Well I have had the mini x for several years now and have managed to catch quite alot of fish from it. But the time has come now where I have decided that I am not content with the kayaks inability to cover any decent distances (even worse with a headwind). The mini x will be kept as it is the perfect yak (imo) for skinny water and non mirage drive friendly locations.
The new addition is a second hand 2013 model revo13 which came almost standard except for st fins and sailing rudder. Now the fun of pimping it begins.
Have taken it out half a dozen times in the past 10 days to give it some mojo and get some squid ink all over it but primarily to figure out how to make it work for me.
I will start with starboard side anchor trolley and some scotty rodholders with flushmount and gear head extenders, and take it from there.
Also now need to figure out best way to keep regularly used tackle items close at hand as I dislike the way water pours into hatch mount tackle bucket when you open the lid.
Also would like to put an elite 4x dsi on it. Mrs Tall also had a turn in it and caught some fish and is subsequently not happy with her mini x anymore so I ended up getting her a second hand revo 11 yesterday
So there goes the serenity of fishing by myself.

Ps. If anyone has come across any good deals on these items for pimping please let know.
The best I have found so far is kayakfishingsupplies.com in the states, but I would prefer to buy locally if it is competitive.
Dave

Get rid of central tackle box. section off mid section of hull, and then use individual tackle boxes within the hull that you can fish out individually as required. Closing hatch while you are fiddling with tackle.

I have have stuck down foam barriers and lay down anti slip mat on bottom. Others have used flexible plastic garden mesh folded up with corners tied with cable ties.

MrTall wrote:Ps. If anyone has come across any good deals on these items for pimping please let know.
The best I have found so far is kayakfishingsupplies.com in the states, but I would prefer to buy locally if it is competitive.
Dave

I've just ordered a couple of "Scotty" gear head mount extenders from kayakfishingsupplies.com, just couldn't find anywhere near their price here, getting the 2 for almost the same price as 1 here

Yeah it appears not many places stock them here and the ones that do are expensive.

When i was looking at getting some scotty mounts i searched the internet for shops in America to buy from thinking they would be heaps cheaper. I went down to my local Hobie dealer and was surprised to find the same mounts for maybe a dollar or more dearer than Stateside. Try local first, you might be surprised.

It definitely worth checking out US fleabay for Scotty mounts and rod holders. About 90% of the sellers will quote absolutely ridiculous fees for shipping to Australia, but the remaining 10% aren't too bad. Even with the overseas shipping added to the cost, you will still get them for about half of what you would pay here.

There's not many spots to put a Scotty flush mount on a Hobie Revolution. When I owned mine, I put them down each side about where my feet go. There's a spot on the gunnel that's just about perfect. You will need 6 inch height extenders to get the butts of your rods above your feet for when you are trolling. It's a bit of a reach to get your rods, but is still fairly easy. This location allows you to paddle, if you want to and it gives you a free area in which to fish, without it being too cluttered. The gear head extenders are good, but they're not quite high enough to raise the rod butts above my feet. You can use the gear head extenders in conjunction with the 6 inch height extenders, giving you an incredible range of adjustments.

It's quite possible to get by with just the one fish finder that you will be able to use on both kayaks. Ram make a flexible transducer arm that fits onto the Ram ball mount. You can easily cut the arm to the length required and its easy to bend it into whatever shape you need. http://www.rammount.com/CatalogResults/ ... fault.aspx

I fitted a Ram ball mount to both my Mini-X and my Stealth Evolution, so the arm is interchangeable. The beauty of this Ram arm, is that I can very easily lift the transducer completely clear of the water, or just drop it down with a twist of the locking screw. I fit the actual sounder onto a Scotty base which in turn fits into Scotty mounts fitted to each of my kayaks in spots that allows me to see it easily. It takes just seconds to set up my Lowrance Elite 4 DSI in either of my kayaks. I just stow the small battery in a waterproof bag.

Thanks Mick. As it stands at the moment I have an old eagle cuda black and white sounder mounted into the mini x and would like to put something better on the revo. I am not a fan of external tranducer mounts and would rather just mount with goop inside. I am sure there are things to watch for doing dsi transducers internally but should be able to find plenty of info with a search.
As far as the rod holders go I am just over 6'6" so reaching forward to them isnt a problem and the forward holders would probably only get used with bait at anchor. Was thinking of putting 2 holders just beside/behind the seat for trolling and drifting. Had anyone done this and how well did it work?
I called in at slh to pick up anchor trolley and they had scotty rod holders rebranded as hobie, but not the powerlock holders that I am looking for nor the gearheads. Their prices on the sounder is comparable to importing though
Dave

It would still be possible to get away with owning just the one good sounder and using it in more than one kayak, even if you do prefer an internally mounted transducer. I actually use my Elite 4 DSI on three vessels, my two kayaks and my small boat. For the boat, I just bought a separate transducer which is permanently mounted onto my boats transom. I bought the transducer on fleabay for about $50. It's just a way of saving a few bucks.

I have never been a fan of having rod holders around the mid sections of a kayak. I figure that if I flip the yak, I don't want impediments stopping me from being able to remount the yak quickly and easily. I dislike having rod holders behind me even more, as I can't see what's happening with them. It's up to you though mate. You are the one how has to be satisfied, when it comes to what you finally decide.

It's probably different for me, as I rarely bait fish. I mainly like to cast and troll lures.