# Native Ultimate rigging help



## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Just picked up a Native Ultimate 12 Basic from Roads Rivers and Trails and am looking for rigging tips and ideas. I got the basic because the $200 for the adaptatrack and groove rails and fancy footrests and the $150 for three rod holders and anchor trolley seemed a bit steep, and it can all be added if I find the need.

It's a nice thing, and I'm really looking forward to sliming it up!


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## MIKE*A (Apr 12, 2009)

you will enjoy it! I've had one going on 4 years now....the seat is one of the most comfortable ones out there......the only gripe I have is I do a lot of river fishing and come July/August when the levels typically drop, I am in/out quite a bit and the seat isn't the easiest to get out of. sometimes what I will do is take a floatation cushion about 5" thick and sit on it....this helps a lot and is still quite comfortable...... one thing I have added on is an anchor trolley which I have found to be quite useful in the slower moving/still water and a pair of flush mount scotty rod holders one on the left gunwale in front of me and one on the left side of the crossbar directly behind me.....

Mike


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Took it out for the first time last night. No slime, other than a huge foul hooked gizzard shad, but it was a fantastic night.

Mike, you a lefty? It seems like the right side would work better for me. I picked up a scotty flush mount, and am trying to figure out where to put it.


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## MIKE*A (Apr 12, 2009)

No, I'm righthanded.....the reason I went left side was I do a lot of flycasting and was concerned w/my line getting tangled around the holders if they were on my right side during my backcast.....I then put my anchor trolley on the left side so I could operate w/lefthand if need be while holding rod in right hand.....seems to work ok for me so far.

Mike


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Hadn't thought about line management on the yak. I might put one of the cheapie flush rod mounts on the right and the scotty on the left. Thanks for the tip!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Added a scotty flush mount on the left side of the yak today. Punched a hole with a hole saw and drill, placed the mount, then punched a hole for one of the 1/4"-20 screws (1" length screws worked pretty well). Placed the first screw, then punched the second 1/4" hole at the other corner, put that screw in, then punched and placed the other two screws in. I used a flat washer and nylon lock nut to hold it all together. I thought about using lock washers, and that would have likely been cheaper, but I trust nylock nuts more, and it wasn't that big of an expense. Looks alright:










The only problem is that the long butt of that spinner limits the motion of the mount a little bit. If I had the ability to look forward in time, I probably would have put it a little farther toward the bow, but I think I'll like it on the port side. I have to use words like that now that I'm a sailor! Also added a measurement sticker. For this one, I cleaned it thoroughly with windex, then put a little more windex down, and placed the sticker over it. The windex lets the sticker slide around a little so you can get it just where you want it. I had to trim it a little too:










My boy played yak fisherman today too. I got to be the fish! Good times!










Next up is a fly rod holder, which I'm gonna try to make out of PVC and a cheapie flush mount holder.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

Great idea. It might be a bit out of reach that far forward, though. Hard to tell from the pics.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

BTW, ALWAYS save your shavings from drilling or cutting into your yak. You can melt them into any extra drilled holes you might have,


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

I was actually pretty surprised how easy it was to reach over with my right hand and grab the rod. It actually seems more natural than trying to reach directly back. 

Great tip on saving the shavings! I'm heading out to my driveway right now to pick up the plug from the hole saw!


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

Well, looked at some 1.5" PVC pipe, and would start to go in, but was just a bit too big to fit in my bass pro rod holder with any depth:












Spent some time giving that end of it some love with a handheld belt sander, and got it to fit up to the line drawn in the above picture. It fits snug, so it can be rotated into whatever position needed. After that, I cut out a sort of slot that opened up into a larger hole using a Dremel Multi-max oscillating cutter thingy. The wood cutter blade eats PVC like candy, and is exactly the right tool for the job. I got the tool about a year ago to help with a flooring job, and it's been extremely useful since then. I also used it to cut the initial hole for the rod holder in the yak. I had measured the OD of the holder at 2", but the angle that it sits at requires an elliptical shape at 2"x2.4". I marked a diamond with those dims out and cut it with the Multi-max. After that, I used a sharp utility knife to carve the rest of the ellipse out, test fitting at every step. Once it was in and positioned as I liked it, I punched a small (1/16" or so) pilot hole, and sunk in a #10 sheet metal screw (as recommended by the rod holder manufacturer). After that, I punched and sank the next and the final screws. I never thought of trolling with a fly rod, but I might have to try it now:










It's pretty scary, punching holes in an expensive yak, but I think I'll be happy with the result! I think I'll work on getting a nice milk crate setup put together next, but that'll wait for a bit.


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## OhJoe (Mar 9, 2010)

Keep in mind the Scotty extensions you can use to help keep the longer handle rods at whatever angles you want. I used them on my Ultimate. Lots of nice work you are doing.


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## nethersdoug (Feb 16, 2010)

Nice work. Hope to see the finished product shortly as I am probably going to do the same thing to a basic 12. Yup, gotta own one. My old canoe is just toooo much and tooooo unhandy for me by myself.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

To be clear about this, the differences between the angler and the basic are (see http://www.nativewatercraft.com/features_overview.cfm for more details):

1 - Price. Angler is $1200, basic is $800. You might be able to find or sweet talk someone into a deal, but I think that many shops are sticking to list.

2 - Seat. Angler has the "first class seating" while the basic has the "air lite seating" The only difference I can see is the seat cover is padded in the first class seating. The air lite seems really comfortable to me.

3 - Groove and adaptatrack systems. Angler has them, basic does not. Both of these systems seem pretty nice, but only really work with their accessories. The adaptatrack system is necessary for their skirts, which would be nice, and the groove allows some gunnel rod mount options that would also be nice. Nice, but I think they are largely unnecessary.

4 - Footrests. The angler has the easy foot footrests, which allow quick adjustment from the seated position. This is another cool feature, but one that I can certainly live without. I don't expect to be constantly adjusting my foot position.

5 - Rod holders. The angler comes with two flush mount scotty holders, although I don't think it actually comes with the holder part for those, and a single gunwale mount, which I think does come with the holder part. Again, nice to have.

6 - Anchor and trolley. The angler comes with a 1.5 lb anchor and anchor trolley which appears to be installed on the right side of the boat.

I think it comes down to DIY or pay up. The angler model has some nice stuff, no doubt about it. So far, I'm in about $850 and some labor for stuff attached to the yak. Personally, I'll save the money and do the work, ending up with a yak that is customized to my taste. The plastic is all the same, though, and if I want to add that stuff down the road, it's just a credit card swipe away! 

It's the stuff not attached to the yak (paddle, PFD, roof rack, etc.) that is killing me!


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## inrll (Apr 6, 2012)

I got a U12 Basic at Rivers Roads and Trails also. I've had it since December and have been out in it quite a bit. I love it! Like you I didnt't think most of the expensive add-ons were worth all the extra $ plus I like DIY projects. Heres some shots of what I did with mine.
Bungie paddle holders on both sides.








I bought the Groovetracks at www.shopgetoutdoors.com and the Groovetrack squares then mounted rodholders and an anchor cleat I already had. With the groovetrack I was able to slide them up just far enough to be out of my paddle stroke but close enough to reach. I use the for trolling for crappie and rainbow trout. You could probably make the squares out of cutting board but I wanted the mounting hardware that came with them so I bit the bullet.
















Then I picked up some Silent Traction System. This stuff is awesome! It really quiets down the squeaky feet and when you set something down like pliers and whatnot they actually stay put. I got it here http://kayakfishinggear.com/search.aspx?find=silent+traction
















All together I spent about an extra $125. So I guess I spent almost what it cost to get the non basic version but I got to set it up exactly how I want without paying for the things I didnt want.
I also made my own seat riser for about $10 that is rock solid if your interested, but thats a whole different subject.


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