THE TRAILER HAS ARRIVED - 3 x P.A'S POSSIBLE

It is finally here, the trailer I have been swooning over (In my mind).

Danny at Resort Trailers did a great job, especially given the multiple questions I asked over and over again. Its a high side 7' x 4' custom rack with a mammoth drawbar. With both front and rear fold down gates it was designed to carry three Pro Anglers (Or multiple other models) to and from ABT/SSBS tournaments up and down the east coast. I am pretty new to the whole trailer game so was surprised how well it seemed to tow with a full load.

The beauty of this size trailer is it tracks almost identicaly to my Subaru Forester, the main reason with sticking to 7' x 4' (And not going, say 8' x 5' instead). Perfect for sojourns down the coast and also strong my kayaks permanently when at home. Its had a few 400km + outings and even a 4wd all terrain adventure and has not skipped a beat (Except for the smashed left front wing, eh? - ed).

Not everything went to plan with this build, but the issues were very minor and fixed myself. Firstly the rack sat dead flat on the high sides (Good) but the Pro Anglers seat was just a tad to high for bottom tray loading (Bad). Couple of 40 x 40 box steel cut offs, some elongated bolts and a lick of paint allowed me to prop it up enough for one to fit (A small oversight on my behalf). The upshot is the solid sides can now breathe, essential for those cross winds that pushed it round on its maiden voyage.

I mounted a utility box on the draw bar, clear of the swinging jerry/tyre carrier and the car when jacking (Can go close to 90 degrees). Next and final steps is to sort some kind of canopy/tarp and pole system for shade and camping comfort (Edit - done and done). The pictures dont do this trailer justice but they do however paint the picture (Minus the trailers spare wheel mount and a few odds and ends).

Maybe now I can finish working on my car, rather than constantly checking for damage and washing saltwater off the roof. Maybe now those journeys to Forster with three kayaks and three cars will be compacted into one, saving time, logistics and most importantly money....

Massive road trip anybody?

DAIWA - HOBIE BASS KAYAK SERIES EVENTS 2011

(Information taken from http://www.bream.com.au)

Kayak anglers now have a bass tournament series designed especially for them. Run in conjunction with two of the Blue Fin Boats BASS Electric rounds anglers have the opportunity to fish two of south east Queensland’s and northern NSW’s premier bass fisheries, Lake Macdonald and Clarrie Hall Dam, in this inaugural catch and release bass fishing series.

Entry will be on the day of the event with a catchphotograph-release format similar to the BARRA and Flathead events deciding the champions for 2011. Visit australianbass.com.au and hobiefishing.com.au for more information.

Daiwa-Hobie BASS Kayak Events - $50 per day of competition, Pro – additional $50 cash

Tournament Calender can be downloaded from the link below:

http://www.bream.com.au/abt/2011/Calendar11.pdf

TANDEM A.I TAKES OUT REC. BOAT OF THE YEAR

Hobie Mirage Tandem Island wins Sailing Worlds Best Rec. Boat of the Year

(Information supplied by Steve Fields, original posting by sailingworld.com)

Now in its 25th year, Sailing World's Boat of the Year contest continues to deliver the most anticipated awards in the sailboat-building industry. Topping this year’s field of winners at the overall Boat of the Year is the RS100 by RS Sailing (U.K).

Other winners in Sailing World’s 2011 Boat of the Year competition are:

• Best Crossover: Beneteau First 30 (Beneteau USA, Marion, S.C.)
• Best One-Design Keelboat: J/111 (J/Boats Inc., Newport, R.I.)
• Best Daysailor: C.W. Hood 32 (C.W. Hood Yachts, Marblehead, Mass.)
• Best Recreational: Hobie Mirage Tandem Island (Hobie Cat Co., Oceanside,Calif.)
• Best Grand Prix: Gunboat 66 (Gunboat, Newport, R.I.)

Images of Sailing World testing the Tandem Island can be seen at:

http://www.sailingworld.com/gallery/sailboats/boat-of-the-year/hobie-mirage.

Sailing Worlds Boat of the Year article can be found at:

http://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/boat-of-the-year/announcing-i-sw-i-s-2011-boat-of-the-year-winners

Tandem Island:

http://www.hobiecat.com.au/sailing/tandem-island/

DAIWA-HOBIE ABT R4 TWEED RIVER 5/12/10

Round 4 of the Daiwa Hobie Kayak Series heads to the Tweed River this Sunday for another Bream bashing bonanza. Reports from the area show water temperatures rising, indicating a hectic days fishing. With entrants vying for three Grand Final qualifying spots and cash and prizes its gonna be tough. The Tweed River is steeped in Bream fishing tournament history and if the past is anything to go on this arena will be set to become a permanent fixture on the ABT Kayak Fishing circuit.

For more information check out the details below:

http://www.bream.com.au/abt/2010/Tweed10.pdf

December
5th R4- Tweed River 3 GF spots 1 Day Event

January
23rd R5- Bemm River 3 GF spots 1 Day Event

February
13th R6- Hopkins River 3 GF spots 1 Day Event
27th R7- St Helens 3 GF spots 1 Day Event

March
12-13th R8- Forster 3 GF spots 2 Day Event
26-27th R9- Albany (WA ST) 5 GF spots 2 Day Event

April
2-3rd R10- Marlo ( VIC ST) 5 GF spots 2 Day Event

May
8th R11- Clarence 3 GF spots 1 Day Event – Sunday

June
11-12th R12- Narrabeen Lakes 3 GF spots 2 Day Event

July
2-3rd R13- Redcliffe (QLD ST) 5 GF spots 2 Day Event

August
13-14th R14- St Georges Basin (NSW ST) 5 GF spots 2 Day Event

September
17-18th R15- Westlakes 3 GF spots 2 Day Event

October
29-30th Hobie GF (Port Macquarie) 2 Day Event

For more information, please click here

YAK FISHER MAGAZINE #52 (SUMMER EDITION)

Issue #52 summer edition of Sport Fishing Australia (Incorporating YAK Fisher) is out in stores now, just in time for the onset of seasonal change. The Sport Fishing Australia section features many top articles from seasoned sport fishing journalists such as Jason Metcalf, Shane Mensforth, Brent Hodges, Roderick Walmsley, Nigel Webster, Lee Brake, Daniel Kent just to name a few.

YAK Fisher Kayaking Magazine has Yak news, Tournament results, dedicated Kayak test rundowns and also features many articles by industry stalwarts covering new products / innovations / gear reviews. The summer Issue includes Tassie East Coast Bream, Kayaking the Herbert River Pt2, DIY Electronics, Poppin and fizzin for Bass, Yak reviews, Tallowa Dam (By yours truly) and much, much more.

Available at all good newsagents or by subscription,

http://www.afn.com.au/cms/details.asp?NewsID=114