As part of preparations for kayak fishing I needed to correct some problems we had last fall. My wife and I both had trouble with the hem of our shorts getting caught on a bungee cord hook on the side of our WS Tarpons. When we tried to swing our legs outboard and slide over the side, the shorts caught and made egress difficult and a bit comedic. It worked better than a circle hook.
We decided that the hook had to go, as well as the bungee cord. Since we get in and out on the port side, just like a car, we're not using the bungee to hold the paddle or a fishing rod. I did want to keep the webbing strap so we can hook the seat-back to it during transport.
The second problem was to do with the old style Tupperware hatch covers. We had the cover come off at highway speed and pound on the car roof. This becomes a major problem when you're cruising along, mind wandering, oblivious to everything; then the world starts coming apart. These hatch covers are heavy rubber and tethered to the kayak with nylon cord so they start flapping and pounding on the roof...BAM, BAM, BAM! The bad part is that I made sure they were on right, but something loosened them up just enough to release them. Highway vibrations, wind, who knows? WS fixed this problem in later models but doesn't have an aftermarket fix.
To ensure this won't happen again I installed straps with #10 screws, fender washers and self locking nuts (all Stainless). The straps have quick release buckles to get them out of the way when we need access. The straps press down on the hatch covers and don't allow the covers any room to vibrate.
I thought others might be interested and have similar problems. There are a lot of these older Tarpons out there. I couldn't resist adding a picture of one of the Tarpons being used.
IMG_0059.jpgIMG_0060.jpgDSCF8264.jpg
We decided that the hook had to go, as well as the bungee cord. Since we get in and out on the port side, just like a car, we're not using the bungee to hold the paddle or a fishing rod. I did want to keep the webbing strap so we can hook the seat-back to it during transport.
The second problem was to do with the old style Tupperware hatch covers. We had the cover come off at highway speed and pound on the car roof. This becomes a major problem when you're cruising along, mind wandering, oblivious to everything; then the world starts coming apart. These hatch covers are heavy rubber and tethered to the kayak with nylon cord so they start flapping and pounding on the roof...BAM, BAM, BAM! The bad part is that I made sure they were on right, but something loosened them up just enough to release them. Highway vibrations, wind, who knows? WS fixed this problem in later models but doesn't have an aftermarket fix.
To ensure this won't happen again I installed straps with #10 screws, fender washers and self locking nuts (all Stainless). The straps have quick release buckles to get them out of the way when we need access. The straps press down on the hatch covers and don't allow the covers any room to vibrate.
I thought others might be interested and have similar problems. There are a lot of these older Tarpons out there. I couldn't resist adding a picture of one of the Tarpons being used.
IMG_0059.jpgIMG_0060.jpgDSCF8264.jpg