Fitting out for fishing?

[goanywhere]

Now I know this will stir up a hornets nest of ideas, but there are some key things I would like to have in my yak (that's why I'm building in the first place).

Firstly, I think that the storage area behind the cockpit in either the sabalo or wadefish would be ideal as a fish keeper 'tank'. How can that be made to not only be water tight but I would ideally like to be able to keep a slurry of ice water in there and keep it cold for as long as possible, so some insulation would be in order. I was thinking of a 'sandwich' of styrene foam or similar, between two layers of ply, or finding a readymade icebox of the right size and fitting it into that area. The first option may be the most cost effective but can it be made to endure years of fishing without leaking?

Secondly, I like what some builders do with installing small tackle boxes in the cockpit floor for easy access. I would like to look into how I could fit one or two of these in the floor.

And then there's the issue of mounting fish finders and GPS units etc., so I was thinking of a console type platform in the cockpit up forward as well.

Finally, just to make this fun, I intend to sail my yak as I do my current one. So I need to fit a mast step - probably an aluminium tube - up forward, probably half way from the bow to the cockpit front. I was thinking of fitting a wooden block on the bottom of the hull with a circle cut-out the diameter of the mast step, and another on the deck, both butted up against a bulk-head in that vicinity.

Other than these, I will need a rudder and mountings for outriggers, although I should be able to handle those without much problem.

Your thoughts?

[jem]

You could make an integrated cooler. Instead of tankwell, fit some blue insulation foam into the aft area behind the cockpit. Then a few layers of fiberglass over that. If you need help with cutting the insulation to size, let me know and I can help.

I think you'd be happy with a removable cooler, though. Easy to clean out and you can have one for fish and maybe another for when you want to bring beverages instead.

For fitting the tackle boxes, just a matter of tracing the outline and cutting the deck to fit. I'd play with scrap wood and make a "test" floor before permanently installing.

As far as the mast step, it sounds like you have it worked out in your head already. Just think it through one step at a time.

Start simple, and then add on.