Key West express

 

I was able to break away from real life for a few days and make a run down to Key West. The Florida Keys are one of my favorite places in the world for two reasons, there is always good fishing from boat, kayak or land, and the opportunities for photography are endless. Lobster season has just begun and the snapper spawn is drawing to a close. I didn’t have much time, so I wanted to do what I could in just a couple of days. Sometimes the greatest adventures aren’t planned or filmed or don’t last long, but they are found in how you perceive things.

An interesting liveaboard

On the way down, I stopped in Islamorada to visit friends. Linda Sheldon and Bobby Vaughn of Flying Fisherman invited me to stop by and see the FF Headquarters and maybe get a little fishing in as well. I was in a bit of a hurry, so I just stopped in long enough for a cup of coffee and to meet the staff.

A small retail area at Flying Fisherman's Corporate HQ

 

Flying Fisherman has a really cool company history. The company’s owner, Pat Sheldon, has been involved in sport fishing and video production in the keys since the seventies. The technology they use for polarized lenses came from experimenting with different filters while shooting video in the ultra-bright sunlight. As I toured the facility I couldn’t help but to think this was a cool place to work. They have a laid back atmosphere and everyone seemed really happy to be there. I was also surprised to learn that FF is worldwide and enjoys a huge following in Europe.



Bobby Vaughn showing me the worldwide reach



A Russian ad for FF



The happy and beautiful Linda Sheldon



Bobby in one of the many stockrooms



I arrived later in Key West in time to catch the sunset and get my gear together. The next morning I was meeting up with Randy Morrow, a good friend and the Southernmost Kayak Fishing Guide. Randy is the only person I am aware of who has completed an IGFA inshore slam from a kayak. A difficult feat by boat, the inshore slam consists of catching a bonefish, permit and tarpon in a 24hr period.



Randy stalking the flats

 

I met Randy at the launch bright and early. It was soon clear we were both a little under the weather, but we launched into the already thick and humid morning. Randy always shows me the coolest places, and this time was no different. We were on the skinniest of flats on an incoming tide. The water was crystal clear way off in the distance, there was thunder. We scouted for a while until I spotted an unmistakable tarpon rolling on the surface.

Randy hooked up

 I snapped photos while Randy tried to convince it to take a jig. It was about that time that I noticed the permit tailing about 20ft off the back of my kayak. I was slowly drifting in its direction so I casted a shrimp tipped jig in front to no avail. A couple more casts in the area yielded a very big permit taking a swipe at my jig boat side, only to be spooked away for good when he saw me. I paddled over to Randy who by this time had a fish on. It was a good sized jack for Randy’s light action rod and looked like a good fight.

A nice jack crevalle

 

The storm had been creeping up on us and by 9am, it was already time to leave. We had a couple hours of fun and got off the water just in time. I headed back to Key West where my Mom and Dad, sister and brother-in-law and niece were staying at the Galleon.

There are many tall ships in Key West harbor

 

This is by far the best place to stay in Key West. The Galleon is situated on the site of one of the many warehouses that used to line Key West bight. This is where Edgar Watson of the 10 Thousand Islands cut his neighbor Santini’s throat during an argument. Santini lived and Watson had to pay $900 in restitution. This was also the place where Mel Fisher stored the treasure of the Atocha. The warehouse is long gone and now the Galleon sits in its place.

The view from the condo

Our little bait stealing friend

 

I spent the rest of the day fishing from the Galleons dock. Over the years we have caught big snapper, grouper, tarpon and just about everything in between from the dock. This day was no different and I jump one tarpon and we caught and released several nice grey snapper, cleaning a few for dinner.

Storm rolling in

A visitor

One of the smaller snapper from the Galleon dock

The next evening I was preparing for an early bedtime. I was leaving the next morning for the drive back and wanted to leave around 5am. My sister Angie had other ideas. One of the local party boats, the Gulfstream IV, runs night trips during the snapper spawn, and she wanted to go. Over the years, I have been on every party boat in Key West, and the Gulfstream has always been one of my favorites. There is always lots of room and the staff is friendly. This time was no different and the mate Gregg and his wife Cindy took care of us.



the sunset aboard the Gulfstream IV

 

We were out from 7pm to 12:30am and the trip didn’t disappoint. We were into yellowtails, big greys and even a few lane snapper. The real show was the three ladies who were having a “girls” weekend. It didn’t matter if they caught a small grunt or a 5lb grey snapper, they were excited and wanted everyone else to know about it. By the time we disembarked, I was exhausted. I exchanged contact info with Gregg and we made plans for a return trip and fishing in his favorite spots.  

Key West waterfront at night

Back at the condo and in bed by 1am, I set my alarm for 5am. “I can rest at home”, I thought. I didn’t sleep right away though. I thought about all the things I packed into a couple of days. Met up with old friends and met some new ones. Spent time with family. Even caught some fish. I closed my eyes, offered up a prayer of thanks, and drifted off to sleep. I have a good life.

Caring for Your Chariot part 2, Rehabbing the Revo

After covering rusty vehicles in a previous post, I had planned on doing a story on kayak maintenance. My chance came after a particularly rough week of video filming in the Everglades resulting in a nice hole right on the keel of my Hobie Revolution. My idea was to make a quick patch, but I am lucky enough to know a metal and plastic fabricator, Lucas Cesario.

Hard use will result in holes

Lucas is the creator of the Swivel Stick. It’s a really cool and useful device that puts the Power Pole Micro Anchor to shame. What I didn’t know is Lucas also has an extensive history in plastics and Plexiglas. He offered to perform a more extensive re-hab and plastic welding to the Revo, and I happily accepted.

Lucas using the Swivel Sticks

 

My Revo is actually a loaner from Estero River Outfitters. It’s older and has been used and abused for most of its life. While inspecting the hole, it was apparent that most of the plastic on the keel was gone, a result of being dragged over the course of years. Merely plugging the hole wasn’t going to be an option, we were going to have to build up the area for a lasting fix. The bottom of the hull has also seen its share of abuse at the hands of oyster bars, rocks and what must have been the Kraken, judging by some of the deep gouges.

Years of Rough Use

Some of the deeper gouges

 

Lucas started by thoroughly washing the hull with a stiff brush and soap. This was to remove any surface dirt. After drying, he used a chemical cleaner to remove deeper dirt and stains. Already the Revo looked far better and Lucas was just prepping. The real work began with the next step. Lucas began working a razor blade over the entire surface. He kept the blade straight up, perpendicular to the hull, and scraped lightly. This removed all the tiny plastic “threads” from the fine scratches that can create drag on the hull. This was very meticulous work and went slow. This smoothed out those rough edges and produced some plastic “powder” that we saved for later use on the hole.

Washing her down

Chemical cleaner application



All cleaned up

Razor scraping

Details with the razor

 

After leaving the kayak to warm up in the sun for a while, Lucas began using the heat gun. This is the type of work that not just anyone should do. Using a heat gun on a kayak can suddenly and without warning leave you with a pile of useless plastic. Lucas took his time and frequently stopped to use a water mister when the plastic began to get too hot. The idea is to heat up the hull just enough that the fine scratches disappear. They kind of melt together, leaving a smooth surface. The larger, deeper gouges won’t fill in, but will reduce in size.  This probably took the longest time as Lucas had to stop frequently to let the plastic cool. Slowly, Lucas worked his way back to the keel. “You will never be able to make it like new, to get rid of all the scratches, but we can make it a whole lot better”, Lucas said. After a quick going over with superfine sandpaper, it was time to tackle the hole.

Working with the heat

Slow going with the heat gun

Look who stopped by...Josh Harvel!
 

For this step, Lucas brought out some more specialized tools. Butane torches are able to generate extreme heat on very localized spots. He began with placing some of the plastic shavings from earlier into the small depression created from the hole. The shavings melted quickly under the heat of the torch and filled in the hole nicely. It also became evident that the keel was too thin to leave. The kayak had been dragged many times on the keel and as a result, the plastic was almost paper thin in that area. Lucas quickly came up with a plan to rebuild the keel with leftover plastic from other custom kayak projects he had completed.

Pinpoint heat

Butane torch kit

Filling the hole

melted patch

The plastic was cut and shaped to fit the affected area. Aluminum tape was placed on the inside to prevent the heated plastic from falling inward. Lucas cut a long thin strip of plastic to use similar to the way TIG welding is done. He began by heating a small part of the edge of the work area while simultaneously heating the new piece to be “welded” on. As the two were joined, Lucas would place the thin strip on the new joint, stirring the melted plastic together while melting the strip into the mix as well. He began with a small circle to build the keel to the same height, then started the same process again on top of that, over a larger area. As he worked, the thin plastic of the keel would give way as he kept working toward the front. Every half inch would cause another to fall in, but Lucas kept working along until he could find plastic thick enough to hold the new plastic. After about 5 inches he was into a good foundation and finished bonding the plastic together.

Shaping the new keel

Further shaping

Sanding and beveling the edges

1st filler

The plastic version of TIG welding

Cooling it down

The foundation

1st layer

Building up the keel

 

Lucas let the plastic set and cool off for a while. When it was ready, he sanded off the rough bulk into shape. Then he used a rasp to file the plastic down even with the hull. Sandpaper finished the fine shaping and blending till one area ran smoothly into the other. If we had used the same color plastic there would be no way to tell there had been repairs. Lucas advises to keep any scraps of plastic you may have from installations or any other drilling. These can be used later for patches.

Finished keel

Finished hull

Finished keel

It goes without saying that if you attempted this at home with absolutely no prior experience, there is a good chance the result will be catastrophic. Lucas is a professional and does stuff like this for a living. He can restore a kayak that has seen hard use, adding a few more years of life, or to clean it up for a sale allowing you to get top dollar for your kayak. Either way, if you are in south Florida, you can contact Lucas at lucasLMDesigns@gmail.com to see if his particular set of skills will suit your needs. Also, check out http://landmdesignsinc.com/ to see Lucas' creation, the Swivel Stick. It's the best kayak anchoring system out there, bar none!