Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

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Jim
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Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#1 Post by Jim » Wed Dec 18, 2013 6:57 pm

Hey guys,

I've just recently been introduced to sea kayaking and have loved it from word go. I'm really eager to do some kayaking/hunting trips now and I've just been thinking about how a bloke might go about waterproofing his bow and arrows? I figure I'd just pack it all in my takedown bag and stick that in a dry bag.

Does anyone who's 'been there, done that' have any words of wisdom or experience that might be of value to a kayak hunting virgin like me?

Cheers,

Jim
"Structural Integrity of the entire arrow system is THE most important factor in terminal arrow performance. When structural integrity fails nothing else about your arrow's design matters."
-Doc Ashby

matt61
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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#2 Post by matt61 » Wed Dec 18, 2013 8:07 pm

What about putting your bow and arrows in 100mm pvc tube with a screw on cap as that is 100% waterproof and would float if you tipped over. One of my mates was in a boat and it flipped and the only reason he got his longbow back was the Selway quiver on it kept it afloat. Another thing that I have bought at markets is small screw top drums that have had Olives in them and they are water tight storage as well and cheap.
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Mick Smith
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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#3 Post by Mick Smith » Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:49 pm

I do a lot of kayaking and have done so for many years. I strongly suggest that you tie everything securely to your kayak, so that in the event of a capsize, you won't lose anything. Even items that float can be lost during the chaos in the aftermath of such an event, particularly in adverse conditions. Items contained within the hull need not be secured to the same extent.

Preferably, you wouldn't have any plain steel items in your archery equipment, as they will be sure to rust, sooner than later. Go for stainless steel broadheads, for example. Be sure to wash everything down with freshwater as soon as you get home.

I suggest you take a fishing rod and reel on your trips too. You can easily troll a lure behind your kayak with the very real chance of being able to catch your next meal.

What Matt has said makes good sense too.
There is no use focusing on aiming if you don't execute the shot well enough to hit what your are aiming at.

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#4 Post by Sleepy » Thu Dec 19, 2013 4:33 pm

I would have thought the bigger issue would be in transporting your catch back out again should you manage to bag something on such a trip?

It too would need to kept dry and waterproof (to prevent spoiling), and while the sea kayaks have some room for cargo on them, there's only so much it can carry.

Perhaps a rubber raft might be a better option (more cargo capacity)?

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#5 Post by Jim » Fri Dec 20, 2013 6:05 am

To be honest, and like you suggested Mick, the bow itself and the arrows are pretty well waterproof already. Matt, that's a great idea with the pvc, if I was using a one piece or an open hulled kayak I reckon that'd be the go. I'll be in an expedition kayak though, with plenty of hull storage that I can fit my take down into.

So my experience has been that in a day of paddling, especially in swell and chop, one or more of the compartments will take on some water. I'm not sure why but the idea of my riser and limbs sitting in salt water for a few hours seems like a not good idea. Am I just worrying about nothing though?

Sleepy, at this stage I'll be doing mostly bowfishing as I don't know of any islands locally where hunting is allowed. I would love to do a river hunting expedition though, I bet that would be amazing.

Jim
"Structural Integrity of the entire arrow system is THE most important factor in terminal arrow performance. When structural integrity fails nothing else about your arrow's design matters."
-Doc Ashby

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#6 Post by rodlonq » Tue Jan 07, 2014 3:04 pm

Sounds like fun Jim but there isn't much between you and hungry swamp dogs when you're sitting on a kayak. In estuaries I sometimes get the feeling that the gunwales on a 12 foot tinny aren't high enough (yes I am part chicken :oops: ).

If you use longbows, you can fit tow longbows or a longbow and a 6' bait casting rod in one piece of 90 mm SW PVC. Screw on and glue on caps are available for it too, and much cheaper than 100 mm DWV PVC. Lash one to either side and you have doubled your barrier against croc attack :lol: .

Cheers... Rod

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#7 Post by Jim » Wed Feb 05, 2014 1:07 pm

Rod that sounds like a go. I like that you happen to know that I can fit a longbow AND a rod in there :wink:

A few of the fellas I've been out with have had success trawling with hand reels. I think I'll have to get on board... increase my chances of landing lunch!
"Structural Integrity of the entire arrow system is THE most important factor in terminal arrow performance. When structural integrity fails nothing else about your arrow's design matters."
-Doc Ashby

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#8 Post by rodlonq » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:06 pm

Was there a post here with an excellent picture of a sit on yak all decked out for fishing..... or did I have too many beers last night?

Cheers....... Rod

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#9 Post by Stickbow Hunter » Thu Feb 06, 2014 4:58 pm

rodlonq wrote:Was there a post here with an excellent picture of a sit on yak all decked out for fishing..... or did I have too many beers last night?

Cheers....... Rod
Yes there was Rod. Curvemeister must have deleted it for some reason. :confused: It looked to be well set up.

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#10 Post by indie » Thu Feb 06, 2014 7:32 pm

I'm a kayak fisherman so deal with this issue a bit. My yak has a full length rod chute and I can fit 3 to 4 rods in there fully rigged no problem even traversing surf. I occasionally go camping, usually on flat water, so the rods can stay in the rod holders and the camping gear goes in the rod chute. I can manage several days easily though there's not lots of storage compared to a sea kayak.

One of the guys up at Noosa developed a dry bag for rods as his yak doesn't have big enough internal storage. He now sells them on eBay. Obviously a bow can fit in as well. Check out this link. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/kayak-and-bo ... 25f&_uhb=1

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#11 Post by Mick Smith » Thu Feb 06, 2014 7:56 pm

indie wrote:I'm a kayak fisherman so deal with this issue a bit. My yak has a full length rod chute and I can fit 3 to 4 rods in there fully rigged no problem even traversing surf. I occasionally go camping, usually on flat water, so the rods can stay in the rod holders and the camping gear goes in the rod chute. I can manage several days easily though there's not lots of storage compared to a sea kayak.

One of the guys up at Noosa developed a dry bag for rods as his yak doesn't have big enough internal storage. He now sells them on eBay. Obviously a bow can fit in as well. Check out this link. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/kayak-and-bo ... 25f&_uhb=1
What sort of a yak do you have Indie? It sounds similar to my 430 Stealth Evolution, as it also has a rod chute. Coincidently, I also have a mini-x, which is very similar to Curvemiester's yak that was in the photo that has now been deleted. The mini-x is great for fishing in small creeks, etc, where paddling distances aren't great, but it ain't exactly roomy. The Stealth is very fast and it makes short work of paddling long distances.

The few times that I've taken a bow on my yak, I simply lashed it down to the side of the kayak using the existing shock cord designed to hold the paddle, when it's not being used. The old laminated longbow was impervious to corrosion and water, so it didn't matter if it got wet. My wooden arrows were fitted with some old two bladed stainless steel broadheads, so they too, were reasonably impervious to the elements. Admittedly, I've only ever taken my archery gear kayaking in freshwater, but I imagine that it would stand up to saltwater conditions almost as well.
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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#12 Post by kerrille » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:14 pm

i hunt animals because they have legs and can run away ................plants dont

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#13 Post by indie » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:27 pm

Mick, yes it's very similar to your 430 :biggrin: I've just sold my 465 and still have my BFS. Links below. Not too many people around with a 430. Not the one for sale on eBay? I'm assessing my next yak purchase, it could be a stitch and glue ply yak or possibly another Stealth. Time and money will tell.

http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=57091
http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42164

And Kerrille, I wouldn't argue with you on the water over whose fishing spot it is! :lol:

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#14 Post by Jim » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:58 pm

Cheers for that link Indie. That dry bag could fit all kinds of awesome stuff in it :biggrin:

Jim
"Structural Integrity of the entire arrow system is THE most important factor in terminal arrow performance. When structural integrity fails nothing else about your arrow's design matters."
-Doc Ashby

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#15 Post by Mick Smith » Fri Feb 07, 2014 8:25 am

indie wrote:Mick, yes it's very similar to your 430 :biggrin: I've just sold my 465 and still have my BFS. Links below. Not too many people around with a 430. Not the one for sale on eBay? I'm assessing my next yak purchase, it could be a stitch and glue ply yak or possibly another Stealth. Time and money will tell.

http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=57091
http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=42164

And Kerrille, I wouldn't argue with you on the water over whose fishing spot it is! :lol:

Oh man! You're really into it, aren't you Indie? I'm very impressed with the modifications you made on your Stealths. I've made a few modifications on mine, like mounting a fish finder and Scotty flush mounts, but nothing nearly as impressive as what you have done. My 430 Evo was bought new. Perhaps I should have bought a larger one, but I'm only a small bloke @ 75kg.
Hey Nev, it's good to see that you're still around. I half expected to see you at the Ballarat shoot.
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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#16 Post by Goatchaser » Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:53 am

Heres mine, Hobie outback mirage drive (pedal powered) fish finder anchor trolley set up 5 rod holders, bait board and lighting.
Image

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#17 Post by kerrille » Sat Feb 08, 2014 9:59 am

gday mick,yeah im still up and running around,i would have loved to go to the shoots but with 3 foster kids now its a bit hard + im saving for a new ute,s we are looking at only going to dunolly this year and hopefully go and support roady over at red cliffs.

nev...
i hunt animals because they have legs and can run away ................plants dont

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#18 Post by Curvemeister » Fri Feb 14, 2014 3:29 pm

..
Last edited by Curvemeister on Sat Mar 22, 2014 5:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#19 Post by Mick Smith » Fri Feb 14, 2014 3:45 pm

It looks very similar to this little baby, a Malibu Mini x. Even though I own bigger, faster and more exotic kayaks, I have always liked my Mini x. It certainly fills a niche in my requirements.

However, back to the subject at hand. You, Curvemeister, have certainly done well to carry so much gear on such a small yak. I had never even contemplated taking anything more than just a few essentials on my Mini x.
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There is no use focusing on aiming if you don't execute the shot well enough to hit what your are aiming at.

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#20 Post by Curvemeister » Fri Feb 14, 2014 4:42 pm

.
Last edited by Curvemeister on Sat Mar 22, 2014 5:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Athens Accomplice 34 70#
Assenheimer T/D recurve 64" 65#@28
Internature Hunter T/D recurve 58" 60#@28
Bear Tigercat recurve 56" 58#@28
York Cadet recurve 62" 20#@28 ( first ever bow 1984)

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#21 Post by Macca » Thu Feb 20, 2014 1:57 pm

I have done a few multi day hunts in kayaks but not ocean going stuff. If you are spot paddle stalk from the kayak you want your bow mounted in a rack the same type of set up that you would use on an ATV. Having your bow sitting loose in your lap is not a good way to go. I would have an old faithful bow tasked for this mission. Vas your broadsheets up and you are good to go.

I have all my gear tied together attached to a float with a strong nylon line. I pack everything into a pack so it holds all my kit but I can walk from the kayak and camp in the hills over night. You don't want to be stringing bows and stuff once you spot paddle stalk, just grab and go. You will be surprised how close you can paddle in on critter and just pull up around a bend. I have a web of bungee on the front and rear deck of the yak that I tie gear and heads to. I also have 3 mounting points for my go pro camera, trial and error.

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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#22 Post by indie » Fri Feb 21, 2014 10:41 am

Got a fish from the yak last week. :biggrin: Bagging it with a bow would be a ridiculous challenge.
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Re: Waterproofing hunting tackle in kayaks?

#23 Post by Mick Smith » Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:30 pm

I bet that one towed you around a bit Indie. Well done mate. :smile:
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