Turbo Ghurkin

[maverick]

My first yak was a yellow gherkin and received a bit of pimping until I ventured down to a yak meeting at Safety Beach when I realised it just wouldn’t do me. So I stripped off the useable bits and left it sitting in the shed.

the yellow ghurkin

I took it out about 2 months ago and went for a paddle on it. It was unstable, had poor tracking, took waves over the front really easily and was pretty slow to paddle.

So then along came a weekend with an absolutely atrocious weather forecast. What could I do to the yellow gherkin in a weekend that would improve it? Given my short attention span it had to be finished within the weekend.

Down to Bunnings, 90mm PVC, some ally plate and a trip to BCF for some stainless bits.

The finished product:

The test paddle:

Well it is certainly stable. I had trouble rolling it over, even sitting beam on to breaking waves which I know would tip the OK yak, hardly made the ghurkin wobble. I actually managed to stand up on it at one stage.

The tracking was great, straight as an arrow and still fairly easy to turn.

The extra flotation had most of the yak out of the water and made it a lot drier.

The biggest flaw was the extra drag which made the yak a lot slower, a lot slower.

So if wanted a yak for a small lake or a dam, it is not a bad adjustment. It isn’t stable enough to stand up and cast lures from however.



FOR SALE – Ghurkin Upgrade kit, material parts at cost $120.

[Babylon]

You really are bored arnt you Mav cheers Jim

[Ghurkin]

nuthin like playing in the man cave, it was worth a try Mav if you could stick a 25hp at the back it would probably get up and boogie,

[Allan]

It looks like the space shuttle now.

[Bozzie]

10 out of 10 for trying. I like the idea.

[blahger]

Love th PA (pvc attachments)

[ELM]

Are they to store the fly rods in Mav?

And I thought I was having boredom issues

[Yacker]

Looks like it would be great on the snow!

[Widsa]

Poor mans PA...

[cruiser]

I think your on a winner here Mav,a yak for summer fishing and a bobsled for the winter snow