A new life for a classic kayak

 Hello my name is Dan, and I'm a Kayakaholic....   For those that don't know this about me, I tend to have a soft spot for old kayaks and canoes. There have been so many incredible designs over the years that went out of production and fallen by the wayside. Kayaks like the Necky Looksha Sport, Mariner Coaster, Perception Super Sport, Scupper Pro, etc have always held a place in my heart. So when a guy came in with an old beat up Necky Dolphin to sell at the swap, the kayak geek in me jumped at the opportunity to buy it. $150 for a kayak like this was to good to pass up. I have always thought of the Dolphin as a real paddlers Kayak. It responds well to edging, it surfs like a dream, has good capacity for touring, and in the right hands and with leg straps it can even be rolled. I thought fixing up and rigging an old kayak like this would be a fun project and something fun to blog about, but more than that I thought it would help pay tribute to the angers, and the kayaks that came before us. So fallow along as I revamp my Dolphin into my version of the ultimate coastal exploration/ fishing craft! 

Your idea's and input are welcome and encouraged. Thanks for participating. In fact the first question I'm facing is weather to do a Rudder Kit, or just Have a metal skeg that drops down. Any thoughts?


Here are a few before shots.   

Here is the cockpit. 

Beautiful lines, Ugly boat :)

Looks like some rental numbers on the side. Lots of sun damage on the hull and all the buckles. 

Here are a few updates!

New side carry handles

Sea Dog Foot Braces and accessory tracks.

Yak Attack Pan Fish with Go Pro mount. 

Lots more to do and lots of great ideas. Check back soon to see the progress. As always please submit ideas in the comments section below! Thanks.


Update 3/29 Seat is now complete. I used the back band out of a Necky Vector. The seat dropped right in and only took 4 bolts to secure it nicely to the yak. I used a Valley Sea Kayaks pad for my bum.

Clean and updated! 

Bungee Keeps the seat nice and upright.

Cockpit is almost complete! 

3/30
Time for the fun part. Today we installed some of the fishing gear including, rod tip covers, Hummingbird fish finder, tackle box and more. Check out these photos.

We took a blow torch to the kayak today to clean up all the scratches and loose burs. Its amazing how nice it came out. 

Simple Bungees hold on the tackle box. 

Couple of rod holders mounted to the tackle box makes for an adaptable ride. 

Shot of the rod tip cover I installed off of a Jackson Cuda. This allows me to store my rods flat on the deck and keeps them from getting snagged on thules and low hanging trees. Also you can see the Mad Frog transducer arm sticking down. 

The Hummingbird was a super clean install thanks to the Yak Attack Mighty Mount and Screwball. The whole fish finder and transducer can be taken off in a matter of minutes and all you have is a small black plate. Props to Yak Attack for thinking outside the box! 

I also added a deck bag strait off of  a Necky Vector 13. This made for clean easy storage on the deck and a place to store my extra transducer wire. 

Another shot of the upgrades we did today. Not finished yet, but getting closer. 

March 31 - April 1st 

I took the new and improved Dolphin up to a Fish and Chill Weekend in Redding with the North Valley Slayers kayak fishing club. The first day we hit Whiskeytown Lake and the second day we floated the Sacramento River from the Sundial Bridge to South Bonniview boat launch. The first day I had it rigged with the fish finder and scotty rod holder on the front for trolling. Everything worked great except for the lack of fish. The lay out was simple clean and easy to use and work around. I never felt as if I was hitting my gear with the paddle or snagging my poles on stuff. The kayak was fast and spunky. It handled great in the wind and I did not feel the need for a rudder. 

Day two on the Sac River I set it up for river fishing. No depth finder and instead of rods and nets sticking up I used the rod stagers and tip cover to stow my rods, and tilted my Scotty Rodmasters low and out the back to hold my net. I also was sure to lash everything down to ensure nothing got lost in the case of a capsize. I actually tested this out just to make sure everything was going to work like I planned. The whole deck layout was secure and easy to get back into. As far as the boat goes, all I can say is WOW! This things rocks! This is the first sit on top that I felt I could paddle like I would in my sea kayak. It caught eddies with ease, surfed anything and everything. The bow is incredible while in a wave. It never dove or shot off corse. Even without thigh straps I was able to do some pretty bumpy water and even make it look stylish. The cockpit fit is so secure. I may be going over board with this statement, but if I had to choose only one kayak to paddle I think this would be it. Thank God I don't have to choose! 

Here are some photos from our trip. 

Such a beautiful Lake. Great moment in the AM. 

Loving the look of this new yak! 

End of the day! 

Happy paddler.

Here are the shots from the Sacramento River Float. 

Epic place to fish

My river set up. 

Surfing the river! 

Sitting side saddle. 

Lining up to surf a wave under the Cypress bridge. 

The roughest water of the day was this boily hole below the Cypress bridge. 

Great day great boat.

One last thing! Major thanks to Rich at Snap Dragon Designs for these custom hatch covers. This boat is BONE DRY after hours of play on the river.