Raptor home!

Got back yesterday from a scatter-sis-in-law's ashes trip to Big Sur/Cambria, and stopped in Watsonville to buy a Santa Cruz Kayak Co. Raptor from Jim Martin. Great guy, and a great guy to do business with.
My new yak is sitting out on the front deck just waiting to be messed with and gotten wet. It feels soooo good to be back in the yak fishing game.
Now let's see, a milk crate with rod holders, some bungee, some Scotty flush mount stuff, an anchor (should be a snap considering the unique stern configuration of the Raptor) ... oh yeah, and that pesky Oregon Marine Board invasive species permit ....

Man, that's a sexy boat. I've been wanting to find a place that demos them.


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I have a demo of his sit in side in Seattle if anyone wants to borrow it for a weekend let me know.

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Demo can sure be arranged here in the Rogue Valley ...

 

That is a sexy boat!  FG, how's it handle the surf landings?

Can you picture that boat in black?

"To that Bat Yak Robbin!"

that's a sweet looking ride. it looks so solid I wanna hit it with a bat.

are you gonna drill into the rod pod lookin thing to mount the rod holders? can't wait I see pics of the upgrades

Maverick: My plan is to mount a FF on the rib between the gear pod and the forward hatch, and a rod holder on the right side forward of my paddle stroke. I had two lumbar disks replaced in late February, and I am still a bit less than keen on bending way forward -- at least until the vertebrae fuse.
One thing have I noticed is that while I may not be able to get my paddle into the "hold," I can slide a 9'6" fly rod into the hold without breaking it down. Awesome!

That is a Sweet ride, What was the take home final price? I spent alot of time in Santa Cruz and Still call it home,and I've seen and Built some Nice Boats there.. That Yum yum yellow looks good too..Wonder how that would do with a OB on it..

That is a sexy boat!  FG, how's it handle the surf landings?

Can you picture that boat in black?

"To that Bat Yak Robbin!"

YES!!


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JG: Sent you a PM.
First mod was to add a Scotty flush mount, easily done using the excellent tutorial in the Drillin' and Cuttin' forum:

Got the boat on the water briefly today. Let me say the Raptor is unbelievably stable compared to my first kayak, an OK T-13 Prowler. This is only my second kayak, and I have not yet been in the salt, so judge my comments by my limited experience. Still, I was able stand up in this pretty easily. My wife, who has perhaps a lifetime total of one hour in kayaks, was so comfortable and confident that I thought she was going to paddle out of sight in it.
As you can imagine, this design also tracks like a dream. We only had light breezes today, but the thing just kept chugging in a straight line with very little correction. I was concerned it might be slow to start, and very difficult to turn. Neither was the case. It won't be the fastest yak in the fishing fleet, but it got moving very nicely. And I found it easier to turn or reverse course in than I expected.
Another plus is the shallow draft, especially at the nose, which makes it pretty easy to drive far enough ashore to avoid getting wet.
Casting a fly from this platform while seated was pretty easy. The Werner Skagit 230 cm paddle was a perfect match for the boat.
I'll post up some more when I have more time on the water with this jewel.
Oh, and if it looks like I am straining a bit carrying the yak one-handed, I did have recent back surgery, so give an aging baby boomer a break ..
;-)