Recently bought a Ram 117u Rod holder. This model from Ram is fully adjustable to most positions. The build quality of Ram mounts are second to non. Fully rubberised metal finish for good rod grip with no slip. Spring loaded adjuster bar with large screw knob. When positioned and tightened the 117u is very secure with no movement. I have positioned this unit up front for trolling. Fitting involved just a few simple tools :

Electric drill + 5mm bit
4 Stainless steel nuts and bolts
Silicon mastic + cleaning cloths
Small spanner


 

First position the mount base on the Kayak in a suitable position where you require and mark holes with a felt pen or similar. Once clearly  marked carefully drill 4 holes into the kayak. Once done cover the Ram mount base in Silicon sealant and carefully position into place. Once done push the Bolts through the drilled holes from the top and carefully screw down into position. This will press out any unwanted silicone which must be cleaned off immediately with dry clothes or tissues. Once done carefully fit the nuts inside the kayak to the bolts and tighten. Once the bolts are tightened some more silicon will press out which again needs to be removed. This time i used a damp cloth which also helps to clean the area well. Once the silicon has dried overnight the mount is ready to use.

Fitting the Snap hatch to the Big Game !
by Andy Butler ( Bigfat )

Fitting the hatch is quite a simple process requiring just a few tools...

Tools needed :
Jigsaw - Pencil - Rule - Marine grade Mastic adhesive - Screwdrivers - File and sandpaper - Assorted clean cloths.

First thing is to place the hatch gasket onto the kayak and carefully follow the inner edges of the seal with a pencil. This will leave a cutting mark on the kayak which you will cut out later
    
Carefully drill a pilot hole in the Kayak just inside the drawn line. This hole will allow you to get your Jigsaw blade in easier when cutting the surplus hatch away. Carefully follow the line with the Jigsaw until all the hatch area is cut away.
    
After you have cut away the hatch area carefully clean any rough edges with some sandpaper and a file. Once done hold the outer hatch in place and carefully drill through where the screws are to be fitted. Once done remove the outer hatch and apply some Mastic adhesive to the underside of the seal and the outer hatch and carefully fit into place. Press down firmly and fit the screws. As an alternative to the supplied screws you can use stainless steel nuts and bolts or suitable peel type rivets.
    
After fitting clean off any surplus mastic that may be showing on the edges of the hatch with a damp cloth and then allow to dry for several hours. Clean all surplus plastic shaving from inside the kayak with a vacuum cleaner or cloths. Once the mastic is dry the hatch lid is ready to be fitted the fitting process is complete and the hatch can be used.
    

The Ocean Kayak Trident ...
Fitting Swivel Rod Holders

Fitted 2 Rod holders to the Trident today. Fitted them just behind the seating area which for me allows quick access to the rods and also doesn't get in the way of paddling. A few kayakers in the past have positioned similar rod holders towards the bow of the kayak only to realise that they only hinder the paddlers movements especially when re-entering the kayak in an emergency and finding that too many accessories are fitted just in front of them to allow an easy and successful re-entry. I prefer them to be where I fitted them for the reasons mentioned. Also before fitting the base unit make sure you cap off the end of the base unit so water cannot get into the kayak. In this case I fitted first and capped off afterwards getting access through the Centre hatch. I used tightly fitting rubber caps sealed in place with silicone sealant. Also if in doubt about fitting any accessories consult your local dealer first.

Just some of the tools and items needed.

Locating the point of drilling and using a hole cutter tool to perform the cut. Just
making sure the holder base unit fits ok before bonding.
 
Apply a liberal amount of Silicone sealant to the underside of the base unit.
Press down to squeeze out any excess sealant.
 
Screw in the Self tapping size 10 screws. This also squeezes out any excess
sealant. Clean up the base unit of any excess sealent.
 
Fit the rod holder in place. The holders only goes in one way and once turned wont
come out. A good safety aspect of these units. The end product .... 2 securely
fitted Swivel Rod Holders ready for use.
 

Fitting 8" Gaspachi Hatches to OK Malibu 2

Fitted a couple of 8" Gaspachi hatches i ordered from the US. The hatches were fitted to my new Ocean kayak Malibu 2. Was quite simple to do as follows. Firstly mark a line on the hatch about 10mm in from the hatch edge. Use a suitable felt tip pen.

With a jigsaw carefully cut out the marked hole being careful to follow the line closely.

Keep the cut out piece of plastic as it may come in handy for any future kayak repair you may have to do.

Once cut out sand down any rough edges left on the hatch entrance.
  
Remove the contents of the hatch pack which includes the hatch and pad eye and 2 rivets.

Find a suitable position for attaching the pad eye which will be the anchor point for the hatch strap.
  
Carefully drill the 2 holes for the retaining pad eye rivets. Attach the pad eye. A suitable rivet gun will be required.

After attaching the pad eye the process is almost complete. The hatch may be a little tight to fit but will slacken slightly with use.
   


Repeat the process for any subsequent hatches that you fit.

Eagle fishfinder addition to our Wilderness Tarpon 120

The Eagle Cuda 128 was recently fitted to the Tarpon 120 and has now been fully tested as shown below. The transducer was fitted in the rear spare hatch and has no trouble sounding through the plastic hull. Was fully tested on a days fishing recently and works fine. All in all a great addition to the Tarpon ..!

Raymo's Ocean Prowler Big Game

Member Ray from Middlesbrough showing the setup on his Ocean Kayak Big Game Nicely rigged out with his Lowrance fishfinder he looks ready for action ...

.. and with his catch onboard too ... can't be bad .. !
Cheers Ray ..... nice pics. Thanks

Steve's Custom Ocean Frenzy ... !

New member Steve Duncan from North Wales Rigged his Ocean Kayak Frenzy to suit him. His idea is that when he is not fishing he can quickly detach the whole front rig containing Radio - Rod holders - Fish finder etc ..etc quickly and do a bit of surfing ... Great idea .!

Shot below clearly shows his Rig setup and how easy it would be to remove quickly ..!

Looks good to us steve .. !

Fitting Flush mount Rod holders to a Fishing Kayak ..

Please be careful using any power tools and wear protective glasses. Also be careful fitting the holders to your kayak to avoid any unnecessary damage to it.

Firstly find a suitable position that suits you and your needs for the holder to be fitted. Unfortunately for the Drifter there is only really one place to fit these and it’s directly behind the seating area. Using the supplied rubber seal hold this against the body of the kayak where the holder is to be fitted. Mark with a felt tip pen where the drill hole is to be.
  
Using a Drill core tool fine the correct size hole core for the holder. The poly is around 8mm thick at this point. Carefully drill out the hole. Keep the plastic waste plug that is off the kayak for later.
  
Because the Holders are angled the hole then has to be slightly widened into an oval shape to allow the holder to fit flush. This can be done with a large sharp drill bit using it to score the shape oval – be careful not to take too much away.
  
If the rod holders are supplied with an open bottom as many are this has to be sealed before fitting takes place. Using the waste plug from the hole what I did was glue this directly to the bottom of the holder then with a heat gun heat up the plastic plug and holder and with a knife bond and shape the 2 pieces together. Once done seal the drill hole that was in the centre in the same way shaping the plastic with the knife while it is hot. Finish off with some black tape as shown. The holder is then perfectly sealed against water ingress.
     
Slide the holder in place and mark the 3 drill holes for the securing screws. Pre drill the holes with a 1mm drill bit. Remove the holder and apply silicon mastic to the underneath of the holder and refit to the kayak. Push down firmly and carefully screw the 3 self tapping screws down tight. This may cause the mastic to seep out the holder base. Carefully wipe away and surplus mastic with some dry rage until clean. Leave to dry 24 hours before using the holder.