New ride ready
 

Got the new "Dark Side Yak" rigged yesterday and took it out to LJ today for the shake down cruise. Hobie Revo 13. Everything worked perfect, just had to adjust the line for the steering when I got home because it had developed some play and made the steering very vague. All the new gear and attachments worked just as I wanted them to. The new Lowrance Elite 5TI worked awesome and I'm glad they didn't have the Elite 7TI in stock because I think on this boat it would have been too large and a bit in the way. The touch screen is sweet. The only thing I wish I had already installed were the turbo fins, I sure could have used the extra speed. They will be installed before the Islander 2.5 day San Clemente trip on Friday. It was just as stable out in LJ even after the winds kicked up, with all the gear and attachments, then it was in Mission Bay were I tested it out at OEX last Saturday with just the plain hull. Can't wait to catch some large quality fish on it. Thank You , Grant at OEX Mission Beach.

Congratulations, looks nice. If I was going to have only one Hobie for everything, especially surf, it would be the Revo 13.
How did you feel in the vantage chair?
I just picked up an Elite-7 TI, was thinking of picking up another for backup and the Revo 11, was pondering a 5" (Which ducer you using?). But,really, it's not a whole lot bigger than the 5", all your adding is that 2 inches to size which can make a big difference in viewing split screen. But, hey, fish finders don't catch fish.
Enjoy,

That sure is a cool ride!

Where is the kitchen sink?

Elite 5TI
 

Like to know how you set up your transducer,
The Elite 5TI has a HUGE transducer.

She's beauty. Congrats

Hi Chris, the sink is still at home. Yes, I took everything I would ever want to take so I could see how it handled it since the capacity rating is only 350 lbs, that is 100 lb less then my other kayaks. It was very stable, even when reaching all the way to the back while seating on the seat. I don't alway carry that many things, but I have learned how to better locate items. The only thing I wish I had been able to try out was the fish bag. I sure wanted to see how it would carry 1 or 2 30 lb Yellows. Maybe next trip. Ha Ha Ha

Yeah I would have liked the 7" model, but they would have needed to order it and I wanted it that day so I could finish all the installs. The only thing I see is if you used the Ram fish finder mount that is Lawrance Elite ready, which I used, the clamp section isn't as long as I would prefer in order to get the head a little further out of the way of the leg movement while pedaling. On other wider kayaks it would not be a problem. One can just get used to it being there, because it is only 1" wider on either side. Good luck on your set ups. Yeah, I found it to be an awesome kayak.

The basic Elite 5TI unit comes with the smaller transom mount transducer. I had to go back and drive to a different store and exchange the first unit I got was the one that had the total structure transducer and it is huge. The store manager at west marine goes, just screw is on to the bottom of your kayak. I go not likely, some time it gets dragged over things and that would not be good for that transducer. He had tried to hook me up with the smaller transducer that would have been covered by the rebate, but after getting home and trying to install the transducer I found the connector was not the same and din't work. So I took it back, tried to just get the basic 7" but no store had one in stock, so I drove the get the only 5" any West Marine in the area had in stock. The smaller transducer is called "Down Scan" .

That's a sweet looking ride.

Hope you got some money back, because that totalscan transducer goes for $300 solo. I don't understand why they didn't have the 9 pin Black HDI 83/200 ducer in stock. That's what you want, if your not going to use the totalscan. Otherwise you need an adapter chord for the 7" blue connector, runs about $50 just for that adapter. Some Hobies are hooking up the totalscan transducer. Since your lowrance ready, here is how they are doing it. Soon they will release the 50/200 HDI black 9pin ducer. I'm going to do a scupper mount with the totalscan on the TI. The totalscan transducer is what you want for the Elite Ti's

http://www.saltwaterkayakfisherman.c...ll-in-one.html

and the scupper, although I will use PVC.
http://www.theplastichull.net/2016/0...kayak-install/

My experience with the 7" models, they are bulky and not really necessary, put my Elite 7 Chirp on my boat and got a Elite 5 Chirp for the yak. Much nicer.

Thank you for clear out my temptation to upgrade to 7"...
5" is just fine ...

On Thanks for those links, I sure had thought about it but was more concerned about battery life than mounting option. I like the idea of the leading edge protector. It is definitely a large transducer. The store manager told me it is super on lakes for a very detailed view, but since I don't fish much in lakes I wasn't sure how much benefit it would be to me. At first the thought to keep it and use it on a boat when I get one. When I got the downscan version the savings was $200. I think, I might take this one back and get the downscan 7" in the next couple of weeks. I'm not sure why he didn't find the downscan transducer that had the correct connector and the 83/200 and 455/800. That is the transducer that comes on the one I got. Having both transducer and being able to move the head between my kayak and a boat would have been great.

It not only has to do with money, but your age, eyesight and distance of mounting location on your kayak. Mount it farther away and age over 40, then you NEED the 7". HA Ha Ha, I know!