Is this a good idea?

[Backdoc]

Hello fellow snaggedliners. I introduced my 56 year old brother in law to kayak fishing in August. I took him to the Susquehanna in my Tarpon 120 while I fished from my Tarpon 100. He stated that he was interested in a pedal boat for the type of fishing he wanted to do. He recently purchased a Slayer and he just added this home made modification "to help with the pucker factor of flipping". I dont have a Slayer but something is not sitting right with me when I look at this photo. Is this a good idea? Can this be dangerous instead of more safe? He is going to Jersey to fish for stripers tomorrow. Any insight would be appreciated.

marksslayer.jpg

[mi327]

Interesting idea though personally I find that my Propel 10 is pretty stable and wouldn't use a system like that, I have been out in rougher days and when there were lots of boat wakes and never felt like flipping. I think that design isn't optimal for what he wants to do. Depending on the material the pipe is made of I can see it either bending or damaging the Kayak if he leans over too far (that whole thing is just a big lever). Also with only one float he can still roll the other direction, especially if an unexpected wave hits you from the side. A better way if you wanted would be a float on each side much tighter to the yak. Take a look at the Hobie Outrigger kit like this http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...igger-Kit.html

Not sure on safety of it keep in mind the low water temps right now. I would have him hold off until he was a little more experienced and confident in his yak before doing a open water trip in cold weather.

[bignose]

He's gonna have issues playing and landing a fish on the right side.

As mentioned above, the kayak could still flip to the left, and i wonder about self rescue, as righting the boat if it does go over could be problematic.

[Backdoc]

Interesting idea though personally I find that my Propel 10 is pretty stable and wouldn't use a system like that, I have been out in rougher days and when there were lots of boat wakes and never felt like flipping. I think that design isn't optimal for what he wants to do. Depending on the material the pipe is made of I can see it either bending or damaging the Kayak if he leans over too far (that whole thing is just a big lever). Also with only one float he can still roll the other direction, especially if an unexpected wave hits you from the side. A better way if you wanted would be a float on each side much tighter to the yak. Take a look at the Hobie Outrigger kit like this http://www.austinkayak.com/products/...igger-Kit.html

Not sure on safety of it keep in mind the low water temps right now. I would have him hold off until he was a little more experienced and confident in his yak before doing a open water trip in cold weather.

I appreciate your feedback. I will pass on the info to him. I think he should wait as well but he is hard headed.

[Backdoc]

He's gonna have issues playing and landing a fish on the right side.

As mentioned above, the kayak could still flip to the left, and i wonder about self rescue, as righting the boat if it does go over could be problematic.

Agreed. I dont like the entire contraption but he thinks it is a good idea. We shall see. Funny you said that because I replied in my text to him that I would pay big money to see him try to land a 30 pounder on the right side of his yak.

[J.A. Veil]

An experienced angler should have no problem with stability in either the Slayer 10 Propel or the Slayer 13 Propel. I have used both and find them to be very stable once the user gets a feel for the boat. In any kayak leaning far out to the side creates an instability. With some forethought and practice, there is no need to lean far out. I paddled across the mouth of the Severn River in my Slayer 13 Propel in 2-ft waves hitting me on the side. I was apprehensive at first, but soon developed a rhythm that worked well. The Slayer 10 Propel (as shown in the original photo) does not handle large waves as well as its longer brother, but should be fine up to 1.5 ft waves. Beyond that sized waves, I recommend staying off the water.

I don't see any stability problem with using the outrigger, but it will require extra effort to store it, transport it, and install it for each use.

[PigPen]

The boats amazingly stable. I bet he ditches the contraption after a few hours to pick up speed or to roll with the waves better. Good luck

[Memory Maker]

Yes ....... The stabilizer will work just fine. A stabilizer on just one side is fine. Many of the ocean going canoes for centuries have used this design. It really won't easily flip on the other side because of the lever effect requiring a lot of weight to lift the stabilizer high enough to turn over. Racing sailboats use the same concept when sailors stand on the rail and lean back.
Also, there is very little stress on the hull because the mount is screwed in on both sides and the stress is shared. where 1 side pulls up, the other side pushes down greatly reducing the stress.

I've built 3 different sets of stabilizers because I'm not satisfied with what I have found on the market. That is what I have found from experimenting.

[DanMarino]

Yes ....... The stabilizer will work just fine. A stabilizer on just one side is fine. Many of the ocean going canoes for centuries have used this design. It really won't easily flip on the other side because of the lever effect requiring a lot of weight to lift the stabilizer high enough to turn over. Racing sailboats use the same concept when sailors stand on the rail and lean back.
Also, there is very little stress on the hull because the mount is screwed in on both sides and the stress is shared. where 1 side pulls up, the other side pushes down greatly reducing the stress.

I've built 3 different sets of stabilizers because I'm not satisfied with what I have found on the market. That is what I have found from experimenting.

Great response.

[Shady]

I think the stabilizer is fine. A low experienced kayaker, fishing in the open atlantic, in these temps is probably not a good idea. Those surf launches are difficult even for the most experienced

[Slobber Bob]

I think the stabilizer is fine. A low experienced kayaker, fishing in the open atlantic, in these temps is probably not a good idea. Those surf launches are difficult even for the most experienced

Ditto. The stabilizer might work, but unless he has taken the time to practice a surf launch and recovery a bunch of times between August and now, this is not the time of year to learn it. Nothing in the bay compares to the surf zone. It can get hairy.

[Hemingway]

Curious how he made out. I would think that the drag on one side would really screw with ruddering.

[Backdoc]

He claims it doesn't ride in the water under pedal. It is about 3 inches above water. It is a crab float of some sort and some aluminum tubing.

Curious how he made out. I would think that the drag on one side would really screw with ruddering.

[Hemingway]

He claims it doesn't ride in the water under pedal. It is about 3 inches above water. It is a crab float of some sort and some aluminum tubing.

Has he had it out in chop or rough conditions? I have to give him props for trying to make a better mousetrap.

[coop1486]

How about the other side.Hate to say but that's not safety.Just my opinion accident wanting to happen.I don't have slayer but they look stable.