Rigging a Fishing Kayak on a Budget

    I get a lot of compliments about my kayak when I'm out on the lake, quite a few times people have  mistaken it for a fully rigged Hobie.  From a distance, I can understand why, it would appear as though there's some serious money invested.  Now, I'm going to give you all a close up tour of my kayak to show you how I fool people into thinking I have an expensive set up.

    First of all let me tell you a little about my kayak straight from the shelf.  It's a Lifetime (yep, the picnic table company) Tamarak Angler.  They carry them at Sports Authority for $449.99.  However, Sports Authority almost always has sales or coupons on their larger items.  After using my coupon I got from buying tortilla chips from Fry's, I paid $359.98 ($362.47 if you include the price of the chips).  I did quite a bit of research on kayaks in this price range before buying this one and it came down to these three details:

- It has a flatter bottom than any other kayak I looked at.  While a flat bottom will make a kayak slower and not track very well, it makes it more stable to stand up on, and I can store it and transport it right side up without worrying about warping the hull.

- It was the only kayak in this price range with access to inside the hull at the front and the back.  This makes it better for storage, but also for rigging.  You need to be able to reach inside to run cords for electronics, and screw nuts on to the bolts you'll be using to rig up various things.

- The color matches my car.

    WARNING: Before you go off and buy this kayak because of the things I say about it, I need to let you know that I'm a pretty small dude at 5'7", 150 lbs.  This boat is 10 feet long with a weight capacity of 275 lbs.  I would not recommend this kayak to anyone over 6 ft and 200 lbs.  it's just too small and standing up would be quite risky.

    Below are six relatively simple DIY projects you can do in just a few weekends to save all kinds of money:

1. Anchor Trolly

    Besides a fish finder, one of the first things I recommend is an anchor trolly.  Some of the higher end boats have these pre-installed.  If not, you can expect to pay about $30 for a kit.  My solution will come out to about half that price, plus an added advantage over the kits.  The kits you can buy use a metal ring or triangle to pass the anchor line through before tying off the other end.  My solution uses a carabiner wich allows you to keep both ends of the line tied down while you just open the carabiner and snap the line through.

What you will need:

Carabiner - $0.98

Paracord- $3.98

Pully - $2.95 (x2)

Eye Screws - $0.26 (x5)

Bungees - $2.47

Total: $14.62

Cabela's Kit: $31.99

Savings: $17.37

2. Anchor

    What good is an anchor trolly without an anchor?  The tricky part here is getting the chain inside the inner tube.  You won't be able to push it through, you'll have to pull it.  The first step is to tie the paracord to the chain, pass the cord through the innertube so it comes out the other end of the tube.  Lube up the chain with... Your preferred lubbing substance... And work it through all the way.  Tie off the end with zip ties and you're good to go!

What you will need:

Rope: $2.78

Carabiner: $0.98

Paracord: $3.98 (but you already have all you need from the anchor trolly)

Bike Innertube: $5.41

Zip Ties: $3.94 (for a 20 pack, you only need 2) - $0.40

Total: $11.63

Austin Kayak Anchor: $19.99

Savings: $8.36

3. Chair

    This is one of the biggest money savers I have discovered yet.  Cheaper kayaks like mine come with seats that are a pain in the ass, literally.  Nice kayak seats are more comfortable, but more importantly they sit up higher.  They are also crazy expensive!  It took me a while to find a seat I liked.  In fact, I gave up looking and was about to pull the trigger on a $350 Wilderness Systems seat.  However, one day I ran out of salsa!  What's a man to do when he runs out of salsa?!?!  Well, I'll tell you what I did.  I went to the grocery store, that's what I did!  And what did I find at the grocery store, you ask?  Salsa.  Salsa, and this chair!  It's not perfect, maybe an inch or two too big to really fit nicely.  But it was $11.99!  I used paracord, that I already had from other projects, and tied down the back.  You may want to tie down the front as well, but I chose to leave it untied so I can flip it backwards during transportation.

Total: $11.99

Wilderness Systems: $349

Savings: $337.01

4. Rod Holder/Crate/Rudder Combo

    The only downside to this is how big it is.  There are all kinds of DIY kayak rod holders on the Internet, but have you ever seen one with a built in rudder?  No?  Well scroll up just a bit, there's one right up there!  Some tutorials for rod holders I've seen spend a lot of time heating up the PVC and molding it around a glass bottle, then cutting a slit in it, and blah blah blah.  Well, I didn't do all that and haven't had a problem yet.  One and a quarter inch PVC is large enough for any rod I have to fit in, the frame and rudder is made of just one inch PVC.  Each kayak is built differently, so you'll need to measure yours and custom built it to fit.

    

WARNING:  I don't trust PVC cement alone with holding my expensive rods and reels above the surface.  So, in addition to the cement, I drill a screw into each connection to hold them together better.

What you will need:

10 ft of 1" PVC Pipe - $4.66

10 ft of 1 1/4" PVC Pipe - $5.06

PVC Cement - $4.94

Various PVC Adapters - About $20

Screws - $6.47

Spray Paint - $5.98

Milk Crate - $9.99

Paddle - $24.07

Total: About $80

YakAttack BlackPak: $124.95

Ocean Kayak Universal Rudder: $225.00

Savings: $268.78

5. Steakout Pole

    A steakout pole is a huge benefit in the spring, when bass are shallow spawning and you're sight fishing.  Whenever you need to hold position in water less then 4 feet deep a steakout pole out performs any standard anchor.  All you need is a four to five foot section of 3/4 inch PVC pipe and a PVC Tee adapter.  Cut the bottom into a point so you can jam it into the bottom of the lake, river, or stream.

PVC Total: $5.34

YakAttack ParkNPole: $59.95

Savings: $54.61

6. Kayak Cart

    Like the PVC rod holder, different kayaks will require different measurements.  The most expensive part of this kayak cart is the wheels.  They can be very pricy at Home Depot or Lowes, but if you have a Harbor Freight Tools nearby, you can find them there for five dollars.

What you will need:

PVC Pipe and Fittings - About $20

Wheel Barrow Tires - $10

Hardware for attaching wheels - About $5

Total: $35

Austin Kayak C-Tug: $149.95

Savings: $114.95

Alright, let's add up the costs and savings and see where we stand:

Total Costs of DIY Additions: $158.58

Total Cost of Non-DIY: $959.66

Total Savings: $801.08

Just imagine the fishing gear you can buy with $800 in savings!  Now, just for fun let's take it one step further:

Lifetime Tamarak Angler w/ DIY Projects: $521.05

*Old Town Predator MX w/ Non-DIY: $2,258.66

Savings: $1,737.61 

Yikes!  Kayak fishing doesn't need to be expensive, folks.  I understand that often times you get what you pay for.  The non-DIY accessories will no doubt be of higher quality and will out last any of these DIY projects.  The ideal fishing kayak probably lies somewhere in the middle of this spectrum.  I just want to show you that there are plenty of other options out there than what you will find in stores or online.  Try just one or two of these and you'll free up some room in your budget for that new rod and reel combo you've been eyeing.

* I picked the Old Town Predator for comparison's sake because that was the first kayak that was recommended to me when I began my search for a kayak.