Hobie has a hole and I have neoprene rash

I have fished for 40 years but I still keep discovering I have much more to learn about fishing, especially kayak fishing. Last week while salmon fishing from my Hobie on the Willamette, I noticed that the kayak was acting unstable. Instead of remaining flat in the water, it was wobbling as I moved side to side. I opened the hatch in front of my seat and discovered the Hobie had about four inches of water.

I would later discover I had a tear in one of my scupper holes (click here to see a video of the tear on the kayakflyangler Youtube Channel). What I guessed happened was that the cart slipped down while I was unloading the kayak and got bound up in the scupper hole. I did some research and found out that Hobie's current cart has a pin system that keeps the cart in the scupper hole until the cart needs to be removed from the scupper holes. This was not something that was part of my original design.

My new design includes this design element. And, with the reinforced scupper holes and the new design, I anticipate I will not have the same problem that caused the tear. I have included some photos of the new design. I am also working on video that shows how I load and unload my Hobie and some of the tricks I use as well as how the new cart design works.


Part 2 - Neoprene rash
I spent the morning fishing for salmon near the inlet of Swan Island on the Willamette River. After a couple hours of pedaling, I noticed my knees were burning from what I could determine, was the neoprene rubbing against my pants. This was the first long trip (more than five continuous hours) pedaling the Hobie. When I finally got back to the ramp and took off the neoprenes, I found the skin pealing off my knee in a couple places. A little Arnica and the healing is underway.

I will need to figure out how to solve this, especially if I head to the ocean. My breathable waders should do better but they won't be as warm if I fall in. Well, more to learn and discover.

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