Malibu Two Tandem

[jhook]

I don't know how many people are interested in tandems but I'll post some updates of my newest project.We picked up a new leftover 2012 Malibu Two today. My plans are to make this our road trip boat, as we live in NY and travel south as much as possible. Some of my reasons are I could pack a little less stuff by using one boat( the neighbors must think we're moving for good with the stuff we load up) and my wife and I could fish as a team, which would be beneficial IF we were to hook into a big fish, one person could control the boat while the other fights the fish. Or a more likely scenario is I could help my wife unhook our usual stingrays and catfish . These boats have a reputation for being difficult to rig, but I have solved some of this by making a mini crate to fit behind the front seat that will have rod holders and a place to bungee paddles.

[3spots]

Sounds good. Can't wait to see you again.

[jhook]

Same here Trey. We have some catching up to do. I'm not sure what the plans are once we get there in a couple of weeks other than getting my hands on a couple of grand kids.I'll get together with Joe and see what we're doing in Ga. We'll be heading to Florida also to spend Mother's Day with Kathy's mom, and get out to ML a couple of times. It's been a long miserable winter and we can't wait to get down there.

[jhook]

My first impressions with the Malibu Two are there is no in hull storage. I knew that going in, and it's not a problem because of the lousy front hatch I have on my Prowler, I have gotten used to living without it. This would be an issue for anyone thinking of getting this boat for surf launches. You would definitely want shorter fishing rods and lash them securely to the deck, although the aspect of 1 guy fighting a fish and 1 guy controlling the boat would be a huge advantage so I wouldn't rule it out for such fishing. There are 3 locations to add 8 inch hatches but they would be useless for rod storage.plus the high price OK wants for them I'll pass. I will try to post pics once I remember how to log in to my photobucket acct

[jhook]

[jhook]

Well I got into Photobucket, but I have no idea why it is downloading my pics upside down and not letting me rotate them. But anyway that's the mini crate with 4 rod tubes and 2 pair of dowels to serve as paddle holders. There is a small tank well behind the rear seat where I will carry the anchor and just tie the anchor line to the seat. I will probably add cleats. I do think at some point we'll add paddle clips on each side of the boat. But so far it's rigged for fishing and I haven't drilled a single hole in it.

[jhook]

Ready to go!

[Redbeard]

Looks great, but have you considered fishing from the middle seat and placing your crate behind your seat? I think you will find it more balanced than when your weight is more toward the rear. I fished from a Malibu Two for years until I bought a Big Game, and still use the Malibu Two for saltwater, especially when I am doing a surf launch and fishing open water. I like the open front with no console when I am dealing with big fish like kings. I will try to dig up some photos of how mine is rigged. Either way, hope you enjoy it and reel in some monsters!!!

Redbeard

P.S. that's it in my avatar!

[jhook]

Thanks for the reply Redbeard. For our upcoming trip south we will be using this as a tandem. My wife will be up in the front seat and me in the back. I wanted to try this for the reasons stated above. I know some people call tandems "divorce makers", but her and I have been fishing a long time together. Part of the reason I bought this boat was the possibility of fishing solo with it occasionally using the middle seating position. I'm glad to see in your post that it works pretty well as a solo kayak.

[fishingwithblue]

Looks like a great rig!! I love fishing with my wife but kids and time get in the way. I hope yall catch a bunch!! I would love to see some pics of the tandem in action.

[Redbeard]

You are right on with your decision to choose the Malibu Two. I chose it because my daughter likes to go out with me occasionally. She doesn't fish, but she likes to ride while I do. It is a very versatile kayak. I have caught everything from tarpon, sharks, and kings to redfish, trout, trout and flounder out of it. I will dig up some photos of how I rigged a removable deck board for the front to mount my fish finder and other gear. I am looking forward to seeing photos of you and your wife fishing in it and catching some good fish!!!

Redbeard

[jhook]

[jhook]

Well we made our maiden voyage to Eddy Creek in Mosquito Lagoon. Fishing was kind of tough but Kathy managed a 14" & 18" trout, and I got a nice flounder all on Gulp Shrimp. My impressions on the boat are mostly good. The transporting part is easy. It's a light boat and car topping is easier when you only load up 1 boat at the end of the day instead of 2. Water stays in the foot wells, but we knew that would be the case. It was comfortable for two people to fish out of. Space is limited of course and some things I need to do is make a better crate with better rod holders ,and take less stuff. I brought everything but the kitchen sink and although the 2 tackle bags fit, the boat was cluttered. I need to be less of a tackle hoarder! We ended up fishing Gulp 90% of the time anyway.The other area we need to improve on is paddling in sync. We were a little uncoordinated! But none of these things are the boats fault. This was definitely a case of fish out of it before you go drilling holes and mounting a bunch of stuff. i thought for sure we would put a rod holder up front, and paddle clips on the sides. We don't think we want them. I definitely need to add cleats.Overall we are happy with it, and it works well for what we need. It's definitely our road trip boat.

[nubby]

Sounds like an profit full learning trip. Glad every thing worked well for you.

[fishingwithblue]

great report, I love that paddle holder! I too battle with "too much tackle-itis". I've down sized everything and started to get back to my basics that work.

[jhook]

The paddle holders were just a temporary solution, as I didn't have much time before our trip to put this together. They actually worked really well so I think that's what we're going with. The only thing I kept in the crate was my iPhone with the Lifeproof case. There isn't much room behind the front seat and this is really the only area to work with. But a well designed mini crate will solve what is probably the biggest challenge on this boat which is rigging it for fishing. Also a small tackle bag in between each anglers legs is also on the agenda.

[jhook]

Well even though we got skunked Fri. At the Turtle Mound area of Mosquito Lagoon we are pretty happy with the kayak. We covered a lot of water and were pretty comfortable. We got better at paddling. Our main areas of improvement are better rod holders, smaller tackle box instead of the usual tackle bag and a better system for anchoring. I think I may try figure 9 carabiners instead of mounting cleats in various locations.
www.rei.com/product/765515/nite-ize-figure-9-small-carabiner-rope-tightener-single?cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-pla-_-product-_-765515&mr:referralID=6076ea92-ba3f-11e2-9389-001b2166c62d
Overall we had fun with the kayak and for $419 I'm pretty happy with it.

[jhook]

Well I hope everyone has had a great summer. I ended up selling the Malibu 2. It just wasn't working out as good as I hoped. I think the main reason is my wife and I have been kayak fishing from our own boats for so long that this working together just wasn't working! I used it many times over the summer as a solo and it worked well for that. I was able to sell it for a good price and turned right around and bought a new blue Ocean Kayak Prowler 13 Angler for $699 which is now Kathys's.Now we have 3 Prowlers in the family. So while my theory of fishing as a team didn't work to well for us it may be just the ticket for others especially if one of the people is inexperienced at fishing. But that wasn't our case so 2 yaks are better than one. And she has promised to cut the line on any sailcats or stingrays. She's back on her own.

[3spots]

Glad you got rid of the divorce boat! I love my wife, but not enough to let her fish out of the same yak as me. Haha. It just works better apart. Glad to hear from you.