It’s rather inevitable that once you become a kayaking adventurer, you’re going to start longing for mods. It’s an obsession that just won’t be satiated. The process can be easy or complicated. The path you choose is your decision.
So make the right decisions.
Kayak modifications can be your arch nemesis or your best friend
It’s common for people to purchase a kayak and immediately start planning their first mods. I can’t stress this more: This is not the right path. Every kayak is different and every kayaker is just as different.
Join a kayaking mods group and post a photo of the new kayak you chose. Ask the community what mods you need to make before your maiden voyage. 3 or 4 people will tell you to take the kayak out on the water and run it through its paces before making any decisions. 50-60 members will start listing all the latest fads you just have to follow because, after all, a kayak isn’t worth being seen in if it isn’t fully “tricked out.”
Here’s the problem: the more modifications you make before knowing your kayak, the less satisfied you’ll be with the final product. You’ll begin resenting the work you put into it. The kayak will become more of a burden than an experience. Before long, it will become the biggest paper weight you’ve ever seen rather than a tool for conquering the outdoors.
Don’t let your kayak become your arch nemesis. Make it a work of art. Turn it into the ideal vessel for your outdoors adventures. The more your kayak suits your personality, your adventures, and your needs, the more that kayak will become your best friend.
Plan before you do any mods so you don’t make the wrong decisions
After you’ve taken the kayak out on the water and learned what it is going to do for you, plan your mods to suit your needs rather than social media’s fads. If you’re new to the modification process, pick some easy mods that you won’t be intimidated by. If this isn’t your first kayak and you’ve done the easy mod route before, look into some more advanced options. This is where YouTube and Social media will come in handy: the inspiration and planning stage. If you can think of it, someone somewhere has probably already done it. The question becomes, is it worth you recreating, or should you go your own route?
Take, for instance, mounting your fishfinder. YakAttack and Railblaza make great adaptors that work on almost every fishfinder on today’s market. Several people have come up with their own mounting systems. AJ and I decided we didn’t want to go the expensive route. There are a variety of crossbar setups available for various kayaks, most of which range from $100 to a few hundred dollars once everything is purchased and installed. We tried the standard track mount options that can be clean and simple, but aren’t particularly stable because of the natural flex prevalent in plastics. So, we developed an alternative option that works for us.
Cheap Aluminum paddle from the local sports store: $20
Leftover paint in a garage cabinet: $0
Ring support brackets: $2 each
Track mount bolts dismantled from older mod projects: $0
Total in for this project: $25 after taxes and discounts
Reality is, no matter how great you plan, it won’t succeed unless you use the right tools
There’s a variety of videos on YouTube where people show you the mods they’ve done and will readily admit to their mistakes, or those problems will stick out so blatantly that they don’t have to mention it. Either way, the consistent pattern you’re going to find is that they failed to use the right tools. Even I am guilty of it and will readily admit there were several early projects that just didn’t turn out as good as they could have been because of the shortcuts I took. The solution is easy though: Use the correct tools.
New mods, unique inventions, and even old tricks reimagined will all require a trial phase. The more elaborate the project, the more trials you’ll have to experiment with.
To get an idea of this, look at our Kayak Duck Blind: We started with BigFish 120s, added trolling motors with adaptations to allow us throttle control and steering up in the cockpit. The steering has now gone through 3 phases and we’re still not completely satisfied with the setup. The first blind was rough and obvious. Definitely not the right option for trying to hide from ducks. Blind setup attempt 2 was better, cleaner, and more discrete; but it was cumbersome to use. We were adamant the setup would need to be able to accommodate the mobility restrictions of those with physical handicaps. Attempt 3 has proven to be structurally sound, great for camouflage, and provides a few extra benefits (a shelf to keep small tools easily lost in plain sight, storage compartment for mobility tools such as a wheelchair or crutches, and wind protection for when the weather turns unexpectedly.
Revisions, alterations, and modifications to your plans aren’t failure.
There’s a natural progression every invention goes through. Idea, planning, attempt 1-x combined with revisions after each attempt, success. Albert Einstein has been a huge inspiration to me on this front. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”
Go through the steps with your next invention. Don’t be afraid to make changes, experiment, and try something totally different from what everyone else is doing. You will fall in love with kayak all over again as you turn your kayak into your own creation.
When you’re stuck and looking for inspiration or suggestions, join us on The Outdoors Quest Group to discuss your ideas and get inspiration. Show off your success with fellow kayak enthusiasts in the group, and keep up to date on all kinds of options developing in the kayak industry.