Apalach
09-29-2004, 08:22 AM
Lee,
Sorry, but the private messaging did not work, so I thought I would reply via the forum.
1. The 5x11 lobster pot buoys seem to be fine, although Joey and others have gone to the 6x14s. Latter are considerably larger, so in addition to the increased flotation, you have increased storage problems, especially if you wish to store them on the yak somehow. I'm about 6 ft, 175, however if you are somewhat larger (say in the 220-250 range), you might find the 6x14s more satisfactory. Dealer's choice.
2. Aluminum backing plate--both Lowe's and HD carry these, but they are a bit hard to find in the stores. They are mixed in with round steel, flat steel, aluminum, etc. in a rack about 2-3 feet high, with the metal pieces standing upright. Be sure to ask a clerk where their flat metal stock would be, because I could not find them myself the first time I tried. I would definitely avoid steel, because you will have rusting problems inside the hull that could get pretty nasty in a few months to a year. Painting the steel would help, but would not be a permanent solution.
3. Sailing with outriggers: I have not tried this yet. Once you are on a tack, and heeled over, I was afraid the buoys would dig in and perhaps cause steering problems due to the drag. This could probably be solved by simply elevating and locking the outrigger arms, with the bottom of the buoys say about 6-8 inches or so above the water surface. This way the buoys would only make contact when sailing close-hauled on a tack and might not dig in too much. Of course, this also depends on how choppy the bay water might be at the time. The Outback sails pretty well without the outriggers anyway, so I would suggest trying it without them the first time until you got the hang of it, and then give the outriggers a try to see which way you preferred. Best of Luck.
Dick
Sorry, but the private messaging did not work, so I thought I would reply via the forum.
1. The 5x11 lobster pot buoys seem to be fine, although Joey and others have gone to the 6x14s. Latter are considerably larger, so in addition to the increased flotation, you have increased storage problems, especially if you wish to store them on the yak somehow. I'm about 6 ft, 175, however if you are somewhat larger (say in the 220-250 range), you might find the 6x14s more satisfactory. Dealer's choice.
2. Aluminum backing plate--both Lowe's and HD carry these, but they are a bit hard to find in the stores. They are mixed in with round steel, flat steel, aluminum, etc. in a rack about 2-3 feet high, with the metal pieces standing upright. Be sure to ask a clerk where their flat metal stock would be, because I could not find them myself the first time I tried. I would definitely avoid steel, because you will have rusting problems inside the hull that could get pretty nasty in a few months to a year. Painting the steel would help, but would not be a permanent solution.
3. Sailing with outriggers: I have not tried this yet. Once you are on a tack, and heeled over, I was afraid the buoys would dig in and perhaps cause steering problems due to the drag. This could probably be solved by simply elevating and locking the outrigger arms, with the bottom of the buoys say about 6-8 inches or so above the water surface. This way the buoys would only make contact when sailing close-hauled on a tack and might not dig in too much. Of course, this also depends on how choppy the bay water might be at the time. The Outback sails pretty well without the outriggers anyway, so I would suggest trying it without them the first time until you got the hang of it, and then give the outriggers a try to see which way you preferred. Best of Luck.
Dick