Flotation in new ski's-your thoughts
- Thread starter Itchy & Scratchy
- Start date
Hello Vis, not critisizing any kayaks either, yes i dont enter the water through a lot of surf and have had only limited experience breaking through waves and having to surf on the return. I am only giving an opinion of my experience and observations of ski fishing here in Cape Town. Floatation is an important aspect for me as it is aids in my safety should something go wrong. Closed cell foam glued to the hull throughout is in my opinion the best way to go. The hull design and weight? Well once again just an opinion given of my experiences, nothing to do with any specific ski. Had a look at the orca online as the name here in cape town is not known, it looks like a great ski. So guys heres to good weather and awsome fishing. John
Hi JPFish - with regard to the Mac Explorer you mentioned, and buoyancy, they have none whatsoever. When i still had mine, i stuffed 3 or 4 pool noodles down each side for a bit of floatation and peace of mind. I got them in through the back hatch and over the gap at the top of the rear bulkhead.
cheers F
cheers F
Itchy & Scratchy
New member
Nice to meet you guys today Fred, many thanks for the input on the ski. All comments noted
J
J
Vis Burger
New member
Hi John !
All good ! im actually waiting for Justin t com ad dmo his boats in Knysna so i can represent the brand here .
As for flotation i agree 100% the more the better !
Quote : Fishing is a jerk at one end of a line ,waiting for a jerk on the other end !!
Regards
Vis
All good ! im actually waiting for Justin t com ad dmo his boats in Knysna so i can represent the brand here .
As for flotation i agree 100% the more the better !
Quote : Fishing is a jerk at one end of a line ,waiting for a jerk on the other end !!
Regards
Vis
YELLOWTAILER
New member
This topic has been lying dormant for a while now.
I work on fishing skis and found that some big manufacturers such as stealth have only two small loose pieces of polystyrene under the footwell area. I dare someone to cut open a ski and prove me wrong. Found this in the supalite, bfs and evolution. There is absolutely nothing in the back. How do I know this ? I often cut the back open to fit a hatch cover to put transducers in the hull. Pinnacle on the other hand has very big polystyrene blocks glued between the hull and deck in the rear as well as in the sides, so much so that its impossible to even run wires down the sides of the fish hatch.
I will be involved with the manufacturing of the Sea wolf fishing kayak ( previously known as orca ) in the near future.
I work on fishing skis and found that some big manufacturers such as stealth have only two small loose pieces of polystyrene under the footwell area. I dare someone to cut open a ski and prove me wrong. Found this in the supalite, bfs and evolution. There is absolutely nothing in the back. How do I know this ? I often cut the back open to fit a hatch cover to put transducers in the hull. Pinnacle on the other hand has very big polystyrene blocks glued between the hull and deck in the rear as well as in the sides, so much so that its impossible to even run wires down the sides of the fish hatch.
I will be involved with the manufacturing of the Sea wolf fishing kayak ( previously known as orca ) in the near future.
YELLOWTAILER
New member
YELLOWTAILER
New member
Hi Edgy
Justin no longer builds the Orca Sea wolf kayak.
I will be building them with some experienced kayak builders assistance in Cape Town.
The new owners of the moulds will be posting data as soon as things are in full swing.
Justin no longer builds the Orca Sea wolf kayak.
I will be building them with some experienced kayak builders assistance in Cape Town.
The new owners of the moulds will be posting data as soon as things are in full swing.
YELLOWTAILER
New member
zulu-X-treme
Sealiner
Great topic guys, something that isn't discussed enough...
For the guys who do not belong to a fishing or ski-boat club, having flotation would not be a requirement (no enforcement). Although, personally, I feel it to be a necessity, especially this side of the world.
Prior to registering at the local ski-boat club my Bamba needed a buoyancy certificate and even when produced the craft was still inspected. The guys from Fluid simply filled the craft with polystyrene billets, which work fine as buoyancy. What I like about polystyrene is that it is light and cannot absorb water. My Mako Millennium has an air filled gland which is acceptable but always has the chance of being compromised due to friction, wear and tear and time.
A few years back I refurbished ski-boats and we would remove the 2 liter bottles and replace it with 2 part expandable urethane foam, it's excellent and has a negative water absorption rating... Then again, as with everything it's all about preparation, preparation, preparation.
I think, adding a little weight for the sake of safety is a fair compromise. I also think that although trying to enforce the rules I believe it's the responsibility of each boat owner to make sure his/her craft has the necessary buoyancy. Manufacturers today should actually provide you with a certificate of buoyancy.
That's my 5 cents...
For the guys who do not belong to a fishing or ski-boat club, having flotation would not be a requirement (no enforcement). Although, personally, I feel it to be a necessity, especially this side of the world.
Prior to registering at the local ski-boat club my Bamba needed a buoyancy certificate and even when produced the craft was still inspected. The guys from Fluid simply filled the craft with polystyrene billets, which work fine as buoyancy. What I like about polystyrene is that it is light and cannot absorb water. My Mako Millennium has an air filled gland which is acceptable but always has the chance of being compromised due to friction, wear and tear and time.
A few years back I refurbished ski-boats and we would remove the 2 liter bottles and replace it with 2 part expandable urethane foam, it's excellent and has a negative water absorption rating... Then again, as with everything it's all about preparation, preparation, preparation.
I think, adding a little weight for the sake of safety is a fair compromise. I also think that although trying to enforce the rules I believe it's the responsibility of each boat owner to make sure his/her craft has the necessary buoyancy. Manufacturers today should actually provide you with a certificate of buoyancy.
That's my 5 cents...
Attachments
YELLOWTAILER
New member
zulu-X-treme
Sealiner
BulkCarrier
Sealiner
YELLOWTAILER wrote:
Unfortunately Samsa would not accept that buoyancy cert.
They need the dimensions and how much is in there.
Just saying.
Unfortunately Samsa would not accept that buoyancy cert.
They need the dimensions and how much is in there.
Just saying.
YELLOWTAILER
New member
30% is the amount needed as a minimum , I've found some surf ski s and k1s actually have a lot of polystyrene and would say pinnacle has plenty. But how do other manufacturers that clearly display their stickers like that photo of my green supalite x, get away with virtually nothing in terms of added buoyancy.
Skis like Kaskazi and orca have sealed bulkheads basically splitting the hull into separate compartments like a ship so if one gets damaged it will still float, even without added buoyancy.
Other popular brands have a sealed hull and sealed dry hatch plus fish hatch , but there is a larger area that can fill up if the hull gets punctured therefore buoyancy would be more critical, same applies to surfskis that have no bulkheads.
Polystyrene is the buoyancy material used by all kayak manufacturers, the Sondor foams are an option which I am seriously considering but aswith any manufactured product costs need to be factored in.
Skis like Kaskazi and orca have sealed bulkheads basically splitting the hull into separate compartments like a ship so if one gets damaged it will still float, even without added buoyancy.
Other popular brands have a sealed hull and sealed dry hatch plus fish hatch , but there is a larger area that can fill up if the hull gets punctured therefore buoyancy would be more critical, same applies to surfskis that have no bulkheads.
Polystyrene is the buoyancy material used by all kayak manufacturers, the Sondor foams are an option which I am seriously considering but aswith any manufactured product costs need to be factored in.