Today I have been working on adding a Fish Finder to the Palani. Last time I had this kayak I tried a wet mount and to be honest it did not work out as well as I anticipated. As the curvature of the bottom of the hull inside the front hatch is to steep. Really it would best to glue the transducer in but as I had time I thought I would try another way.
So I took advantage of the very flat area at the stern of the kayak, there is two screw inserts here(5mm) as well. I attached a 1" Ram ball there by screwing it in place with two 5mm bolts. This allowed me to attach a ram extension arm and on the other end I secured the transducer bracket by using another ram ball. This will mean I will get accurate and much clearer images while out on the water as well as an accurate water temperature reading. I also attached another ram ball to the back inside wall of the rear well to allow me to disconnect the transducer and arm from its deployed position and make it easy to transport.
I fixed the head unit bracket directly to a flat area on the console forward of my seated position. All wiring was done, with silicone used to seal all holes made into the kayak's hull. I used my usual kiddies foam back pack battery holder. I have to say I extremely pleased with the results, I am so looking forward to the water test as the Garmin Echo 300 looks like a super sounder...
Check out the pictures, click on the photos for descriptions....
 Well I have just recently picked up a Mantra Palani kayak in the newish Teal Colour. I have been reading with great interest on KFDU recently that a small group of kayakers have had success in the ABT Bass Electric Tournament series. So my plan is to build this latest Mantra Palani so I can compete in next years series of the ABT Electrics. The kayaks have proven to have an edge over the Electric boats in the series as they can get into slightly better water than the boats. The stumbling point for the ABT Tournaments is that you need a minimum of a 60 Litre Live Well on board the fishing craft to keep up to two bass alive for Live Weigh Ins to collect points for the overall results. There is not many kayaks are on the market that can handle more that 160 kg so as the Palani has a capacity of 180 KG I thought I would use the Mantra Palani as a suitable kayak for the ABT events. The plan is to use the Mantra Palani not only because of its capacity but at rest and under paddle power it is an extremely stable kayak. At times the kayak is so stable and in the right weather conditions you can stand up on the Palani. So my intentions are to fully rig the Mantra Palani, complete with rod storage, 60 L Livewell, Fish Finder and other accessories to make my time on the water more comfortable and safe, yet have a chance to get amongst the winners in the ABT series next year. Not only that, the Mantra Palani with its value for money package price will allow me to compete in the ABT on a very small budget. The Rigging has started, so far I have added some Yak Attack Gear Trac complete with their Ram Screw Balls, a KeelEzy Strip, a Scotty mount for my rod holder system replacing the great little ball mount rod holder that now comes standard with the Mantra Palani. Plus I have inspected all surfaces under the flush mount rod holders and hatch and added some silicone for an extra waterproof seal. In the coming days I will be adding a Garmin Echo 300c Fishfinder and then it will be time to think about ow to do the liewell, there is some excellent examples to follow on the kayak forums but I have decided to use a 60 L Esky I have found at my local Kmart for the well. How the plumbing and pumps work well that will pan out later. Stay Tuned.... All Accessories for the kayak were purchased from Adventure Outlet.Click on the pictures below to get a better view and explanation.
I recently sold my Mantra Palani to progress on to another kayak in the Mantra kayak range. I have had my eye on the Mantra Kai for a while and although this kayak is not promoted as a fishing Kayak I thought with some kitting out with suitable accessories it would be ideal as a fishing platform, So I have been busy adding flush mount Rod Holders, an Anchor lock, a Scotty Powerlock Rod Holder, a grab handle and a paddle park. I still have plans to mount a camera somewhere on the kayak by using a Yakattack Mighty Mount and Screwball. The Mantra Kai is 295cm in length, 79cm wide, weighs 22kg and has a capacity of 150kg.It has two grab handles at either end, and two screw type 15cm hatches as well as six scupper plugs. In standard form it comes with a paddle and seat and retails for around $670 add an extra $30 to include an all directional rod holder. I paddled it recently at a Kayak Demo Day and It paddled well. Once fully fitted out I plan to hit the water for a session of whiting popping, I think it will be ideal for this style of fishing, small and light enough that I will be able to wade the flats with the kayak in tow in search of some whiting. Check the Picture of the Mantra Kai below.
The location today for the Adventure Outlet Demo Day was at Budds Beach in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. Its a local estuary on the Nerang river that offers great parking, BBQ"s, Tables, toilets and heaps of grass with a gentle sloping sandy beach into the waters edge. Really its an ideal location for a demo day like wise with the tournaments, KFT launches from here too. Craig from Adventure Outlet had a great line up of kayaks, some from his stock range, hugely supported by the Linday and Mike from BLA who were displaying the full range of Ocean Kayak, Old Town and Necky kayaks. As well as Palmy Mick from Stealth Kayaks with a range of the Stealth Kayak fishing skis... Not a huge turn up today but there was a steady flow of new comers, one couple I noticed tried just about every kayak on hand, they will have a tough choice but they kept going back to a Prowler or the Tarpon 120. Steven M and I were there and in between roll ups we were trying out all the different kayaks as well. Steven and I both now have new kayaks on our lists that we wish to buy... So all I can say that next time Craig holds a demo day get down to Budds Beach and have a go, Craig has Demo Days regularly so watch his website for the next one, http://www.adventureoutlet.com.au
On Sun 4th Mar '12, the team from Adventure Outlet are having a 1 Day Sale with discounts and savings on all kayaks. We have organised our suppliers of some of the leading brands such as Ocean Kayak, Old Town, Jackson, Wilderness System, Stealth, Mantra Kayaks ( http://www.mantrakayaks.com.au) & Native Watercraft to have the largest range of kayaks ever seen on the Gold Coast, ready for you to test paddle. This “on water” demo day is a great opportunity for you to find the kayak that most suits YOU. Our demo kayaks will include the new Ocean Kayak Prowler Ultra 4.3 as well as the Native Watercraft range with the Propel Pedal Drive system which are comfortable, stable and have the ability to be pedaled both forward and reverse. The new Mantra Kayaks are extremely stable and great value for money with great fishing kayaks starting from $599. Also come and check out the new Jackson Coosa http://www.youtube.com/user/jacksonkaya ... -1nq7m97loAs a bonus for attending, at 10:30am, Craig from Adventure Outlet will run a short forward paddling session to show you how to get maximum propulsion with the least chance of injury. (Craig is one of Queensland’s leading sea kayak instructors). Date: Sun 4th March '12 - 8:30am to 12:00
Location: Budds Beach, River Dve. Surfers ParadiseBookings: For assistance on the day please confirm your attendance by emailing us at info@adventureoutlet.com.au or give us a call on 07 5571 2929 to discuss kayak options. All those wishing to try kayaks on the day must sign in at the Adventure Outlet tent. Please check out our kayak fishing range at http://www.adventureoutlet.com.au/fishingkayaks.htmlHope to see you there!
 Wayne with a Bass caught in the upper reaches of the Brisbane river. Mantra Kayaks Pro Staff member, Wayne Dunkley has been paddling the Mantra Noa since its release. Wayne has been using the kayak in local streams and rivers to catch some native fish mostly bass and he has even caught some sharks from the Noa in some local tidal rivers. Check out his full review of the Mantra Kayak Noa here.
I have been hunting around for a while for a budget priced sounder/fishfinder to go with my Mantra Palani. I finally bought a Garmin Echo 300 for around the mid two hundred dollar mark. The Echo 300 seems to be good value for money, it is a budget priced Colour Sounder and has features that you normally find in much dearer units. This one has a reasonable screen resolution of 320 x 240 Pixels and the Transducer is dual beam(200/77KHZ), 300 watts of power and it will scan as deep as 450 metres, not that I will ever need that sort of depth range in a kayak. The only down side I suppose is the fact the screen is only 3.5 inches across but again this is a budget sounder. The upside is that it is a colour screen. So this week I will set about finding a suitable location and fit to install the Echo 300 onto the console of the Mantra Palani. By the looks of it a Ram Ball mount will match perfectly to the screw set out on the sounder bracket, add a ram arm and it will be easy done, more on that soon. Meanwhile I went about fitting a paddle park to the side of the Palani this weekend and I am happy with the result, check out how I did it here.
Well for a lot of reasons recently I am having trouble getting out for a fish whether it be family commitments, poor weather, sickness or wind warnings. I hope to get out on the water soon with a planned vacation to the Sunshine Coast. In the time away from the water in between my commitments I have been working on a new flavour of Fishing kayaks. A lot of you know that I like to change my kayaks regularly and I am continuing in this spirit. The Tarpon 120 was the start and I have managed to swap one of my other kayaks for a Tarpon 100 I owned about three years ago. I have longed missed that kayak and I was glad this week to be able to own it again. To check out the Tarpons in my fleet click on the My Fishing Kayaks tab above. Today I added a Mantra Palani to the fleet, this kayak will be rigged for fishing in the coming weeks. The Mantra Palani is available as a complete fishing package including five rod holders, seat and paddle for under a thousand dollars. Mantra Kayaks are new to the Kayak Fishing Scene in Australia and they have at least three kayaks that are ideal for kayak fishing in their range, as well as a few others that are suitable for family kayaking fun. All Mantra kayaks are value for money offering complete kayaking packages including seat and paddle ranging from five hundred and seventy to eleven hundred dollars. Check out a Slideshow of my Mantra Palani showing closeups and features below
Craig from Adventure Outlet on the Gold Coast is now selling a new range of kayaks, Mantra Kayaks. There are some great kayaks in the range. All are paddle kayaks with two or three of them being suitable for full on kayak fishing and have all the common features that we all look for in a good fishing kayak; Stablity, Storage Space, Ability to customise and Fishability. The Mantra Noa is a fishing kayak suitable for small rivers, creeks and estuaries. Measuring at 270 centermetres long it would be ideal as a bassing/estuary kayak in the often tight and shallow areas we venture to catch fish. The Noa has a respectable carrying capacity of one hundred and fifty kilograms and is only twenty kilos in weight. Although I have not had a close inspection of this kayak, on paper I do like the two massive hinged hatches, one near the seat and one at the front of the kayak. Rod holders are abundant on the kayak as well with four flushmounts in total and an adjustable rod holder on the console. There is a rear well although not huge it would be suitable for a small esky or crate. Available in four colours and with a package price which includes seat and paddle of $698, this kayak is great value for money. Kayak alone is $599. All Mantra Kayaks come with a two year warranty as well. For more information on the Mantra Noa go here.
 The Mantra Noa The Mantra Palani is a four metre kayak and is in the class of kayaks that most of us prefer to fish from as a four metre kayak is generally an allround kayak suitable for most if not all fishing destinations. The Palani is four hundred and two centermetres long, seventy nine centermetres wide and weighs thirty two kilograms with a weight capacity of one hundred and eighty kilograms. It features two hatches, one in the seated area being a hinged hatch and one up the front of the kayak with it being a push on rubber hatch. Both of these hatches are large allowing easy access to the area inside the hull. The centre hatch is hinged to the side and might at a push allow a rod to stowed inside the kayak. The Palani has five rod holders as well, four flush mounts and one adjustable rod holder on the console. Behind the seat is a square sealed compartment which could be used as a small livewell, I reckon it would be good for keeping alive a few small poddy mullet or a few freshly pumped yabbies and further back is a large rear well with bungee straps. Recently while at a kayak fishing demo day I did get a paddle of this kayak and I have to say I was most impressed, stabilty, glide and easily obtained speed was qualities that come to mind when I think back to my paddle of this kayak. Also the seat would have to be one of the more comfortable seats I have used in the kayak, very impressive. Available in four great colours. A package price is offered with this kayak including a seat and paddle of $958. Kayak alone is $859. As stated above all Mantra Kayaks come with a two year warranty.. For more information on the Mantra Palani go here.  The Mantra Palani
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