Just bought a new boat

Well, my boat is in pieces scattered all the over the yard. The 18 Fish is a hopeless case. I have considered buying another hull to rig out but then I end up with yet another boat in the yard. So today I went down and dropped the down payment on a new boat. She is four feet shorter than the V20 and light. I bought her as a dealer demo so she has some scratches. Supposed to be one of the best hulls in her class. Took her for a test ride today and she is fast but a little hard to turn. Power is a little sketchy. I have never paddled a kayak before so I got some learning to do. Should have my 2010 Wilderness Systems Tarpon 160 home by the end of the month!
It was killing me having no way to fish. This seems to be the most affordable option while I work on the V.
 
Congrats Jason. Best of luck with it. Get and wear a PFD made for canoes and kayaks. They have larger holes in the arm area so it makes paddling easier. Spares right on the Bud light, but if you want more power go with the higher octane Sam Adams.:beer:
 
I am jittery enough with just the kayak. Let alone bringing some BUD. Destroyer I plan on wearing my inflateable like jacket. I wear it on the V and this is no different.
 
congrats on your new wessel.....

may I suggest the name MIYOTT...

"I'm sorry Janet, I can't really talk right now. I've gone out on MIYOTT for a couple of hours but I promise I'll call you when I get back."
 
Congrats Jason, looked at them at the sportsman show here in Jersey yesterday. I think that is so cool, great way to fish.
 
You'll have a blast with that thing. The Tarpon is a good boat too.
I've had three nice fishing kayaks from a LiquidLogic Manta Ray, Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident and then the Hobie Pro Angler. It's a great way to catch fish and very addictive. You might find yourself using the kayak more than the boats.
Enjoy and be safe. If you have any questions about rigging, I'll be glad to pass on what I learned over the years.
 
Thanks for the input. So far I plan to mount a Lowrance Elite 4 DSI on the slidetrax dashboard with a tranducer mounting arm. Wont drill any holes until I am for sure on my mount, I do plan to have a rudder installed as well as a couple flush mount rod holders behind the seat. Maybe two scotty rod holders in front of me. Once I get it paid off I plan to take it to the beach and build some confidence in it. Flip it and work on getting back in it etc. My bigger fear is that I may have bought the wrong boat for a beginner, at 28" wide. But I have never been on a yak so maybe its part of the learning curve.
 
Man Wish I knew. I got one for sale thats rigged to the max!!! What did you end up gettin it for if you dont mind me askin????
 
28" wide is fine. You'll be surprised at how stable it is once you get used to it and build confidence.
Take your time on the rigging. Use it for a while and decide what will work best for you. One Scotty mount in front is fine. You get too much gear on there and it becomes a Chinese fire drill in short order when you get a decent fish on.
I used to go out loaded for bear, but soon learned less is more. Two rods and species specific tackle, a couple other goodies and you're good to go.
 
I have a buddy of mine that speckle trout and puppy drum fishes from a kayak. He loves it and he also wears the fishes @sses out on it!!
 
I paid $657 for it as a dealer demo. One of the orbix hatches is a little sun faded and some paint is missing on the slidetrax rails.

Thank god!!! I was hopin you didnt say $1000+. Im askin for 1k for mine but as I mentioned before its loaded. Garmin, livewell and rudder and its a fishin macheen!!!!

Let me know if you need some tips for riggin it. I have a cool way of mounting the transducer......
 
Ssiredfish does your 160 have a rear tankwell or the closed compartment? How did you mount your transducer? The dsi transducer must be mounted outside the hull. Once I looked at the 160 and got the price I pretty much said I will take it. I was planning to add a livewell but will try a floating bait bucket for now. All I will have for bait is a few dozen shrimp. Once I get into offshore I will rig a larger livewell for pinfish. My main target now is Sheepshead. So two small spinning reels. And a big reel for a flat line. I see my problem being tackle. I like to be ready for anything and I have a duffel bag with five big plano boxes full of pre made leaders, hooks, mono and flouro leader of all sizes, etc. I have been looking at tackle bags with the slide out plano boxes. It seems like a good way to limit and organize tackle. But on a yak I doubt I will need 130 lb leader. :haha: Is a Penn Torque overkill for a yak? Its the reel I use on the boat all the time. What about fish storage and drinks? Cooler or fish bag?
 
Well things changed. I am not getting the 160 Tarpon. I am getting a 2013 Native Mariner 12.5 Propel. I spent four hours on it on mlk day and fell in love with it. The seat alone made it worth the purchase. We went fishing Saturday and I tried out a Native Slayer. I just do not like having my hands tied up with a paddle. I decided on a Lime Mariner. So now for a name. What goes good with Lime?
 
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