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Revolution, Reloaded

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Friday, 13 July 2007

'Ouroboros' Hobie Revolution, fully rigged and ready to roll.

The fish in that tank have anxiety issues

With the benefit of hindsight now on my side (having owned several kayaks in my time), I approached the outfitting of my new Hobie Revolution with a lot of deliberation. This included taking it inside the house, sitting in it, staring at it and posing a bunch of hypothetical questions to myself. Exactly where do I want the sounder rigged up? Where should the display, battery and transducer go? Where is the optimal position to secure extra rod holders? How am I going to carry essentials such as snacks, first aid, lighting and tackle? And how would I secure it all from getting wet or lost at sea?

In asking these questions I probably eliminated a lot of what may otherwise have been critical errors of judgement. Perhaps the biggest mistake I made with my Hobie Outback was the positioning of the Scotty rod holders - right where they'd impede on a pedal and paddle stroke when positioned in an optimal trolling configuration. Doh! It didn't bother me much to be honest, but in the long term it would, most certainly. It can be bothersome to adjust rod holder positions just so you can get moving again.

Instead of Scotty rod holders I opted for RAM tube rod holders this time. These durable devices hold the reels higher from the waterline and are nice and simple to operate (simpler than the Scotty’s). They are positioned about even with the forward pedal stroke, but because of their shape and height, are well clear of the pedals range of motion and don't get in the way at all. They are much further forward than my Outback rod holders were but I can still reach them pretty easily. The bases only just fit into the position where I wanted them, but fit they did. Attached to each tube is a coiled rod leash for those precarious surf launches, which clip to the rods by way of a quick-release fastex buckle.

RAM mount tube fishing rod holders - perfect

I'd used a fully external PVC pipe mounted system for my Garmin sounder on the Outback, although it to stood in the way of a comfortable paddle stroke - both the transducer mount and LCD display. To avoid that I took a lesson from AKFF member Hoit's book here, mounting the display onto 20mm PVC pipe, gluing it to the base of the mount with epoxy. The PVC pipe slides neatly into the sail shaft - well clear of pedals and paddle. This is about as ideal as sounder positioning gets.

Sounder mounted just like a bought one

I was really pleased to note that the forward hatch of the Revo allows for cords to run in and out of it without actually affecting its function whatsoever. The top of the seal is actually really very soft and spongy, making a nice cushion for the sounder transducer and display cords to cradle into when the hatch is shut. These run through into the battery, which is safely stored in a sealed plastic box in the forward hatch. I wasn't expecting that part to be so easy. I'm glad it was, because it meant I didn't have to whip out the wire cutters and soldering iron and get creative.

Large forward hatch perfect for battery placement

The drill did get a dust-down for my transducer mount solution, which I think is going to work pretty well. Essentially what I have done here is mount the transducer to the rear of the hull (half a foot away from the rudder) by way of a thick webbing tie-down strap. I butchered a Hobie tie-down strap for this, because they grip tightly and are easy to use. To help keep the strap and transducer in position, I added a couple of marine-grade stainless d-rings for the webbing to feed through at the sides. With the strap pulled tightly the transducer holds firm. It's quick and easy to remove, which is exactly what I wanted.

Rear transducer webbing mount

I wanted to avoid overloading the topside of my kayak without compromising on my ability to carry as much tackle as I'd need in any situation, plus have room spare for camping gear if need be. The Revolution has less room to move than an Outback, so real estate is a premium. That said I was able to greatly improve on moving room by rethinking gear and tackle storage a bit, making better use of Hobie storage accessories this time around.

Rear hatch tackle tray used for first aid kit storage

Unlike previously, I separated all of my tackle from my lighting gear from my safety gear. The rounded tackle trays supplied with Hobie fishing kayaks proved invaluable here. My first aid kit was arranged in one and placed at the back hatch (which I really like, due to it's downward sloping angle). Lighting equipment was placed into another (with room to spare for snacks) and positioned in the centre hatch. Everything stored in these trays is secured in plastic sandwich bags just in case.

Drivers seat with plenty of room to move

All of my tackle goes into the Plano Flipsider tackle box, which sits very neatly in the rear well. Items that I'm most likely to use are placed in the top flip lip for easy access and tackle being carried 'just in case' goes into the larger main compartment.

With my new low-tech rear fishing rod holders attached to the wheel cart I have up to 6 positions to hold rods or a net. Generally speaking I typically fish with either one or two rods (to be used in the forward RAM tube holders when in use) and keep the others stored in any one of the rear holders until needed. I still have quite a bit of internal storage room. I haven't yet tried shoving my camping kit into waterproof stuff sacks and into the hull but I'm confident it'll all fit nicely.

Wheel cart fishing rod holders

Only one thing left to do, which is to take it for a test run. This Sunday is looking good to me. Oh, and yes I have named it: 'Ouroboros'. Whats that name all about? I'll spill the beans on that one another night.