Sweetwater Fishing Forums
Special Interest => Kayak & Canoe Chat => Topic started by: Bracey on May 22, 2011, 07:28:16 PM
-
Well after spending the whole day in the shed, I thought I’d show you the progress of how my Perception Acadia is coming along.
Since I bought the kayak second hand and it had seen some rusty water in its time, I striped it bare and replaced all the stainless steel bolts screws and washers with new ones and treated the moulded brass threads with lanolin. New handles were added also with a couple of rod holders for trolling and a Ram Mount ball for my HDS 5 Fish Finder in which a large aluminium plate was installed underneath for extra strength.
The Installation of the transducer was next in which a PVC angle bracket was installed behind the seat to take the transducer bracket which was probably not needed but it should provide extra strength and it certainly made life easy placing the transducer into place. After giving the transducer and the hull a bit of a scratch with some sandpaper, I made up the housing or well for the Sikaflex out of 12mm x 12mm PVC angle. Masking tape was applied for easy clean up and to hold everything into place, the transducer was attached to the bracket and the well was filled with Sikaflex, being sure to keep the wide cut nozzle close to the hull preventing air bubbles in the Sikaflex. I then pushed the transducer into position and tightened to prevent movement and used a small scrapper to clean up the excess.
Next was the wiring which was the easy part, just hoping now that it all sets well and gives me a true signal.
I’ll post up more pictures of the final product next week when I have the Fish Finder mounted.
Cheers Dave
-
very neat looking job there Dave. Dunno if the rest of us want you posting up any more pics of your work. Might give people the idea some of the rest of us are a little rough in our approach ;D
-
very neat looking job there Dave. Dunno if the rest of us want you posting up any more pics of your work. Might give people the idea some of the rest of us are a little rough in our approach ;D
Thanks Andrew!
In the end if it does the job, that's all that matters. For me I still take the approach from my boss many moons ago when doing my apprenticeship in which work approach and methods have been instilled in me and hard to shake.
I wanted to it to look reasonably good as it will be seen.........well by me anyhow. If it was inside a hatch it may have looked uglier.
Cheers Dave
-
She looks good Dave
Dont you just love cutting holes in plastic. I know I do
Keep the pics coming mate.
-
Steve, you should have seen me before I cut the holes.
One reason I sat the yak on the hay bales was that I could sit in there and position the rod holders as close as possible to my seated position without knocking my elbows on the rods........ well soon to be rods anyhow. I had one of my young fella's hold the rod holder in place after I marked it's approximate position and tape a rake to it resembling a fishing rod, while I did a dry run using a straw broom as a paddle.
He thought I was nuts, piss'in himself laughing and said, "Only if Mum could see you now." in which I replied "Don't matter mate, she already knows I'm one beer short of a six pack!"
-
Went down to shed tonight to see how the transducer mount is setting and wanting to take the masking tape off before the Sikaflex sets stead fast.
Letting the Ram Mount to also set overnight after gluing part of the large aluminium bracket to the under side of the mount, I was keen to see how the HDS would sit on the yak.
All that is needed now is to cable tie all the wiring together and take it on it's maiden voyage.
Cheers Dave
-
A great Job Dave. When are you going to test it on water?
Cheers,
fitz..
-
I'll give it a full week to cure mate, so more than likely next weekend in readiness for the stocking workshop weekend in June.
Looking forward to that weekend!
Dave
-
Top job Dave :youbeauty
-
Thanks for your kind words everyone, I need some more advice as I had thoughts of cable tying the fish finders cabling to the rim of the cockpit. Will this weaken it's structure or do you have any other ideas.
Thanks Dave
-
You thinking of drilling holes in the rim and cables underneath?
Never had a sit in mate so really cant comment. Fitz would be your man.
Me, turn her upside down and get that sikka in there for them mate.
-
Cheers Steve, thinking of underneath that rim drilling holes???
-
Flip it up on its side & Sikaflex / Fixteck them under the inner side of the rim. Nice, neat, unseen, out of the way & easy tp pull out if you want to.
fitz..
-
Flip it up on its side & Sikaflex / Fixteck them under the inner side of the rim. Nice, neat, unseen, out of the way & easy tp pull out if you want to.
fitz..
:thanks