Summer 2015 update

Hello again and thanks for taking the time to read my blogs. I was thinking for ease of reading that i could merge all blogs into one so lookout for that coming soon.

Right onto the latest update. The Moken has seen a good bit of time on the water from late last summer until now which is mid May. The Yak continues to perform, impress and bring big smiles to my face and i am always having people stop to chat about when kitting it up and down on dry land.

My last trip of summer 2014 was a spur of the moment. One of my friends had organised an overnight sailing trip on his 18ft boat called Misty. This had to be cancelled last minute due to his work commitments. Since i had went to the trouble of getting my wife to swap her shifts to allow me to go i figured i would turn this into a solo kayak camping trip.
I made quick plans by the maps and i decided to head to Whiterock Bay on Strangford Lough for my start point. Strangford Lough is a nature reserve with over 200 small islands dotted in it. Stunning views and loads of wildlife makes this area a great kayaking and sea fishing spot.

Along with all my usual kit i packed my Vango 2 man tent, a change of clothes in a drybag, waterproofs, shovel, lights torches etc, food, drinking water, and a load of dry wood for a campfire. Most of this kit all fitted in the huge front hatch of the Moken. 

I set off towards my destination island about 2 miles away and arrived as the sun was setting. I beached the yak and anchored it off a large rock before pitching my tent andd getting the campfire going with ease. The sound of birds flying past and seals barking was pure bliss as i cracked open my brandy flask to see the sun dissappear beneath the horizon.

The morning sunrise was fantastic in the clear sky and again nature was busy all around me going about its business. I packed up camp and set off again paddling in and out of the islands fishing here and there as i went along. I arrived back at my car just after lunchtime having blanked at the fishing but well pleased and relaxed from the trip.

Stay tuned for 2014/15 winter spring fishing trips. 

Summer 2014 update...

Summer 2014 update...


As I read and hear of other yak fishermen get out and about I toil away working which has been a busy period for me. I had a few of trips this summer mostly just to keep my paddle fitness up but not much fishing done.

As I sit now I am planning a deep water hit on some nice dinners in the form of the mack. They have not quite reached me yet and I anticipate them hitting my spot very soon.

I have spent a lot of time on a decking project in my back yard /garden which has used up what little free time I actually have, however, during this I have built some pretty neat storage system for the yak and everything else in my garage. The moken is now tucked away nicely taking up very little room and is easy accessed for a quick deployment.

On the flip side my mate Taff Tony has been cracking away with his free time getting the most from the current realatively settled weather and fishing on. The difference is his catch being of the shark variety. The following pics taken at the end of April are catch and release due to the nature of their current status as an endagered species and relatively small in numbers in our area, also being a first experience for him which I do not think he has yet hit earth again.... Nice one Tony.

Total for the day was 4 nice 6/7 footer's with others in the group hitting similar average numbers. To top that today, mid July 2014, he managed to pick up an ex display Ocean Kayak Prowler II for £220 GBP, that he managed to buy at a steal from a local shop who obviously did not see him coming, lol.... Taff Tony on this particular day landed the bargain of the century, good luck to him and the new yak and I hope its a good fishing yield for many trips to come......

I intend to hit my local spots over the next few weeks in my humble Moken 12.5, fishing for the best barbeque mack and whatever else hits my lures. I will also get some pics of my current rigging which has changed somewhat from the original pics posted. So far its been a quiet year for fishing but I intend to change that towards the end of the summer season. I might even join the Taff for some shark tinkering, which is very exciting but realisticly scares the crap outa me.... lol...

Until next post, tight lines

Dave...
Moken Yakker

 

Weather / Work & New Kayak Radio.

It's still wet and constantly windy here in the UK. I have seen a few calm days from my window at work which just makes it worse. Hopefully though, I intend to get out later this week for a spot of fishing. We have had some pretty high tides and because of the windy weather  and tidal surge, they have flooded a few places inland. I am really keen to see if this impacts on the fishing. In theory I am thinking that there might be a few more fish around due to the increased food getting churned up in the swell and tides, here's hoping. Lol...

This one of my local bays taken yesterday.

All the will in the world say's yes, but the computer say's Nooooooo !!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, I am getting about 250 hits per day and its nice to get some feedback. Really it's all about the yak and fishing but I always find it easy to deviate away from the subject once I start a new post...

That said, I have been doing quite a bit of reading other yak fishing experiences across the world. A lot of time and thought goes into safety gear and really I could not agree more. Cost is a big thing these days so while I might like to pop out and spend a load of wad on safety gear I do have to be a little reserved and like most people build it up over time. My long time adventure and yak fishing mate Tony is a good planner and he won't leave the shore without thinking of where he is going, what risks are around, like weather tides and current and a get out plan. I think he even has it planned in his head without really thinking about it. He swears by his marine radio and I must agree that even when I am out with him I do feel a little more confident that we have backup if it all goes pear shaped.

It's all too easy to jump in paddle out, the wind direction changes and increases thus leaving you in a sticky situation. That was exactly what we did late last year and it was in the back of my mind we might just need to use the radio for help. Thankfully we made it back to the harbour albeit pretty exhausted after paddling up current into an increasing headwind. Lesson learnt.... I will go up wind first, fish on a drift back and if i feel like another upwind run i can do so knowing i will get blown back to launch point..

This brings me to the newest edition of my yak gear. 

This is a little Baofeng UV-5R radio I picked up from ebay for £25 delivered. It can transmit and receive on all marine channel frequencies and on top of that it can hit local repeaters on 2m and 70cm which is a bonus. there is a repeater which overlooks my local area and i get a good strong receive signal there with the slightly upgraded aerial attached. 

I have now decided to go and take my HAM exam which is now organised for mid February. As far as reading into the law regarding broadcasting on UK marine channels without a licence, you can transmit on any marine channel in an emergency regardless of marine radio licence, not only does this help crews to reach you a little faster but it costs less for the coastguard having to conduct a wide area search for my little 12ft camoflaged yak when they will already have my exact position. 

My only advice is to stay calm during a situation and if you need to call the coastguard give clear answers to the questions they will ask regarding location and your situation. Again for transmitting on HAM radio frequencies, you need to have completed an exam and have an official call sign according to Offcom, which i should have pretty soon, but I cannot see any problems using the service if there is risk to life

Although not a perfect fix for the comms it's a fantastically cheap way to improve your safety x2 as you can ustilise marine freqs and HAM both. All I need now is a little waterproof cover and its ready to hit the next fishing trip which is still pending... My mate, crazy Taff (Tony), is off to the Bonnie Scotland in the near future with his Perception Triumph 13 for a deep water Skate trip. I am donating some frozen octopus for his bait coctails. I wish him tight lines and I will include a quick update on that trip in my next posting...

Thats it for now, i know i have said it before but i am hoping my next Update is full of yakking and fishing..

Keep watching for more updates.

Dave

Moken Yakker

Winter Accessories Update

Well its been pretty crap weather here in the UK. I cant complain as all our stormy weather has come from the USA and they have had it pretty rough recently. Thankfully it seems to be settling down a little and I am confident of some more frequent fishing trips out on the Moken

I have been busy since my last post adding some bits and pieces. First up was the fish finder / sounder. I toyed with many variations of sounder but finally settled for the Lowrance Elite 4X DSI which I have to say I am delighted with. I read plenty about it and was very impressed by its down scan imaging. I started by first installing the main unit by cutting holes in the top storage compartment through to the hull for my cabling. I used a hole saw on my cordless drill which made a nice neat hole large enough to get the cables through. I set my cables where i wanted them to go and then used rubber grommets and marine sealant to set them in position while sealing the hole completely. The unit is powered by a 3000mah lipo battery which is in a sealed hard case within a sealed ice cream tub within the front sealed compartment giving me at least 3 or 4 fishing trips before charging again. I intend to add a little power outlet for charging my phone or something useful at a later stage.. This turned out sweet as a nut and I was well pleased with the finished job.

Next I mounted the base mount of the sounder unit just in front of the bottle holder on the top storage compartment. I used some M5 well nuts to secure it along with plenty of sealant and again I was well chuffed with the results.

The next part of the install was the transducer where I had the choice of going through the hull or mounting underneath the hull. I had read plenty of comments on various forums about how this particular sounder would not shoot thru the hull and some saying it did so. I really wanted it inside out of the way so I figured that I could install it this way and if it really didn't work I could change it later. I can now say for sure that it does easily shoot through the hull and I have tested it where I can see my fishing line and tackle at the bottom of the sea at any depth. The clarity of the Lowrance is to say the least, outstanding and its great to be able to see the bottom detail for wrecks and shelves.

I have added some other bits and pieces, most of which are all hand made or adapted to fit the purpose. I ordered a sliding mount from Austin Kayaks, it arrived very quick and I used a cut from a cutting board to make the mounting area a little larger for my GPS to sit beside the rod holder on an U bolt. It can slide towards me when i need it and when paddling its pushed up front out of the way. Very functional..

The other bits added so far have been an anchor trolley, a marine compass, some home made fishing rod leashes, an led light stick for night fishing and a few other lashing points for various bits and pieces. On top of that I now have some waterproof trousers with sealed ankles and a nice cag which completes my watertight clothing where I can adjust the clothing to suit the weather very comfortably.

Another little bargain purchase was this little 3000 size reel from Yoshikawa. Fantastic little all metal unit with 11 bearings. Has been out and abused a few times now and still performs well. Really cant complain for £14...lol..

My next post will hopefully be a fishing update as my last good trip out was November 2013 where I was still getting mackeral. Really getting to know my local ground now and the Yak is still impressing me. Its perfect for my needs so far and I really enjoy being out with it...

Thats all for now !!!

Summer update 2013

Well the Moken has been on a few trips since my last post when I could get some time away from work. I have also added a few bits and pieces to further enhance my greenhorn fishing experience and I have to say I absolutely love this yak. It's perfect for my local fishing spots and does exactly what it says on the tin.

 

My most recent trip was to Bangor bay on a rising tide around 10 am and the sun was blazing at about 25 deg. I dawned my shorts and tee shirt and hit the water having a short paddle to my chosen spot. I spotted quite a few fishermen one the breakwater and decided to head further out of the bay. I made the right choice and landed a stack of Mack within a couple of hours.

 

My day was not finished as I text my mate and told him about the successful morning trip. He was thinking of an evening trip a little further down the coast just off Ballywalter. There is a bank about a mile out from the port and although neither of us had fished it, it looked ok in theory. I arrived late to see Tony's car parked up and he was obviously already out on the water. I quickly got my kit sorted and followed out. Found him after a short paddle as a bright orange speck in the distance which was his illuminous fishing hat. Well spotted. As it was virgin ground for us I opted for a small hooked sabiki rig and a 2 oz weight. Within a few minutes, bang, my fist bite was a nice sized pollock. The ground was weedy but if I kept the tackle moving it seemed to move through it ok. The sun was setting and the pollock were coming in very nicely, sometimes in 2 or 3 at a go.

 

The paddle back to the now much darker port was beautiful   and took us about 30 mins as we stopped a few times to throw a line in again. The water was like glass and there was no wind. I couldn't have had a better days fishing sport. I brought home a good few pollock for the barbecue and got eaten by my daughters and my wife. Very tasty with a little salt pepper and curry powder, slowly grilled on the barbecue.

 

Keep watching for my kayak accessories update, its wicked. !!!

 

First Moken outing

Well the weather and tides came together as had carefully forecast at the end of April. I made my preparations at home and planned for my first outing which would be setting off just after low tide allowing me to get the feel of the yak for a couple of hours and use the last two hours of the rising tide and fading daylight to do a spot of fishing.

I loaded up my car using a soft rack to carry the Moken to my selected spot. The lifting of the yak onto my reasonably low car was not too difficult and it sat right way up and was strapped down. The return journey some five hours later was a different story buy more on that later so keep reading.

I was really excited to get in the water as quickly as possible so I lifted the yak off my car at the chosen launch point and carried it the short journey to the slipway. Laying it just short of the tide I loaded all my other kit onto the boat and after a final check of all my hatches, bung and leashes I sat myself down in the luxurious kingfisher seat of the Moken. It immediately felt just right and I pushed off gently into the inner harbour. I tested moving around in the protection of the small harbour and the yak seemed stable and responsive to my basic input in the still and shallow water. I was a happy man.

I figured I was ready to hit the open water. There was a southerly wind blowing around 18knts which was due to drop a bit later so I headed up wind and across the bay which was about a mile stretch. My paddle was set at 220cm with no feather. There was little swell or tide at this point and I got the yak up to a decent speed and found that keeping it going with a low paddle style was only using about 30% power, it felt great and it tracked perfectly straight with little or no correction needed across the open bay. I spent the next couple of hours just paddling around close to shore and a few times out into the more open exposed water. I could not say there was any swell but more just a little choppy as the tide picked up. I positioned the boat in all directions to the swell to check stability and it was great. I do intend to try this in bigger swell and wind along with going through my capsize drills and boarding methods.

More to follow..........

Feel Free Moken 12.5

Hi and thanks for checking out my blog. My name is Dave and I plan to use this space to give a realistic review of my new kayak, the Moken 12.5. Why? I hear you ask... Well I was looking for a kayak that would suit my fishing needs and I really liked the the look of the Moken, however I could only find just a few pictures of it and short video review on You tube by Jim Hagar. It was ok I guess but not enough for me to be satisfied with my findings.

At the begining of April 2013 I cast any doubt aside, took the plunge and purchased the Moken from North East Kayaks, somewhere in the north east. Their service was second to none and they sent my kayak to Northern Ireland arriving within two days at a very decent price. It arrived well wrapped and after a close inspection I found it to be in perfect condition. I was so impressed with it I decided to write this review.

So on to the nitty grity. I will start with the kayak as it stands, its construction, and later I will be adding some info on handling and performance on the water. I might even catch a fish to show you !!!! By a far stretch I am not a pro yak fisher, I simply want to say what I see in my new yak which I am delighted with.



Ok, so here is the new Moken 12.5. It stands 12.7" long, 32" wide and at 34kg its heavy but not impossible to lug around with one hand. The handles on each side are perfectly balanced for carrying, where I mean the bow or stern does not dip into the dirt as you are carrying it.

The first thing that grabbed my attention as I opened it up was its sheer size. Its a monster of a yak with definitive lines that make it all look proportional. Feel Free designers have obviously spent a bit of time balancing out the sizes of the forward hatch, the centre console,the seat area, and the aft end, making it all look just right.

The lines continue to the back, tapering off with the wheel in the keel. Feel Free rightfully boast this as a good sale point, I personally think it best to have two carrying the yak to the beach or use a trolley over sand if going solo. I had a Nomad before and it wobbled a bit left and right as I pulled it. Not a big issue but worth noting.

The view from the rear to me looks like a bullet, I will report on the performance later after a few trips. Altogether the top side looks awesome and meaningful. No fancy stickers, just purposeful polyprop ready to hit the water and catch some fish.

Here is the hull. Its worth mentioning that the channels are gloss while the rest of the hull has like an orange peel surface to it. I really dont know why its all not gloss for sleek performance. Again performance and stability will be covered in later blogs, but I kind of understand the primary and secondary stability theory and I would say the secondary runs righ up the side of the yak, this being a large surface area and given its width I cant see many problems here.

Ok I will move in close now and go through the Mokens features. Up front is the carry handle, Its big enough for carrying with 5mm gloves on and I am thinking it could be used to connect the forward end of my anchor trolley. The rectangular indentation near centre of shot I would guess is for a trolley mount, however its only 4cm long and the D fittings I have are a little bigger than that. This indentation is only on this side with a matching one close to the rear as you should see later.

The front hatch has three locks that turn through 90 degrees to engage. First thing I did here was to go around the inner seal with some vaseline to ensure a water tight seal as per the manual. This hatch is also massive and I cant imagine anything not fitting through it into the even bigger void underneath it. The hatch is 21" long by 14" wide and inside has about 3ft of usable space. The hatch folds back until it touches the deck and I was thinking of epoxying a rubber stopper close to the hinges to keep it just shy of the deck. Again back to design, I like the lines through it, giving the impression it is smaller than it actually is. I must also point out that its held down by 13 screws each of which have been plastic coated underneath to prevent catching anything you would put in there including your hands. A very nice finishing touch.



Moving on to the centre console. Its massive !!!.. Internally its 2ft long by 5-1/4 wide by 4" deep with a divide around the middle. Plenty room for anything you want to carry. Again it has a rubber seal like the front hatch which I vaselined up to ensure a good seal. Its held by a big rubber clip and two webbing straps which could double up to hold other bits and pieces as they are adjustable by about another 6/7 inches. There is a cup holder and a bottle strap that would keep your best yak beverages close to hand and I found reaching from the seat to the front of the console no problem.

The foot rests are chunky and are adjusted by lifting the lever at the seat end and pushing or pulling to the desired length. Again I cant see any problem with gloves on as it moves very easily. The ease of adjustment would allow me to stretch my legs at anchor too.

A comfy seat is an understatement. Its got soft foam on top of dense foam and is very comfortable. The only gripe I have is its fitting. There is a strap that goes around the crease which can only be made so tight. When I sit in the seat it moves around a bit. I fixed this within seconds with some anti slip sheeting underneath it. The forward and aft straps are great and give the seat loads of support. Another cup holder on each side of the seat means you can carry three cups and a bottle on the yak which is a little overkill but hey !!! lol... Who am I? Just forward of the seat is the standing area which is a hard grippy type foam backed onto 4mm plastic sheet which also has a 2mm gap underneath for water drainage into two scupper holes. Its as sturdy as you would think and just forward of the centre console is a bar for an uphaul leash. This bar is actually bolted with lock nuts for the extra strength.



The aft end is the business end as far as I am concerned. Its where most accessible kit is carried by most yak fisher people and again I think good design has prevailed here. Right behind the seat is the 7" circular hatch. It has three different sized grips that fit my hand perfectly. Rotation of about 30 degrees opens it up and it looks like a good seal with access to the rear of the yak, not so big as the front but for valuables like keys phone and whatever would go in there its well handy. The rear cargo bungee is multi adjustable and you can hook the bungee off any of the orange clips which also slide along the rail to any configuration you like. My crate fits snug up to the hatch like it is made for it at 14" wide narrowing to the aft end with about 2ft 8" of usable space. Two straps either side will easily hold the crate in place.

  

The two rod holders have leashes attached and there is room for four more rod holders. Just to the outside are the paddle keepers on both sides which are easily reached from the seated position.

I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of the wheel in the keel thought time will tell. While I guess its handy, it would not be a deal breaker for me. I might ditch it for the blanking plate at a later stage. You can see just underneath the aft is a recess which is mirrored on the other side. These are the carry points but I reckon it would be easier grabbing the rudder mount as its in the middle. I might fit a handle on the rear if I take the wheel out. Note the speckled finish which is different to the rest of the camo design and the same as the inside of the yak. Not much more to say apart from my grass needs cutting. I have included a few more photos below that complete my first review. I should get the yak out soon and update the blog with its sea worthyness and performance. I hope this review has been helpful and informative in some sort of way and please feel free to leave your comments.

Cheers, Dave

The end

 for now.