Post by Admin on Sept 27, 2012 15:18:59 GMT
posted by philpot
Let me start by saying the Big Game is not my best loved kayak but it has something quite special, MASSIVE STABILITY.
She sits at 12' 4'' and 34'' wide so not the quickest kayak out there. The BG is an amazing fishing platform with huge storage space and a carrying capacity of 272kg so even my weight is taken care of.
Have had both Tarpon and Manta Ray 12' kayaks, the BG leaves both for dead for stability. The Manta Ray is in my mind the best polyethylene kayak that money can buy in terms of comfort and sea keeping qualities but lacks storage places.
The BG has storage pod in the centre between your legs which is a shallow tray although a little far forward compared to the Tridents and especially the 4.3/4.7 ultras but as you can shuffle well forward without affecting stability is still useful. My BG had a hatch located directly in front of the seat. In my opinion, this optional rectangular hatch is a poor design and I have replaced it with a sheet of 6mm plastic and a round hatch from Mazzif kayaks which really is good.
The other important thing with a BG is the need for a rudder. These kayaks do need a rudder as they are not the best at tracking. Mine was completely fitted out by Robin Hood Watersports for the original owner and what a mess they made of it. I had to reposition the rudder controls, FF and the cables and to be honest the centre hatch was badly fitted which is why I could never get on with it.
The BG plays an important role in kayak fishing for a number of reasons. It is designed for the larger angler but to be honest it is more than that. Someone who is perhaps not so capable because of injury could use the BG, in my case, I am 60 and carrying more weight than I should which in turn makes me unfit compared to racing snakes like AL and others offers me a more secure platform.
The BG, because of it's size does require a good paddle technique and again in my opinion, the right paddle. The last Flamborough meet, I borrowed a number of paddles from Rod at Wet n Wild which really changed the way I paddled and also which ones suited me. The conclusion was a Lendal Nordic with a bent shaft. This makes the kayak move far better than ever before and is worth spending time on paddle selection.
Now as I have said, I am an aging old tart, in body but not in my head so I decided to look further at improvements to the BG. With a certain amount of research I settled on an electric outboard to make my big lady one of the quickest out there and also ideal for coming back against the current at Flam.
After a great deal of thought, I borrowed a Torqeedo from Torqeedo uk for tests and a review which is in depth on the North Wales site. This has changed my tub into a very versatile craft indeed. I am not wanting to replace paddles but add a new dimension to my fishing.
All in all, I am happy with the finished outfit although I am sure I will be doing more mods as I think about them. Here are some photos of my paddle buddy Kev and I testing the BG out with the Torqeedo.
In case you are wondering, I am the extremely hansom chap holding the battery which only weighs 2.7 kg, total torqeedo outfit weighs just over 7kgs.
The speed tests gave the BG a top speed of 5.9mph which is pretty quick. Whilst the expression on Kevs face was serious, he loved it and in fact he did most of the water trials whilst I did the photos.
Phil
Let me start by saying the Big Game is not my best loved kayak but it has something quite special, MASSIVE STABILITY.
She sits at 12' 4'' and 34'' wide so not the quickest kayak out there. The BG is an amazing fishing platform with huge storage space and a carrying capacity of 272kg so even my weight is taken care of.
Have had both Tarpon and Manta Ray 12' kayaks, the BG leaves both for dead for stability. The Manta Ray is in my mind the best polyethylene kayak that money can buy in terms of comfort and sea keeping qualities but lacks storage places.
The BG has storage pod in the centre between your legs which is a shallow tray although a little far forward compared to the Tridents and especially the 4.3/4.7 ultras but as you can shuffle well forward without affecting stability is still useful. My BG had a hatch located directly in front of the seat. In my opinion, this optional rectangular hatch is a poor design and I have replaced it with a sheet of 6mm plastic and a round hatch from Mazzif kayaks which really is good.
The other important thing with a BG is the need for a rudder. These kayaks do need a rudder as they are not the best at tracking. Mine was completely fitted out by Robin Hood Watersports for the original owner and what a mess they made of it. I had to reposition the rudder controls, FF and the cables and to be honest the centre hatch was badly fitted which is why I could never get on with it.
The BG plays an important role in kayak fishing for a number of reasons. It is designed for the larger angler but to be honest it is more than that. Someone who is perhaps not so capable because of injury could use the BG, in my case, I am 60 and carrying more weight than I should which in turn makes me unfit compared to racing snakes like AL and others offers me a more secure platform.
The BG, because of it's size does require a good paddle technique and again in my opinion, the right paddle. The last Flamborough meet, I borrowed a number of paddles from Rod at Wet n Wild which really changed the way I paddled and also which ones suited me. The conclusion was a Lendal Nordic with a bent shaft. This makes the kayak move far better than ever before and is worth spending time on paddle selection.
Now as I have said, I am an aging old tart, in body but not in my head so I decided to look further at improvements to the BG. With a certain amount of research I settled on an electric outboard to make my big lady one of the quickest out there and also ideal for coming back against the current at Flam.
After a great deal of thought, I borrowed a Torqeedo from Torqeedo uk for tests and a review which is in depth on the North Wales site. This has changed my tub into a very versatile craft indeed. I am not wanting to replace paddles but add a new dimension to my fishing.
All in all, I am happy with the finished outfit although I am sure I will be doing more mods as I think about them. Here are some photos of my paddle buddy Kev and I testing the BG out with the Torqeedo.
In case you are wondering, I am the extremely hansom chap holding the battery which only weighs 2.7 kg, total torqeedo outfit weighs just over 7kgs.
The speed tests gave the BG a top speed of 5.9mph which is pretty quick. Whilst the expression on Kevs face was serious, he loved it and in fact he did most of the water trials whilst I did the photos.
Phil
