Pimp My Kayak

This summer I'm taking a 3 night kayak adventure with 3 of my best friends. So, I bought a kayak.

I decided to get the most inexpensive kayak I could find that was capable of making a journey through class I, II, and III rapids, could serve as a fishing kayak for the small lake we live next to and navigate Indiana rivers, small lakes, and creeks for fishing.

I purchased the Potomac 100 ES at Dick's Sporting Goods. I got it on sale and used two $10 off coupons. Then, I got an inexpensive, mid-length paddle.

Not one to have a run-of-the-mill boat, I decided to "Pimp My Kayak" for the purpose of fishing and additional gear for a mid-length trip of 3-4 days.

Item	Cost	Source
Kayak	$159	Dick's Sporting Goods (w/ coupons)
Angler Kit - includes anchor, 2 flush mount rod holders, 1 anchor cleat, 1 Scott rod holder	$42	yak-gear
Marine Goop	$5	Menard's - paint / adhesive section
Anchor Trolley	2 caribiners - $2 1 O-ring = $1 1 pulley = $1.50 50' yellow cord - $3	Menard's - boating section
Folding Paddle Clips	$8	yak-gear
1 Scotty rod holder (baitcaster)	$15	Gander Mountain
Rigging Kit - 4 pad eyes, 4 bungee terminals, 4 j-hooks, 8' 1/4" bungee	$9.99	Bonanza - rats502
220 cm Paddle	$35	Dick's Sporting Goods
6 3/8" pad eye packet	$2	Bass Pro Shops
2 Bungee Clips	$1	Bass Pro Shops
Washers, Machine Screws, Zip Ties, Nuts I had on hand

Rear Storage Access

The Potomac 100 ES is a little light on storage space out-of-the-box, so I first cut out the bottom of the rear storage bin so I could access the internal storage behind the seat.

Tools: Ruler, Sharpie, hacksaw blade, utility knife

I marked a dotted line 1 3/4 inches above the base of the hatch with the Sharpie, then scored it with the utility knife so my hacksaw blade would have an easier time tracking. I cut all the way through on one side about two inches long with the utility knife so I could get through.

Then, I hacksawed it all the way around until it was out. The hole wasn't perfect but it is good enough.

I would have rather used a dremel or drill cutter to get through it but I didn't have those tools and I'm doing this all "on the cheap".

Rear Flush Mount, 45 Degree Angle Rod Holders

I purchased the Angler Kit from Yak Gear with 1 pound grapnel anchor and Scotty Rod Holder for $45. The Marine Goop came from Menards in the paint and adhesive section.

Tools: Sharpie, Drill, Drill Bit, Jigsaw, Marine Goop, 6 nuts, 6 bolts

I first sat in the kayak and made sure that where I intended to put the two rod holders would not interfere with my stroke when rods were in them. I also wanted to angle them to the side so that I could still navigate narrower inlets and streams, as well as see the rods out of the corner of my eye while trolling. So, I angled them to the back of the kayak some.

Then off to work!

1. I cut out the ovular pattern provided and positioned it where I wanted my rod. I marked the spot with a red Sharpie. Then, I drilled a pilot hole for my jigsaw with my drill using a 3/8 inch bit.

2. Cut hole with your jigsaw.


3. Repeated #1 and #2 for the other hole. I made sure to clean the surface and remove all the burrs from the holes. This is important for a watertight seal.

4. I played around with the rod holder in the hole- you'll have quite a bit of movement available here so don't worry about cutting the ovular hole perfectly in line with the direction you ultimately decide them to point.

I got my marine goop ready!

Once aligned I used a sharpie to mark where the screws would mount the rod holder to the kayak and drilled them out with a 5/16" bit. I'll be mounting mine with machine screw, nut, and washer on the back side.




5. I slathered marine goop all over the rod holder and put some IN the mounting holes I just drilled. No water leakage is the goal!




6. Insert the rod holder into your hole and align it with the holes, then insert the screw into the top and screw it into the kayak with enough thread exposed to thread the nut and washer on the back end.

Your hands will get goopy. It's ok.

Using a screwdriver and wrench, hand tighten each bolt. Don't overtighten. Snug but not stressed.

Wipe up the excess goop with a wet paper towel or rag.



Flip-Down Paddle Clips

I bought the flip down clips because I wanted the clips to interfere with my paddle stroke as little as possible. I figure they are less likely to tangle fishing lines as well if they are out of the way.

First thing I did was decide which side I wanted to store the paddle on. I picked the right side because I'm righthanded and need to make sure the paddle is accessible as easily as possible if I need to grab it. I intend to put the most often-used Scotty rod holder to my front left for holding a pole for up-front trolling and wanted a pole in the way as few times as possible when storing the paddle as well.

First thing was to make sure the clips would be out of the paddle stroke area. I sat in the kayak and made sure my stroke would not go over the clip. I endured good-natured cajoling from my wife in the process as I sat in the garage pretending to be kayaking.

I marked the general spot up front and in back. I made doubly sure there would be no stroke interference. I'll be on some whitewater after all and need maneuverability.

I tested the location with clips on my paddle and held into place while I pretended to do stuff in the kayak. Thick skin for the cajoling was again needed.

1. I lined the holes up with a straight edge. (the flexible edge of my tape measure worked well)

2. I marked the holes with a sharpie.

Front: Back:


3. Drilled out the marked holes, then dabbed some Marine Goop on them.

4. Put some goop on the bottom of the base, put the clip into the base, then screwed the entire assembly into the kayak using screwdriver and wrench. I made it hand tight - snug but not stressed.

Scotty Rod Holders


The Scotty Rod holder placement is important. I wanted easy access to their poles, no paddle stroke interference, the best deck access I could get up front, and a secure mount. Securely mounting these, given their large surface area, required me to angle them up the contour of the kayak. A slight loss of deck access but better to have a secure mount. Repositioning the mounts causes quite a bit of stress on the kayak structure so I didn't want anything bent or compromised over time.

1. I removed the rod holder and positioned the base where I wanted it. Then, I drilled through with the drill. My sharpies weren't long enough to mark a spot for a cleaner drill through and pattern.

My holes left some plastic on the inside so I cut the excess off with my utility knife. This worked very well for nice, clean holes.



2. I mounted the rod holder base to the kayak. I put a little goop in each hole, the edges of the rod holder base, and then attached them with the machine screw, nut, and washer. Make sure your washers will be flush once fully screwed down. I had to find some smaller washers to fit the space, but generally bigger is better with the washers.



3. I let the assembly cure for a while before reattaching the rod holders.



All done! Clean up the excess goop :)

Stern Deck Rigging
The stern area did not have any rigging so I elected to add some. I'd like to be able to put a deck bag, dry bag, crate, or other gear behind me.

First you need to have your design determined including where the rigging will go, what type of connectors you'll use, and the diameter of your bungee.

I went with 1/4" bungee, four pad eyes on the ends, and two j hooks in the middle. I determined to attach the rigging to either end with bungee clips for easier reconfiguration for larger, heavier loads. (It's best to put larger, heavier loads on the back if you cannot get it in the middle of the kayak.)

What's the process for installing rigging connectors?
For attaching hardware, I use machine screws, washers, and nuts where possible as opposed to rivets. It's stronger and easier to fix if it gets loose. Rivets require drilling out and can more easily bend or deform. I also use marine goop.

First, lay out all the connectors according to your design.

Mark each hole you need to drill with a sharpie. Deburr each hole.

Put goop in the holes and on surface contacts, then attach with the hardware. Give each connector some time to cure before putting a load on it so the goop can cure.

Finally, run the cord through the loops and attach. I used a simple square not to attach two cords.


Here's my completed stern rigging.



Bow Deck Rigging

I chose to reconfigure the bow rigging by extending it all the way to the end. I cut the bungee cords already attached to the kayak where they were connected in the middle of the bow and reused the holes. I couldn't reach underneath to use washers, bolts, and nuts, so I used rivets for them. I reused the existing j-hooks that are by the cockpit.

I had a piece of bungee left over from the stern rigging that I spliced into the original bow bungee using two square knots. Now I have more storage and bungee on the bow deck.

Anchor Kit
Now it's time to install the anchor kit!

First thing I did was find a place for the anchor cleat. It needed to be close to the cockpit, somewhere sturdy and flat, yet out of the way of my paddle stroke. Also, it needed to be on the side with less casting action which in my case is on my left side - also away from the paddle clips. Port will be the side the trolley needs to go on anyways since the paddle would interfere with its operation.

The anchor cleat was easy to install. Drill a couple holes, slather on the goop, then attach with hardware.



Anchor Trolley
I bought a bunch of inexpensive hardware to build the anchor trolley. The anchor needs to be port side so it can operate freely and be next to the cleat.

The trolley is completely removable and is attached between the bow's handle and the eyelet I installed behind my flush mount rod holder.

First, I created a double-looped bungee tied to itself with a square knot at each connection point. This helps cushion the kayak when anchored so you're not getting jerked around.

Clip a carabiner to each bungee loop.

Attach a 1/4" pulley to the bow's carabiner. (I'm using 1/4" rope.)

Run your rope. I'm using inexpensive, yellow, 1/4" neoprene rope.

Run your line through the stern's carabiner, through the 2" O Ring, then through the pulley at the bow. Bring it back to the O Ring and make sure you've got an extra foot or so.

Now's the fun part: Playing with fire and zip ties.

Loop the rope through the O Ring and double it up. Measure out your rope - a little slack is ok then cut it.

Put two zip ties on each side of the O Ring, partially zipped down - not all the way tight - loose enough to move over the doubled rope.

Melt a portion of the doubled up rope close to the O Ring using a lighter. Then, quickly move your zip tie over the spot and cinch it down tightly. Use your lighter to heat up the area where the zip tie is cinched down. This will fuse it all together and make for a very strong connection.

Do this four times of course - two times on each side.

We now have our trolley line hooked up! It can easily be detached when we don't want to use it.

Finally we have pimped our kayak!!!