak from 'outdoor store' that I picked up on sale for $100 a few Christmas' ago... Pelican Pursuit 80X... Its bare bones for now other than some mediocre bungee cord across the top of the stern.

--- First, I needed some sort of main storage area/compartment due to the complete lack there of. I didn't want anything blocking what little foot room I have to begin with so I knew I needed to put storage behind me. Of course, I went back to my roots and knew that rigging out a milk crate would be the best way to go, however MY KAYAK IS TOO SMALL TO FIT A MILK CRATE!

Plan B was a handy little 5gal bucket. I went and picked one up, as well as a sweet little lid with some additional sweet little storage compartments built into it.

I found my center line and eyeballed how far back I wanted to have the bucket sit. Ideally, I would want it as close to me as possible to allow room for future modifications at the end of the stern like handles and/or a tracking skeg. After putting a screw into what I felt was absolute center, I tied a loose fitting knot around it and then a marker 6in out on the other end.... I got my 6in figure from the diameter of the bucket sitting at what I felt was the best depth into the kayak hull, and then adding a half inch (you'll see why in the next update). After drawing a circle, checking measurements and placement, I pulled out the dremel and started cutting.

Stay tuned boys and girls!

 

[Shakey Jake]

Update -

After successfully cutting a hole in the rear deck of the yak, and simultaneously annoying my wife with a "**** load of strange noises in the basement" I had a bit of time over the long weekend to get the rear storage fitted and installed.

To pick up where I left off, I cut a hole approx 3/4inch too big and promised to explain why. The diameter of the bucket at the desired ride height was around 11.5in, leaving me with an empty offset perimeter space to fill in. I cant think of a cheaper, more functional piece of filler than a pool noodle. Yes, I said it, a damn pool noodle. Luckily, most places sell a variety of colors and sizes of noodles, so I'm willing to bet you can find what you need without much headache. I bought one of the smallest, and also one of the next size up, and went on back to the house. The two I bought vary in thickness and diameter slightly and would therefore have different fits.

The small size (pink) has a total diameter of ~2in with a side wall thickness and inner hole diameter of ~0.75in each. The Blue noodle is supposed to be ~3in across with sidewall and inner hole diameter of ~1in each.

Now comes the part where you may want to confer with google if you have any questions or doubts due to the fact that I continue my use of the term "eye-ball" throughout the next paragraph or two.. I eye-balled a "semi-straight" line down the noodle and cut it as I would a filet. I know that the hole I cut in the kayak is a little over 12in so measured and cut the noodle to a length of approx 42in...the 38in I need for length plus 3in I needed to compensate for loss of length in the next step, and an inch of room to fudge if needed.

After cutting a little over on the length, I measured 3in down the side of the noodle opposite the filet cut I had just made. I marked and eye-balled a 45º cut upward to the end of the filet cut. I did this because I knew that the juncture where the two ends met up would look like a V if I left the ends straight across.

I worked the noodle into place around the inside of the hole and trimmed off a little here and a little there to adjust the fit. Good thing I had that 1in leftover from earlier! The result was a half decent fitting all the way around with just enough room to wiggle the bucket down into the hull and even have a water resistant seal! I marked a few holes spread out around the noodle, drilled holes, and put a few zip ties around the noodle to hold it in place.

....and so far I'm only in it for around $15!

 

[Shakey Jake]

Riveting!

on a thread talking about kayak modification.... I see what you did there :wink:

Pool Noodles don't like UV light. Plan on night fishing.

Thanks for the heads up! I was unaware of this, so I'll keep an eye on them as I get some outdoor use out of them.