Sabalo

surfman · Post by **surfman** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:15 am

Thanks for the link Jack, that search came up with Bay City Plywood. I wouldn't have thought of them as I would have associated them more with building supplies. I will have to check it out.

paddling4sharks · Post by **paddling4sharks** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:16 am

....you've been great. Now I sit back, plan in my head and wait for the release.

(......visions of Sugar Plums dance in his head.)

Kayak Jack · Post by **Kayak Jack** » Sun Jun 18, 2006 9:17 am

It works sometimes. However, I've also been disappointed when I actually walked into the store a time or two. But, it's better than nothing.

paddling4sharks · Post by **paddling4sharks** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:01 pm

Mornin';

What happened to the load cap? "HairyMick", how close is the Reccommended Weight Capacity. 300 lb. it's kinda on the light end. I don't like going above 2/3's of the reccomended Wt. Cap. At the 300lb, I'd like to stay at 200lb. I might have to opt for the Sabalo, just for the wt cap. (375lb, I'd feel good with 250 lbs of me & stuff) With the 10" sides and 300 lb. cap., more wt. the boat would sit lower in the water. Sounds like a "Wet Ride". What's your input?

hairymick · Post by **hairymick** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 7:23 am

Hi Paddling4sharks,

Mate, I will be paddling and fishing this boat in the allmost- tropics. I will be doing serious surf entries and exits and would be getting wet in any kayak. A wet ride is of no concern to me. Having said that, I dont believe this boat will be a wet ride. The fine entry and raised foredeck should eliminate all but the worst waves coming over the bow. I am hoping to achieve a fishing boat with very good hull performance in rough water. 300 pounds is not the boats maximum load capacity however.

157kilograms or around 345 pounds total weight will float the boat with about 1 inch of boat above water at the top of the scuppers (I think). I deliberately wanted a boat that would sit low in the water with as little as possible above the waterline to reduce wind signature and to make it easier paddling when punching a strong headwind.

I think the Sabalo is an exceptional boat and may well suit your purposes better. Only you know the conditions in which you plan to use her. If I hadn't had the opportunity to have some input into the design of the Wadefish II so that it more accurately met my particular needs and whims, the Sabalo would have been my choice. She is based on the well proven Tarpon 160 - itself a fine boat, but I wanted something more.

I believe Matt has delivered in this regard.

Hope this helps a bit mate.

Regards,

Mick

Post by **jem** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:29 pm

paddling4sharks wrote:Mornin';
What happened to the load cap? "HairyMick", how close is the Reccommended Weight Capacity. 300 lb. it's kinda on the light end. I don't like going above 2/3's of the reccomended Wt. Cap. At the 300lb, I'd like to stay at 200lb. I might have to opt for the Sabalo, just for the wt cap. (375lb, I'd feel good with 250 lbs of me & stuff) With the 10" sides and 300 lb. cap., more wt. the boat would sit lower in the water. Sounds like a "Wet Ride". What's your input?

300 pounds on board plus the estimated hull weight (under 50 pounds if built skillfully) will put the waterling just a hair above the top of the cockpit scupper.

It could handle 350-375 but it would be a mighty sloppy ride. I thought about raising the scupper height but that would mean raising the seat height and making it feel less stable.

I'm pretty I'll requests for a slightly wider, longer, and perhaps deeper version of the current Wadefish. But I have lots of designs backed up at the moment.

paddling4sharks · Post by **paddling4sharks** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 5:02 pm

Mornin';
Thanks JEM and "HairyMick", that answered my question. We use the Yaks in really nasty open water to get to the flats. I haven't launched from a beach yet (no need to here). But, I've spent whole days out with water comin' over my Cheseapeake 18, RedFish and Cobra FnD. I love The CH18 for tourin' and campin', but she's not that good for fishin'. FND is the Cargo Liner, and currently the RedFish is my quick boat. Really lookin' forward to this "WadeFish". On the other hand..... Now it seems, I might be building more then one. I've got a friend who has fallen for it too(he's a 160i owner, and has used the Dorado...He loves the looks and specs of this kayak).

Scott Thornley · Post by **Scott Thornley** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 5:56 pm

I've just purchased the plans for a <Slang for short African><Duck native to the West Coast of North America>, that I'll convert to SOT for chasing Salmon here off the west coast. 24" beam boats may seem skinny to some, but I've been paddling for a long time, in much narrower boats, so this seems a good compromise.

It's a shame that the Wadefish plans weren't out a month ago, as I'd have just stretched them a foot , maybe a foot and a half to get the WL length that I'm looking for. Probably a simpler task than adapting the {other kayak comapny's boat}.

The major kayak manufacturers are putting all their resources into boats for big newbie kayak fishermen. The Prowler Big Game, and Marauder are cases in point. Experienced kayak fishermen under 200 pounds that hit nasty water are trying to get by with Scupper Pros and Tarpon 160s. Or laying down the bucks for the Dorado.

Make the 17' plans. Cut the beam to 25" to decrease wetted surface area and keeping the stability the same as the 15' x 26" boat, if not more. Maybe just a tad bit more rocker, so that tracking stiffness is about the same as the 15' boat. And call it good

If anyone asks me about boat plans for Northern West Coast fishing kayaks, I'll be sure to point them to to the Wadefish.

Regards,
Scott

hairymick · Post by **hairymick** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:22 pm

G'day Scott,

Thanks mate, you have echoed my thoughts on the current trends in off the shelf fishing SOTs allmost exactly

.

I believe this boat will be ideal for a reasonably experienced paddler who is looking for more from a fishing kayak than immense initial stability and load carrying capacity.

A question, if I may. Why do you think so many kayak fishermen are so obsessed with a dry ride? It makes little sense to me when it is obtained at the expense of the boats performance. If being dry is so important, surely there is suitable clothing available.

It is not an issue for me because I paddle warm water and delight in getting wet. I can only guess at the conditions you guys paddle in.

Good luck with modifying your SIK mate. Would be very interested to see progress pics.

Oldsparkey · Post by **Oldsparkey** » Fri Jun 23, 2006 6:43 pm

Scott

I built the {edited} , and have paddled it on many camping trips, it is one sweet kayak, fast, light and will take all of my stuff for a week or more so don't be discouraged about getting the {edited}.

There should be a warning here but we can forgo that as you will find out ..if you haven't already. After the {edited} is made and you are using it then there is a good chance you will be building another boat for your use. Trust me on that ..... I have built 7 more boats after I made the {edited}.

A paddler can never have to many boats and Matt is always designing something new for us to build and enjoy. You might say that it just gets better every day , especially if you like wood boats.

Chuck.

JEM Watercraft

Sabalo

Thanks Guys;