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Old 12-11-2009, 10:05 PM   #7
dgax65
Guerro Grande
 
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Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 629
I added a nut protector/gimbal-type device to my hatch. It gives you a sturdy place to plant the rod butt on extended fights. The positioning on this one was a little off and it left the rod in a slightly awkward position. My next one will have an extension that will move it farther back towards me. On launch and landing I just turn the hatch around and its out of the way.



I make my own leashes.



I use hollow nylon strap (blue stuff on left), thin bungee cord (black) and brass snap hooks.



You cut the bungee cord about 50-70% the length of the strap (depends on the thickness and pliability of the strap). I unfold a coat hanger, bend back an inch at one end of the hanger, slip it through the strap, double the bungee around the hook and pull it back through. You gather the strap onto the bungee and secure both ends. The strap end is fed through the swivel of the snap hook, folded over onto itself, and sewn into place with nylon thread. It takes a little time and you need to have good sewing needles (upholstery or leather needles work well). I have been able to knock out five or six in an evening

I use SS rings (split or solid) as the leash attachment point for my rods. They are held on with big, UV resistant zip ties.



If you run electrical wires or cables the length of your yak, you might want to route them along the underside of the deck, to keep the bottom of the yak clear for rod storage. I used short sections of aluminum angle or C channel attached to the underside of the deck.



The aluminum channel also served as a backer for the RAM tube rod holders mounted on the deck above. This provided greater strength for the RAM mount and also gave me an attachment point for cable routing. I riveted nylon cable hangers to the lips on the C channel. For easy wiring changes, you should cut the nylon cable hangers at the base of the loop. It will hold the wires securely, but you can still bend it back and pull them out.

The rigors of use in a kayak can cause battery terminals to fail. They are prone to corrosion and repeatedly connecting and disconnecting can put a lot of mechanical strain on them. To avoid this, I permanently attach a wire harness to the battery.



I use waterproof trailer plugs like these



I crimp terminal lugs to one end and then attach them to the battery. Once attached, the terminals and lugs are heavily coated with dielectric grease and then taped over with electrical tape. The harness never comes off the battery after that. The other side of the plug is attached to the buss bars for the electrical distribution system. The plugs are much more durable than the battery terminals. My battery charger has a similar plug attached to the leads. This allows me to easily pull the battery and hook it up to the charger.
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