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North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:16 pm
by ebenton99
SOT kayaks are supposed to the standard for fishing. but I live in New England, where the water is cold. So what about the North Wind decked canoe, thoughts please. Thank-you
Ed

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:35 pm
by tx river rat
I am not a fan of sot, and am a big fan of the Northwind, We fish from them all the time handles lakes as well as rivers ,dry smooth easy ride.
Ron
If you paddle with folks that are in sot you will have to paddle slow :lol:

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:23 pm
by Tor
I built a Southwind (can't remember now why I chose the south over the North) and use it for fishing almost exclusively.

first modification I made was to put bulkheads under the decks for floatation, if you get swamped or go for a swim it's immposiible to get back in without assistance :oops: :oops:

I now have to get brave to put hatches in the deck if I want to use the storage under there.

Second modification is under way which entails modifying the coaming to install flush rod holder mounts, if building again I'd widen the cockpit "deck" to make this easier and beef up the area too.

But it's a stable yak which I use in the bays around Melbourne.

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:04 pm
by ebenton99
Does anyone know if the Northwind design has bulkheads? Tor can you elaborate about getting into the Southwind without assistance, such as totally impossible to reboard or reboard while swamped?
Thanks Ed

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:20 pm
by rodot
I am building mine without bulkheads and it sure will be used for fishing. I'm with Ron in not being a big fan of SOTs although I own a plastic one. The trouble I see is that you have to sit higher to maintain the same stability so the boat has to be wider. They are also heavier. Having said that I can see many advantages and this subject could probably end up in a heated debate. I guess it really is a case of horses for courses.

Roger

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:31 pm
by tx river rat
Mine has bulkheads , a seven foot cockpit hatches .
This boat is stable I sit 11 inches from the floor, that is more than the height most sot sit.
I like the long cockpit and sealed bulkhead configuration , it is very comfortable and a dry ride.
Ron

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:57 pm
by rodot
The only reason why I am not fitting bulkheads is that, if I occassionaly take a passenger, they can stretch thier legs out under the deck. Otherwise I too would have bulkheads. they would more easily solve the flotation problem.

Roger

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 7:30 am
by goanywhere
If you intend to do any fishing in the brine other than estuaries, definitely a SOT is the way to go. If you are a mile out to sea and capsize you want a boat you can climb aboard, even if it's rough. Believe me, one day this will happen, and you don't want to be faced with a 2km swim! :shock: However, for queter waters a sit-in is preferable if it's cold. There are some quite stable sit-ins that can be fitted out for fishing nicely, and JEM have a few that fit the bill.

For me the Sabalo is my choice. I intend to fish and sail in it and I can fit it out to be a very feature-filled boat that will beat any plastic on the market (IMO).

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:38 am
by tx river rat
Deep water reentry is completely possible with a sit in side. I have even done it with wadders on. The longer the boat is in my case the easier it is to get back in, the worse boat I ever tried it on was a small 9.5 ft sit with no bulkheads. Anyone that uses a yak needs to practice this in shallow water with a buddy around.
Bulkheads in a Northwind if I wanted to tandem at times would still be included in my build for several reasons , flotation, dry storage, stiffness of the hull. I have paddled tandem in my NW and it is a little tight with double paddles , with single blades and a rudder I think it would be fine. If I was going to make a dedicated tandem , it would have a four foot covered deck in the back with bulkheads , a 2 foot spacing on my front bulkhead with a 4 ft deck so the front paddler can have two foot to set there feet under the deck, the hull gets so narrow on the end you waste that front two feet anyway might as well use it for storage and flotation
Ron

Re: North Wind for Fishing?

Posted: Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:34 pm
by Earvin
If you will be venturing out on the ocean, you should always paddle with someone else, assisted rescuses are much easier than solo. It would also be a good idea to practice assisted rescues with your mates so you know what you are doing. If the sea is lumpy it can be tricky getting back in at times. The decked canoes will need bulkheads to minimise the amount of water in the cockpit, and then you have to get the water out - if you fell out because of rough water then it will be difficult to do this unless you have a handsfree system such as a hand pump or electric pump. You would also want to know how your boat handles with a cockpit full of water, it will usually be less stable especially in lumpy conditions.

A SOT is going to be much easier as it is self bailing. It will also be much easier to re-enter solo, as it won't have water in it to make it less stable.

If I was going to be fishing on the ocean I would be using a SOT.