Homemade Outriggers for a 12-foot Sit-in Kayak

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jandbrare
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Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 5:32 pm
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Homemade Outriggers for a 12-foot Sit-in Kayak

Post by jandbrare »

I was inspired by the many designs of homemade outriggers that I saw on this forum, so I tried my hand. You can build these for about $25.

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These things are amazingly stable, as you might expect with an arm that is almost 9' long. And, they provide about 100 lbs of buoyancy, which is needed for me to be able to set my 240 lbs on the aft deck. But, the arms need to be that long to prevent interference with the paddle stroke.

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Even with the added buoyancy, you can see that the stern has little freeboard.

Here is the sponson assembly:

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And, some more information on the float assembly:

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I caught this Bass before I made and installed the outriggers. The Bass almost pulled me over, so I decided to add the outriggers, Just kidding. The Bass pulled me around, but he didn't tend to capsize me, of course.
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Good fishing to you,

Jerry
jandbrare
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Another Way to Connect Outrigger Arm to Floats

Post by jandbrare »

I revised the connection of the arm to the float assembly:

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Here is the assembly:

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I thought that a stub of pipe would make a better connection than the previous threaded elbow. I'm not sure it was worth the effort, however.

So, if you intend to use this design, take your pick.

Jerry
jandbrare
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Fishing in outriggered kayak

Post by jandbrare »

Here's a YouTube of me standing and casting in my 12-foot Current Designs Kestrel with my outrigger design deployed: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3WbtrCX4PY

Jerry
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Sully
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Joined: Wed Dec 31, 1969 7:00 pm
Location: Largo, FL

Post by Sully »

Great design. All that steel conduit will be a problem in the salt water though.
TRUE
jandbrare
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Steel outrigger arm in salt water

Post by jandbrare »

Sully wrote:Great design. All that steel conduit will be a problem in the salt water though.
Yep, I'd rinse it off, but ultimately, I'd just replace it for—for less than $10.

Jerry
brokenarrowjbe
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Location: Citra, Fl

Post by brokenarrowjbe »

Why didn't you use sch 80? Just wondering, little more expensive, but should hold up better. John
jandbrare
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Sch 80?

Post by jandbrare »

brokenarrowjbe wrote:Why didn't you use sch 80? Just wondering, little more expensive, but should hold up better. John
Sch 80 PVC? For the outrigger arm? Or for the float supports? Sch 80 PVC wouldn't be stiff enough for the outrigger arm. There's a big bending moment on the outrigger arm due to the 40# flotation on the long arm.

I'm currently revising the design to use 3/4" EMT conduit for the float supports, too. I found a tee fitting that will accommodate 3/4" EMT conduit so I can make up to a 3/4" 90-degree elbow which will fit inside the 1" EMT outrigger arm. I will post pictures after I check it out to see how it does. (I do fresh water fishing, so corrosion of the galvanized EMT is not an issue.)
jandbrare
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Revision to all EMT conduit

Post by jandbrare »

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The 3/4" EMT float supports are more rugged and just a little heavier than the 3/4" PVC with 1/2" EMT inside. I like the look of it better.

The clue is to buy the 3/4" tee fitting from Shade King, http://shadeking.com/. They are well constructed. $5 each plus $8.61 shipping. It is fitting C4.

I did not fasten the 3/4" conduit to the tee fitting. Not a bad idea, however. I simply slid the conduit through the tee, slipped on the floats and capped the ends of the conduit with 7/8" rubber chair tips, which fit snugly. I didn't glue them on, but I think they fit tightly enough to prevent entry of water.

How does it paddle? Not as fast as without the outriggers by about 1 mph. But, I can move about on the kayak, even stand in it, all of which reduces the back fatigue and stiffness compared to sitting 2 hours with legs stretched out. And, standing is much better for fly fishing, although I sit on the rear deck, also.

Jerry
4n6doc
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Re: Homemade Outriggers for a 12-foot Sit-in Kayak

Post by 4n6doc »

It worked great with all metal construction.
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