How to Pick the Perfect Kayak

I'm sorry to be the one to say it. Well... not really.

For you new guys, the lurkers and quizzers, the ones wanting to get into kayak fishing or just kayaking in general, the perfect kayak does not exist.

For you kayak fishing vets, not all of you but some of you, stop telling them Kayak XR34 is the best in the world and you have to have one or you'll be sorry!

I get it. You love your kayak. You think it's the best. And here's the thing: For you it might be!

But let it be said once and for all, there is no perfect kayak for all people in all situations.

People with a bad back will need a lighter kayak or a trailer. People with only $400 to spend can't afford the Hobie Pro Angler 14 so stop suggesting it.

People who want a river boat may not want the Native Mariner. Especially in low water conditions.

I get it. You are loyal to your favorite brand. That's good. Please understand however, not all kayaks fit all people and situations the way it might fit you.

To grow the sport the most important thing we can do is encourage people to demo as many boats as possible. Sure, you might encourage a certain brand. I think we all do but please, whenever possible, don't encourage someone to buy a kayak "dry". If a person has never been in a kayak and you are encouraging them to buy the XR34, you are rushing. Asking lifestyle questions will lead you to only a handful of kayaks to choose from.

Hey, new guy! Does it seem overwhelming picking your first kayak? I've been there. I bought the only one I could afford. It got me on the water and that was good but it could be very frustrating and I almost died once because of a bad choice of a kayak. Please new guy, be patient. We understand you are super excited to try this cool sport out. We love it too but we have all made different mistakes. I made a really bad one that almost pushed me out of kayak fishing all together.

I purchased a kayak, sight unseen, dry with no demo about five years ago. It was such a good deal I couldn't believe it. So I bought it. Later that week I took it for its maiden voyage and almost turtled a dozen times. I hated that kayak. I felt like I was fighting it the whole time. It was awful and I sold it a month later and lost money. Since then I have purchased several kayaks for different purposes. I have a small water/buddy kayak, a big water kayak, and a family kayak (tandem). All three are different brands. I like them all and they have different purposes. For anyone to tell me that I could get all of my wants in one kayak would seem a fairy tale and frankly, unrealistic. I fish a wide variety of situations. Most people do.

If you only fish one set of ponds or one stretch of river, you might could find one kayak that works well and it could be perfect for you. That doesn't make it perfect for your buddy or that new guy on the forum.

Lots of places around the country have kayak dealers who specialize in kayaks, not just a bait store or grocery store that sells them. Ask them for a demo. Most of these places have people on staff who specialize in kayak fishing and who have paddled all the different brands they carry.Take a look around and see what you can find. If you still don't see a dealer in site, ask on the local fishing forum. Lots of people would be happy to let you try their kayak. I take new people out all the time just to share the kayaking experience with them.

So new guys, demo, demo, demo. Only you can choose for you.

Kayak addicts, encourage them to demo. Don't just be a boat pusher.

Thinking About a Small Business? Start Here.

Supporting small businesses is important to me. Those dollars you give for that product don't go to fund a yacht; they pay for dance lessons for a daughter or the new alternator on the truck. These folks work hard. They deserve a look when you're in the market. They will be the ones who answer the phone if you have a problem with the product down the road. It's hard and almost near impossible to get that with larger companies. A special mention to some of my friends in small business at Mariner Sails, Hag's Tornado Baits, YakAttack, HOOK1, Papa Chops Rod and Reel Repairand SuperNova Fishing Lights.

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You probably know a small business owner. Heck, you may know several. According to the Small Business Association, America is experiencing a significant rise in small business, cottage industry startups. Unlike the dotcom boom of the 1990s to early 2000s, these are typically not money grab startups. Most of the small businesses that are cropping up are about passion. Whether it's a rod making business, shirt printer, custom lures or fishing accessories, new businesses enter the marketplace everyday. You've probably been asked to "Like" a Facebook page for some of them. You've probably bought some of their stuff because it's a new twist on a technique or look. Not all will succeed however.

Lots of these companies start as or maybe still are garage start-ups. All the money they make is poured back into the business and sometimes the owners work another job to supplement it. They believe in their idea that much. They like to have quality control close at hand because the name on the package is a direct reflection on them. But passion is not enough. Lots of passionate people fail.

A good business plan will go a long way. After successfully selling a couple of products, a savvy owner will do a return on investment calculation (and many already have done a predictive ROI before the first sell). If it takes 10 hours and $24 worth of materials to make a rod and you sell it for $44 you may be "making" $20 but you are also only paying yourself $2 an hour. If you are after money, you can make almost four times that working a side job at the minimum wage. If it's a hobby and the money isn't important that might work. Just breaking even is enough for some folks. Only you can decide. If you are looking at expanding past a hobby business where you are the only labor cost, this model will fail.

Price point is another make or break. Entering the marketplace at the right tier level can set you up for success or failure. Have some outside sources, not your best friends and fishing buddies, give you a valuation. How much would they pay for this new bait? What companies would they compare it to? You need to know your competition. If I pour a plastic worm that looks like a Yamamoto Senko and sell it for the same price, will people buy it? Doubtful. Why not by the proven bait at that price. If it cost half, then you might get some looks. Even Yamamoto does this. He has his signature GYCB at the $6-8 price point and then the Kinami line that is a couple of dollars cheaper. He is offering product at different price points.

Volume is also important. If you sell expensive items, you'll move fewer but will have more money per transaction. Basically, you may only have to sell a couple of products to collect $1,000. If you sell $3 crankbaits, you may sell lots of them but you will need to sell over 300 to hit the $1,000 mark. It just depends on the product.

Understanding the customer is perhaps the least known entity in business today. Just because you cater to fishermen does not mean they are all the same. More specifically, it doesn't mean they all purchase products the same. The market is made up of three different types of customers. I won't go into great detail here but I'll give you some high level info.

Let's start with Bobby. Bobby is a young guy, usually between 18-29, single with some disposable income. He likes new things.

Next is Joe. Joe is the most common customer. He is 25-55, usually married and middle class. Joe works hard for his money. He likes new things but does his research, sometimes to his detriment, on new products.

Last is Terry. Terry is 30-65, married or single, but makes his own money decisions. If he wants to make a purchase, he does so without asking anyone else. Terry is typically middle to upper middle class if not wealthy.

All three of these customers can overlap in some areas. Some Terry customers will be a little older. Some Bobby customers will be older as well. Joe, however, is pretty standard across the board. In most markets across the US, Joe will be 65% of your purchases (once he finally decides to buy).

As a small business owner, you should know how to sell, market and advertise to these different customers. All three of these types have female counterparts too (Ashley, Mary and Karen respectively). The same strategy rarely works for all 3 (or 6) customers. Knowing how to present your product to each one, differently, will allow you to close more purchases.

  If you want to know more, shoot me an email or a Facebook message. It is a ton of info so be prepared. Maybe a seminar is in order. Hmmmm.

Not all small businesses will make it but if you know and execute these strategies, you'll have a much better chance.

Passion.
Business Plan.
Volume Expectations.
Knowing Your Customer.

Do you know/have all of them?

Replacing a Broken Wilderness Systems Seat Back

Sometimes parts break. Pictured below is the seat from my Wilderness Systems Commander 140. Moving back and forth from the Captain's Perch to the seat I didn't pay enough attention and a couple of times flopped down on the seat back instead of the seat and it eventually took its toll. I blame myself. When you don't pay attention and get in a hurry, stuff can break. My Commander doesn't qualify for warranty and I didn't see much in the way of tutorials of replacing a broken seat back so I figured, what the heck. I ordered the parts from harmonygear.com and the next day it was sitting on my door step. I ordered the seat back and the cover for it. Total with shipping was less than $25. The back offered as a replacement is bigger which I thought was a nice bonus.  To do this, reusing hardware you'll need a flat head screwdriver and a Phillips head screwdriver. That's it.

My broken seat back

The first thing you need to do is get the seat back adjustment straps loose. On the front of the seat near the corners are two Phillips head bolts. They are holding the straps in place. They will have a washer on each side and a lock nut. Remove and save these parts.

The front connection point for one of the straps

The lock nut and washer holding the strap

Make sure you save these parts

Now you have the seat back loosened from the front and if it's broken, it's completely loose. Now you need to pull the straps through the back of the rest. You will be removing the adjustment strap and the bungee. Hang on to these as well.

Seat back removed with straps still in

The straps once removed with bungee

Now you need to remove the connection point where the back connects to the seat base. You can do it with a flat headed screw driver. On the right hand side is a plug and spring that will retract with some pressure. It's like the spring loaded toilet paper holders. The left side is stationary and won't move. Put a little pressure moving inward with the screwdriver and pull it out and away from the base. Be careful because the spring inside will make a run for it. Save the plug end and spring as well.

The plug and spring with pressure being applied

The plug and spring you need to save

The old seat back now completely removed

The seat base free of the back

The new seat back on the left

At this point you should have only invested about three minutes in this process. It's time to put the new back on! You will need to lay the seat back facing down with the molded pivot point to the left. Take the tightening straps and the bungee and thread the through with the loose ends coming out of the back of the seat back.

Straps threaded through

Now you'll want to put the cover on the seat back. Make sure the pivot point goes through the strap so it will be behind the seat.

Cover now on the seat back

Carefully place the spring and plug from the old seat into the new seat back and pop the seat back into the seat base. Once you do that you'll want to loosen the seat back straps as much as possible and then reconnect them to the base using the bolts, nuts and washers you saved earlier.

Inserting the spring and plug

Loosening the straps for reattachment

Straps reattached

Tighten the straps a bit and attach the bungees and voila! You did it.

Finished seat with new back