Loaded up my new to me kayak, Friday, after work.. what was I thinking? Wanted a bigger (wider) kayak for standing up in without having to use a trailer, thought this might fit the bill. Old age sucks. My other kayaks weight 55, 62, 70, 70, and now this one, 90 lbs. What a difference the extra 20 lbs does when trying to balance on my head at the end of a long day.

Love the kayak, comfy as most Native Watercraft are, really well built, lots of room, and great for bigger folks... I pity those that have to get a bigger kayak to float you.

here are the specs on it: big difference in 70 and 90.. I weighed it twice.


14' 6"
Length
30"
Width (in)
70
Weight (lb)
discontinued


https://fishingyaks.com/native-watercraft-slayer-14-5/












Was really impressed with the welding on seat frame.

Going to have to get an electric motor for this one as it was tough to paddle against the wind… and probably never take it anywhere without a trailer.

Add a few more pounds and you would have a Hobie ProAngler. When would you use that kayak in stead of the motorized canoe project?

I don’t know what I’m going to do now… wanted to use it in the saltwater since it would be a lot harder to sink than canoe.. it has 10 of the largest scupper holes I’ve ever seen. I plugged the 6 in cockpit and filed it up with water.. I was in awe of how fast it drained out.. plan to order the front hatch cover to make it dry storage area. Would hate to catch a wave that filled it up. Will probably get a trolling motor mounted on stern and hopefully attached to foot braces for controls.


Going to have to think about it.

Dang trailers are cramping my way of doing things.

Did I hear lconn mention a motor?

I’ve unfortunately been down the motor road. As you know weight affects kayaks in a big way. Adding a 25 lb motor and a 65 lb battery or even a lithium battery will make that kayak a lot more unstable than it is now. I’ve said it a bunch if I ever get to the point where I want another motor I will go Bixpy simply because of the weight and remote control speed operation.

Yes it is embarrassing to mention motors for canoes and kayaks... give me some credit for skipping completely past ghey assed pedal pushing

Come to the dark side lconn... LOL

thanks for the heads up on the Bixpy motor... hadn't looked at them in years... new and more powerful.

They get overlooked some because they’re not the fastest on the market and don’t have a huge long lasting battery. But on a paddle kayak with intermittent use you can still expect 5 hours run time on speed 4 to 5. If you paddle assist with it guys are getting 7-8 hours on a Viking Profish Reload.

For me the biggest advantage is it’s lightweight.

Bixpy works like a champ on my gay pedal kayak.
Nice not to pedal or paddle back after a hard day fishing.
Pedals are great for positioning too and I use them for about 75% of my trip.

I know they work... don't blame anyone that has them. Just have more trust in a skinny kayak that I can paddle if things go wrong or carry on my head if I have to. Where I fished for 20 years the grass, coral heads, and oyster bars would mess up pedal drives, the mangrove tunnels were often times very narrow.. Would have definitely had to of paddled a kayak out of a lot of places and against wind and current.. impossible in a wider bodied kayak.

That's a whole different ballgame! Looks like fun though.
My pedal drive would be up all day for sure.
I do have a paddle I keep underneath and the PushStick might be
the most valuable thing I put in the Yak. No substitute for it!

Mariner Sales in Dallas hooked me up.. Got a Newport NK180 with 24 volt battery, sliding foot pegs for controls, along with Slayer 14.5 hatch cover, on the way. I'm fired up to say the least. Know several folks that have them and looked like the easiest way for me to install myself. Couldn't believe they had the hatch cover in stock!

You better get the tether for that beast.

looks like a solid option lconn!

Nice!! They have great reviews. Justin over at Clean Fun Fishing on YouTube has one and loves it. I’m sure you know this but in case you don’t that extra 55 lbs or so will make your kayak more tippy. More so on the secondary stability since you’ll ride a tad lower in the water. If you can put the battery in the front that helps but iI know it’s a pain and probably means more holes in the kayak.

Looked easy on install for kayaks made for it... mine isn't, so I'll have to figure something out.

You need a plate on the rear of the kayak to mount the motor to. From what I can tell looking at your pictures above it looks like you have 3 screws at the rear of the kayak maybe 4. Looks like there’s either 1 or 2 for the rear handle and one on each side for the bungee. You could cut out a 1/2” hdpp plate the shape of the rear of the kayak and use those screws as mounting points for the plate. Just make a template out of cardboard first then trace it in to the hdpp. You can buy the hdpp on Amazon.

Here’s a video of a similar install.

https://youtu.be/s-EdNPWvDbs

Thanks, I knew I would have to fabricate something and figured I'd start looking after I got the motor and see what is needed. Was hoping I can make mounts that will work on my Native Manta Rays as I want to be able to switch out the motor onto them too.

Well I was going to take kayak to Mariner Sales and have them do the install but didn’t know when I could get out that way and then get back up there to pick it up when ready, so I decided to do it myself.



Got delivery from Mariner Sales quick and went to work… hatch cover and scupper plugs installed! Looking good…

Decided to do all what I thought would be the easiest to install and leave motor for last... next would be the sliding foot pegs... should be easy! Can't get the old ones off... first screw came out easy... no backing out of the others. Not sure why they won't back out.. just spinning.. tried prying it while unscrewing.. nothing.. gave up on that project and moved to making a mounting plate... couldn't get the screws out of grab handle..I've never seen this type screw head.

I need answers! would settle for suggestions.

On the foot peg screws sounds like they are stripped. This can happen easily if they were over tighten. Get a small flat head screwdriver and slide it between the plastic foot peg rail (or whatever the screw is holding) and push away on the screwdriver as if you are trying to pry the rail off. Then slowly turn the screw with as little pressure as possible and it should come out.

Can you post a pic of the screw head for the handle? Ive seen hex head screws used a lot on kayaks.

Either way a bit set with a variety of bits will come in handy. I found a good one at Harbor Freight for a few bucks.

I bought this last night without checking close enough and it was hard to see in package… none of them work..

What is this called, new sheriff in town head?

That’s horrible they used a security screw. Try this
https://www.instructables.com/Removing-Security-Torx-Star-Screw-with-a-Flathea/?amp_page=true

Once you get that screw out I would take it to a hardware store and determine what thread type it is and find a screw with a hex head and same thread type to replace it with.

Thanks a bunch Jerry! Never heard of that type screw and was headed to the hardware store.. I'll give Native Watercraft credit... built to last and not to be screwed with.

They are security screws. It is a torx bit with a hole in the middle. We use them for toilet partitions. They sometimes find in box stores like lowes, but normally a specialty store like fastenal or ace bolt. Your best bet is an auto parts store. Ive bought them there on weekends when in a bind.

Checked everywhere in Jacksonville.. nothing.. had to go to Home Depot. Took two hours of drive time to find the right driver set. Now that I have them out, might decide to ax this idea as the bracket for this particular model of kayak will be much more difficult to fit right than on the Native Manta Ray. Decisions, decisions... on the other hand, since I've torn up the old footbraces on Slayer, I've got to replace them now. Still haven't gotten the screws out of them.

Now I have to cut board to fit over back of stern, make holes where old holes are and make hole that lets me still access drain plug.. what’s the chances of me getting that right the first try? thinking about loading up and going fishing instead of getting frustrated..

I’m not looking forward to assembling this either

If I was closer I’d come give you a hand.

If you start the process of making a plate using cardboard or even poster board it’s easier to scrap it and start over if it doesn’t fit perfectly. It is more steps this way but less room for error.

agree.. that's why I'm taking a break and going back to getting the screws out of foot pegs... I tried prying them as I was unscrewing and nothing.. thought I was going to damage plastic where I was prying... think I'll take another break.

Got head unit installed… should have a bunch of 10 pounders in no time.

What!!!
No more 4X DI !! Buying boats and kayaks > 80lbs.
It’s like I don’t know who you are any more.


Pretty sweet. Which vessel is she going on?

All of them..

Whichever one I’m in, hopefully…😆

All you are missing in a pedal drive... all in time my friend.

Good call. Hope he gets this one.
Super light weight.

I'll get an inflatable doll before an inflatable pedal kayak