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Hi Chuck,
This is just one of the great things about a Yakette, 24 pounds! Had her
on her ear too! Very stable for such a tiny boat. She took wind and waves
in stride and performed like a champ.
 I
tried a couple of seats and liked the foam stadium seat the best, but I
also had a piece of foam pipe insulation around the back of the cockpit
rim for additional padding. You can see that in the photo where she's on
the dolly, and it easily snaps on and off but still stays in place.
A shorter paddle cut down to 7'-6" not shown in these pics gave much
better control for the rough conditions. Don't worry, I had 2 PFDs in the
boat, one being my offshore Type 1 self inflating that is more comfortable
than a standard Type 3 vest. And....the water where I take the pics is
only 2 feet deep this time of the year. That helped make the rough
 conditions
along with the 15mph plus winds...but makes fishing lousy!
If you want to practice rolls, then you've got to go to the far north end
of the lake or you'll get a face full of mud! Kaye did a great job of
taking the pics for me, but thinks I have severe cranial damage! Guess she
knows me better than anyone! I would normally sit at home when the water
is like this but it did give me an opportunity to see just what the boat
would take. Well...the little Yakette HV took more than I could,... but I
had a blast anyway!
 I
call her the HV (high volume) cause I screwed up on the measurements and
couldn't fix it without starting over! I also arched the deck on this one
that gave me a little more foot and leg room, and her bow is 1-1/2"s
higher than the Regular flat decked Yakette. She has floatation stuffed
fore and aft from some of the orange life vests I picked up at a yard sale
for .50 a piece!
My little Yakette HV actually surfed going downwind a few times! Now that
was certainly a different experience in such a tiny craft, and a blast
once I got used to it!
 The
dolly fits all the Yakoos. I designed the Yakette HV and dolly to get to a
special lake that has no access other than a trail for about 400 yards up
and down hill. This lake hasn't been fished in over 20 years and there are
some lunkers in there!
I now use 1/2" bungee cords on the dolly rather than the straps shown in
the photo. I just put my gear inside and pull her like a long skinny
wagon! The dolly uses the plastic 7" lawn mower wheels, and the struts
were some extra parts I had off an old tree stand. One inch Conduit can
also be used for struts by flattening the ends and works just as good. The
slot is cut to fit the keel and lined with some scrap I/O carpet glued to
the 4x4. Length is 21 inches and wheelbase is also 21 inches! Just came
out that way, and gives me good ground clearance.
 The
dolly did just fine over rocks, pot holes, etc. The dolly comes apart by
removing 2 aircraft nuts on the carriage. I have wing nuts on now. Now all
said and done my Yakette HV passed her sea trial with flying colors and
surprised the hell outta me!
This weekend, I'm off to explore that new lake! Might even try for an
overnighter! Really have no idea where I'm going to put camping gear! May
have to built a Yakette Mini to tow behind just to carry a tent and
sleeping bag! Naw!.....Kaye will think I've totally lost it if I do that!
But...hmmmmm......she'll get over it!
Later:
Richard Frye |
