Hurricane Ambassador William Ragulsky recently finished rigging his Hurricane Phoenix 140 for some serious angling adventures. Here’s the scoop from William.
Well, it has been a couple of months since I picked up my Hurricane Phoenix 140, and I have to say it’s been a pleasure to rig. Initial rigging got me on the water with a greater level of functionality, but the final touches were recently added to prepare for the busy tournament season ahead.
To start the process, I established a paddle/stake-out pole holder at the bow using Yak-Gear products, then developed a functional (yet attractive) anchor trolley using basic trolley materials from Hook 1, as well as some 3mm Blue Niteline. This, in addition to simple products like a Scotty Extender and a Triple Rod Holder mount, got me on the water and fishing in fine fashion.
After a winter of serious kayak angling, I realized that the Scotty mount between my legs handicapped me when fishing with both fly and conventional gear and heard many complaints from Hampton Roads boaters about the difficulty of seeing kayakers fishing the bridges at night. For both of these reasons, I turned to Luther and the crew at Yak Attack for solutions.
I added two Yak Attacks Gear Tracs to the sides of my Phoenix 140 to address the mobility issue. The 16-inch tracks run on both sides of my legs, giving me options to mount a PanFish , MightyMount, or Scotty Base, and all these products easily stow when I’m chasing fish with the bugslinger.
The ability to quickly and securely place my GoPro, fishfinder, GPS, or rod holders without making multiple installations was very attractive, so I placed the tracks on the rails to get my maximum bang for my dollar. The 16” GearTrac is $80, and the installation took about 25 minutes.
To address the visibility issue, I added a Luther’s second generation NiteStripe in Blue (to match the kayak). The NiteStripe is an inexpensive way to increase visibility on the water (MSRP $10 for a 24’ roll) but is worth 10 times that price if it gets you out for a night of fishing and brings you home safely. This is a 10 minute install and a must have for any kayak.
The final outcome was a kayak that can effectively put me on the water and give me the ability to change the rigging on the fly. Until next time, stay safe and enjoy your time on the water.
Well I was quite pleased to watch the retrofit rudder production that your crew put together. I am new to the Kayak and after purchasing my Huricane from my favorte boating source 2nd Wave here in Seattle. I started outfitting it like any good sailor does. I wanted a rudder and needed a spray skirt ect. It was a drive to find a spray skirt instock but my drive was rewarded when I found not 1 but 2 rudder kits and beleieve this $3.33 clearance. I bought the 2 they had and asked them to look around for anymore. Looked to your site for a plan to mout one and was happy to learn first hand how the job is done. I will be calling monday for the parts department and waiting for the fed ex truck. Thanks oh the music was great.