
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.