My first attempt at outriggers - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Fiskadoro · 01-12-2010, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by senojmj

That is good to know. I always wondered how outrigger canoes worked and didn't tip on the side without the outrigger. I haven't tried using a heat gun on pvc. Can you just bend it once heated? Any ideas how to get both poles to have the curvature? I think I will have to practice a bit. Thanks for the feedback!

I was thinking that was black ABS, but both will bend.

What you want to do is get it on a clean surface and roll it back and forth while moving the gun up an down the length of it. The idea is to get it all hot evenly and then when it gets flexible make one bend full length one time.

Wear gloves as it's hot.

To make the second one the same: lay the first on down next to the second one right when you get it ready to bend and use it as a pattern, or just cut an exact pattern of the bend out of cardboard, don't use it as a form but more of a guideline.

Jim

senojmj · 01-12-2010, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Day

I was thinking that was black ABS, but both will bend.

What you want to do is get it on a clean surface and roll it back and forth while moving the gun up an down the length of it. The idea is to get it all hot evenly and then when it gets flexible make one bend full length one time.

Wear gloves as it's hot.

To make the second one the same: lay the first on down next to the second one right when you get it ready to bend and use it as a pattern, or just cut an exact pattern of the bend out of cardboard, don't use it as a form but more of a guideline.

Jim

It is ABS, but I thought they would both behave in the same way. I think I got some spare abs that I will practice with. Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

YAKGEAR · 02-03-2011, 07:48 PM

I will take your attempt at building your own Outriggers as the sincerest form of flattery. I thought I would help you through a couple of your rough spots. First of all, cut the pvc that is coming out of your floats so that it is even with the end of the bullet nose of your floats. Pick up some 1/2 inch PVC caps and cap off the ends. Water moving into the open ends will create drag. To get a correct feel for the length of the arms you want, put your kayak on the ground instead of on milk crates. Lower your arms so the floats are touching the ground. This will give you the same feel as when they are in the water. You want to use the top of the deck mount and not the side. The top gives you a lot more adjustments. Lastly, the longer the arms stretch out, the more you hinder your turning radius. I recommend you cut your arms to no more than 40 inches. The Outriggers that we sell, have 30 inch arms. That length was decided on after many people used them and I listened to their recommendations. If you have any questions, I am always glade to help. Email me at bbragman@yak-gear.com

Kaijuu · 02-04-2011, 05:30 AM

If you dont feel comfortable trying to heat and bend the ABS, Just use a 45* or 90* elbo. Cut glue. Makes it easy to pair up both sides.

You can experiment with different lengths for main and down tubes before gluing.

Just a thought.

dsafety · 02-04-2011, 06:57 AM

I have some experience with using the various ells that are available for ABS pipes to make curves. You can see the results in the ajustbable rod holder shown in the photos below.

Pieces.jpg

Outboard-close.jpg

If I were building something like this, I would position a 90 degree ell close to the scotty rod holder and build off of that. This would start the curve process and reduce the center of gravity. From there you could use some of the other angle ells to position the pontoons where you want them to be.

Heating the PVC to make it curve is another option but in my experience getting the pipe hot enough to work with, is a bit of an art. It is really easy to overheat the pipe and cause it to start to bubble. I also suspect that PVC which has been heated and cooled a couple of times becomes more brittle than unheated material.

Once you get the design down, consider mounting one pontoon on the stern and the other at the bow. It might look lame but I bet you would get maximum stability out of that setup.

Bob

02-03-2011, 07:48 PM	#3
YAKGEAR Junior Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 1	Outriggers I will take your attempt at building your own Outriggers as the sincerest form of flattery. I thought I would help you through a couple of your rough spots. First of all, cut the pvc that is coming out of your floats so that it is even with the end of the bullet nose of your floats. Pick up some 1/2 inch PVC caps and cap off the ends. Water moving into the open ends will create drag. To get a correct feel for the length of the arms you want, put your kayak on the ground instead of on milk crates. Lower your arms so the floats are touching the ground. This will give you the same feel as when they are in the water. You want to use the top of the deck mount and not the side. The top gives you a lot more adjustments. Lastly, the longer the arms stretch out, the more you hinder your turning radius. I recommend you cut your arms to no more than 40 inches. The Outriggers that we sell, have 30 inch arms. That length was decided on after many people used them and I listened to their recommendations. If you have any questions, I am always glade to help. Email me at bbragman@yak-gear.com

02-04-2011, 05:30 AM	#4
Kaijuu "Floater" Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: so cal Posts: 164	An option to heat If you dont feel comfortable trying to heat and bend the ABS, Just use a 45* or 90* elbo. Cut glue. Makes it easy to pair up both sides. You can experiment with different lengths for main and down tubes before gluing. Just a thought.

02-04-2011, 06:57 AM	#5
dsafety Olivenhain Bob Join Date: May 2008 Location: Olivenhain, CA Posts: 1,122	I have some experience with using the various ells that are available for ABS pipes to make curves. You can see the results in the ajustbable rod holder shown in the photos below. Pieces.jpg Outboard-close.jpg If I were building something like this, I would position a 90 degree ell close to the scotty rod holder and build off of that. This would start the curve process and reduce the center of gravity. From there you could use some of the other angle ells to position the pontoons where you want them to be. Heating the PVC to make it curve is another option but in my experience getting the pipe hot enough to work with, is a bit of an art. It is really easy to overheat the pipe and cause it to start to bubble. I also suspect that PVC which has been heated and cooled a couple of times becomes more brittle than unheated material. Once you get the design down, consider mounting one pontoon on the stern and the other at the bow. It might look lame but I bet you would get maximum stability out of that setup. Bob