W700, because of the versatility

By Brandon Hall

Raleigh, North Carolina

Everything is great; built a deck for the pup and try to get out as much as possible.

To be honest I have had a [hybrid fishing kayak equipped with a rotational pedal drive] and a [extra-wide canoe-kayak hybrid].

To this day I now only have the 700 because of the versatility.

I have installed the motor mount but have yet to add one.
Will likely invest in an electric trolling motor this summer, since most of the waterways I frequent are anti gas motors.

Attached is a recent picture at the local reservoir.

Thanks!

Brandon and Huckleberry

 

 

6 thoughts on “W700, because of the versatility”

  1. Thanks Brandon,

    It’s been a long time, but better late than never, especially since both the dog and the platform look so cool!
    Your dog platform / deck is a piece of fine craftsmanship, from its design and the material you chose for it to the work itself.

    You guys have fun, and keep sending pictures 🙂

    Yoav

    PS– The irony of being a kayak and boat designer / manufacturer is that as soon as the weather improves and you feel like getting out there, on the water, your work load increases, and you find yourself stuck with the computer from dawn till dusk, and beyond…

  2. Brandon,

    The W700 is so affordable to add an electric trolling motor onto. Both, a 30 lb. thrust 12 volt Minnkota motor and two U1 35 AH 12 V deep cycle batteries can be found online for less than $200. Yes, two hundred bucks for motor and 70 amps worth of batteries combined.

    Each U1 battery fits easily in a hull slot. No mod necessary.

    Use one battery one way. Save the other for getting home. Charge up with a small automotive battery charger for a few pennies between trips.

    Not only versatile. Affordable as well.

    Larry J.

  3. Brandon and Huckleberry, that platform is a great set-up on the W700.

    The dog must love it!

    Now a couple of questions.

    1: Is the platform just stting on the bench seat?
    Or does it have legs that sit on the bottom of the hull?

    2: Will you add carpet to it so it won’t get too hot for Huckleberry?

    All in all, great set up and can’t wait for more pictures of your adventures. 🙂

    Tight Lines and MoPaddle Safe All.
    Rox

  4. Brandon Hall says:

    This deck is just the v1 and was crudely fitted and eyeballed with compared
    measurements. I was able to complete it with a knife, circular saw, jig
    saw and a drill.

    I took each plank and cut them enough to cover the cockpit and fastened the
    4 braces (as seen on the ugly side). Then I flipped it over and had to
    feel where the braces would not contact the bench or rather felt the bench
    would sit in between the braces. Once that was done I eyeballed through
    the gaps and marked where the rim of the cockpit was and took to the jigsaw.

    Once I was at this point I noticed that the deck would teeter if weight was
    unevenly distributed. To remedy this I did two things:
    1.Placed the riser blocks on the top/front and a longer board on the rear
    to overlap the rim of the cockpit so that it would no longer teeter. (The
    longer rear board will be getting a hole cut in to make a drink holder and
    I will most certainly be putting on a rod holder (or two) on the outer edge)
    2. On the ugly side I loosely attached two trimmed blocks that I could
    rotate and lock in under the rim of the cockpit(these are white in the
    pictures). IF it were to ever flip hopefully the deck would remain in place
    (we know this will not happen so at least it wont hurdle out on to the
    highway while in transport)

    Also note that on the bottom/rear of the ugly side I placed a small block;
    this will reside in the groove on the bench to prevent sliding back and
    forth.

    The material for the deck is 3/4in reversible cellular pvc board/trim from
    one of the local big box hardware store (they both sell it). I do not
    think that it will absorb/retain heat but if it does I may apply a thin
    dense foam sheet instead of carpet.

    The material initially comes in bright white so I painted it with a tan
    primer and then a textured tan truck bed armor (both in rattle cans) to
    match the boat and the rest of my gear.

    I have not weighed the deck but I’m guestimating that it’s less than or
    around 10lbs.

    Happy to answer anymore questions!

    Thanks!
    Brandon

  5. Thank you Brandon,

    Very impressive job!

    Yoav

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