JEM Watercraft

Mick,
I don't know which is prettier, the location or the boat! Any photos of the fish you've been catching? I'd love to see them!

My tandem is turning out to be a tank! I think it's going to weigh in at over 120lbs! It's 17+ feet x 34 inches. Big and, I'm afraid, overbuilt. I couldn't resist building bulkheads out of the lateral frames and building a large sealed area in the stern for holding what we catch. The old sailor in me just couldn't hold back. The hatches I bought are also quite substantial. Plus, the full stern resulted in a VERY large end- pour. Matt thought it should weigh around 90lbs. Yikes! I hope we can lift it without getting a hernia, that it will float, and that we can paddle her without rocket assistance required!

Scott,
By trial and error I found a way to get my Sabalo loaded on top of VW Vanagon by myself. I use an old blanket on the ground to cushion the stern while i lift the bow up to 60 degrees and twist to align with the rear roof of the van leaning it there. Then I sponge-out water collected. Then I grab the stern end raise it just below parallel with the bow and roll it on the roof racks. I use a roller-style on the rear rack and a flexible saddle on the front rack.
You'll be okay.
Craig

Heya guys,

Scott, mate this is what I use to get the yaks up there. if y'all need more info or pics, give me a shout. I can load out Dusky Baym a double expedition kayak on top of my SUV on my own with this. the boat in this pic is my wife perception contour. I think you guys call em Carolina.


re the aussie fish.

This first one is a school mackeral. its not very big but was my first pelagic from this boat.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c32/h ... 7Small.jpg


Next is what we call a whiting. These normally grow to only around 14 inches or so 35cm. This one is an animal for its species and a PB for me from a yak (42cm)

This is an Aussie Bass. One of out premier, tropical fresh water sport species. Not as well known as our barramundi but pound for pound ,will fight as hard and dirty as anything I have encountered. I caught him today.




I took her for a walk in our local lake today chasing these elusive little critters and I have to tell you that my wadefish is also a superb skinny water boat. When i put in, I had the place pretty much to myself. After paddling & fishing for 6 hours and covering some 20 miles, I returned to the put in and it seems there is a major bass tournament being held there this week end. There were big dollar bass boats and camps and sponsors everywhere. When I pulled in, an awfull lot of people came over to look at my boat and set up. A lot of questions were asked about the design and where the plans come from and i think there was genuine interest there. Much to the chagrin of the sponsors. I have referred them all here.

Thanks for sharing some down under action.

Thanks Mick! What's the wheel set-up you have there to get the kayak up?

Those are some pretty fish! How are they for eating?

Nice to hear that you made some of those "stink-potters" (derogatory term sailors use for motor-boaters) jealeous!

Put a big shinny bass boat with a motor large enough to pull a truck next to a finely finished wood (Kayak or Canoe) boat and everyone is going to look at the wood boat a lot longer.

Now if you made it into a fishing machine like Mick did then you better have a big chain on it for safe keeping. Heck, his even comes with fish already caught.

Chuck.

Thanks guys,

Scott mate,

Here is a link to my post on AKFF re the rollers. I made them before I realized something similar was available commercially. I think the ready made job can be bought from KFS.

http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=499

Re the fish. The school mackeral are very good, Whiting are superb and one of our most popular pan fish.
Wild Aussie Bass from running rivers are very good to eat. Dam and lake fish can sometimes be weedy taste depending on where they are caught. The ones in my local lake are very good. firm, sweet, white, creamy flesh. I love them shallow fries with lemon & lots of salt & pepper.

We call em stink boats too. and it was a real ego builder to see these big money blokes admiring my set up and showing interest in my methods. (their wives especially)

Frankly, it buffs up my self-image (though, probably does nothing for how I look to others) to carry my wooden boat past a powered craft and set it in the water to paddle off. Sneaking a few surreptitious peeks, I sometimes see folks looking from one boat to the other, and either smiling or shaking their heads. Probably wondering what such a good looking fellow is doing in such a scratched up boat.

True story: My wife and I used to vacation at a resort on Rice Lake (LARGE) in Canada. She'd get up, make a pot of coffee for her thermos, we'd load her gear in the boat, and I'd help her launch to go fishing. Four, stalwart, young studs asked me one morning as I was walking back to the cottage, "Where's SHE going alone?"

"Fishing."

"A woman can't handle one of those big boats by herself!"

"Well, she has been for a few years, now."

"If she's out in the boat - what are YOU doing?"

(I just couldn't resist this next line.) "I'm going back in to do the dishes."

They were a combination of incensed, buffaloed, mad, embarrassed for me, etc. Actually, I was going back to eat breakfast, and then do dishes. Later, I walked past them carrying my boat on my shoulder and paddled the lake at will. That day, they got stuck on a mud bar and had to be towed off.

Oh Yeah,

Scott, mate, I wouldn't be too worried about the weight of your beautiful boat. It is how she performs on the water that matters. I reckon she will be lighter than you think

Loading & unloading problems can be engineered around so that they don't exist.

Mick,
have you found much need/use of a rudder on your Wadefish? If you were building it again, would you put a rudder on? Anything else you might do differently (hull shape, deck layout, etc, etc)?