Being the son of a WW II Navy Seabee I was taught to make do and can do ...I like your attitude not everyone has abundant resources and making do on a shoestring is both and art and a science allowing people to participate and enjoy life...looking forward to seeing more of your videos ….have fun and be safe...
Hell yeah bro , I'm a marine and one big lesson we learn is improvise, adapt, and overcome. We also learn to make do . You'd be amazed at what you can live without and what you can do on a small budget .
Nice yak man! I just bought one, and looking forward to getting out tomorrow morning for the first time. I'm hearing nothing but really good things about these. Be safe out there and have fun!
You're richer in life than all the guys with Yeti coolers and $150k speedboats that sit in their garages and only get pulled out on the weekends for waxing.
Thanks! It's nice to have someone talk about mods that they have actually time tested. Your kayak is scratched and well used, not brand new and shiney. You are putting it through its paces. I was wondering if I'd be crazy to try kayak camping with my 10 ft Pelican. Apparently not :)
Glad I found your video. I plan on getting a kayak for the next season and this is one of the models Im considering. I think all your mods are great giving me ideas for mine.
Great video man. I bought my boat for the same reason you did...cost effectiveness and easy to port. Since these boats are pretty basic, it opens a world of imagination. I like your setup buddy and you inspired me with a few ideas to apply to my 'Ruby. BTW, I made an effective light weight and portable trolley for mine out of pvc, vinyl hose and aluminum. Straps right to boat with bungee. Completely breaks down to be stored in the side of the boat where seat is. Believe it or not, I race my 'Ruby. I had to make the trolley lightweight but strong enough to hold the weight of the yak and some gear. It weighs just over 2 lbs. total and assembles, disassembles in under 2 minutes
I have this boat and I have no complaints. It tracks very well and is very light for carry. I would recommend the Lifetime Cruze, which I also have, because is about the same price and it has much more room in a 10 ft boat. The back storage is already cut out in the Lifetime and it's a little faster. The Cruze has a lot more room and has a better seat. The Aruba stays dryer, has better foot pedals, and tracks better at low speed. The room will make all the difference fishing or camping.
I take my Aruba 10 down river all the time, scrapin on rocks everywhere just out having fun. I am about to do a few of these mods to make mine fishing worthy on the lake
Great video thanks for sharing. I have a suggestion you may find helpful. The seat pad you have is rather thin and you mentioned it could be better. Try this. Buy a second or even a third till you have the padding you would like. Then spray them with 3M adhesive spray and stick them together. You will have a much more comfortable area to sit in and it won't cost you an arm and leg.
I’m over 200 pounds and the back of the kayak can get kinda low especially with wake.. i wouldn’t try to store too much in the back , especially with a huge hole back there
out standing job well done in joy it well all don't need to be rich like some people as long as were happy and in joy life to the fullest happy fishing i got two of these too i use one for cargo and use a cover to seal it up pull it be hide it with home made floats on them no flipping over .
I have a sit in to. It's good to put a hand bulge pump in strapped to ur kayak. I got mine from Field and Stream. Just in case you flip or take on water. Don't worry what people think. Enjoy and be safe bro.
Regarding the rear hatch..How about sewing bungee chord into the rim of a waterproof material (old rain jacket or anything waterproof) then use it as a hatch cover under that plastic lid you have...
nice man. i got the same kayak last month for this summer. but ima keep my rear storage hole as is. the space where my legs sit is plenty enough room for me. tho im not much of a boat camper
Nothing wrong with cutting that cargo space out and removing that foam. I bought a Future Beach Fusion from Dicks for under $300 and modded the shit out of it!!! I cut holes for rod holders straight off the rip, hadn't even had it in water yet. The cargo spot in the back has a cap on it that's kinda, sorta water tight but not really, and no foam. The state of Maine requires at least one floatation device on board, so I always have a life vest if I do capsize. You can also carry a cheap bilge pump...There's plenty of ways to make it safer, and like I pointed out, most of the kayaks I've seen are built that way anyways. No different than what you did, so I don't know why people are running their mouths, they obviously don't know shit because not every kayak comes with foam whether it has an open cargo hold or not. You have a pretty nice rig there man, and you got exactly the set up that suits your needs....That's priceless as far as I'm concerned. I feel ya on the not being rich and having $1000 to blow on a fancy set up...I had to work an extra job on the weekends just to afford the $300 or so I dropped on mine plus paddle and life jacket. It always makes me happy to see other people out there who are willing to put a little extra work into something instead of buying their way through it. I do the same with everything I get into. I backpack, and bikepack as well, and while I have more than enough gear, I don't have a ton of money invested. Just time, and knowledge I pick up along the way. I doubt very much you'll do anything to risk "losing your boat" since you appreciate it a lot more than some rich kid punk who only had to ask mommy a couple times and got the most expensive rig out there, just to turn around and beat the crap out of it the first time out. Keep it up man, nothing wrong with making your stuff a little more versatile and getting the most use out of it.
Yes you have the same kayaks that we have and I want to do some of these modifications I would like to know how that cut out in the back worked out for you because I was thinking about cutting out that dry Box myself
Nice mods. ,. It's always important to personalize your boat your way. ,. I could see these Dolphins are Affordably good boats. Both the 8 and 10 footer may grab one in the future on Offer Up or Craiglist. I've seen some awesome deals
I have a Aruba 10 and have done a lot of modifications to it. I would like to send you a pic. I have homemade outriggers, trolling motor, dashboard, elevated the seat and used a beach chair to make a back support. Welded a five gallon bucket where bottle holder was for dry storage. The little storage area in the back, I welded in solid.
I bought a second hand Aruba 10 for only 100 bucks with upgraded Chute brand paddle. I love the thing. I will not cut my dry locker out as I plan to put my Aruba in some mild choppy water. These boats can handle mild chop but not moderate or severe chop. If you have some upper body strength and a good paddle these things can move briskly through the water even with the 31" wide beam. I took mine 4 miles upstream and had such a great time I almost forgot about low tide. I beached the Aruba twice on the race back down because the water was low. When I mean low, I was in 4 inches of water skimming bottom. This boat has such a shallow draft and flat bottom, its the only reason why I didnt get stranded. I was so enamored with the Aruba, I bought the Phoenix 10.4, and really love that boat. Because of the low deck and wide open cockpit, it is much better to fish with. Your arms can freely move even while handling gear. EASIER to fish in than restricted Aruba. Flat water only though with this boat. Any chop in the water will make it easy to swamp it. Huge stow locker in the rear from the seat to the tip on the stern. It is not a dry locker though but can fit a couple of 5L dry bags back there no problen. My Phoenix boat also just looks fantastic. Has more of a one-person canoe silhoette rather than a kayak shape. A roomy boat it is.
I started out of the Intex inflatable kayak, now we have hard shell kayaks. the wife has one of those Aruba 10's she loves it. I have a Future Beach 10.4 I did some mods to. Don't need a 1000.00 yak, I catch just as many fish out of my cheaper yak
What would you recommend for a 265 pound guy? I have a Sundolphin Aruba 10ft and took it out 1st time yesterday. It did good but I need one able to hold more weight
Are you talking about that insulation foam at Home Depot, Lowes or any store like that? We have it in stock where I am at, it is called Great Stuff. I see it used to fill the voids in windows frames often. It never pccured to me that it could be buoyant. Brilliant idea.
they actually make this kayak with the rear hatch already cutout from factory. so there for the trolls that think it's not safe to cut this hatch out. plus there's videos on UA-cam that people actually try to sink this boat after cutting out the rear hatch and it won't sink, it fills up with water and it still floats.
Beverly Gratkowski. Those are manufactured with the Aruba 10. They are thigh pads that double as side lift padding. You should be able to cut and glue on some 1/4" marine closed cell in those spots yourself (12" square is $5-7 on Amazon) and you'll have it. Order a 1" thick pad too for the seat bottom. "Granger"
What's wild is you talking about removing the foam....I have a no limits adventure angler kayak and it came with not the first piece of foam and it was a bit high on the pocket, so I guess I'm s.o.l if my boat capsized. But what people fail to realize is kayaks and canoe are designed so that they are not supposed to fill completely up. Meaning there will be as air pocket somewhere in it.
The Yak Gear holder up front is a great value. Its reasonably priced and quite reliable. The rears are generic although I have seen them rebranded under several manufacturing names.They are well-type holders and you can find them on ebay for cheap.
TIP: Use a regular camera or turn your phone with the screen away from you... You spent the entire video staring at Yourself instead of the camera lense.
Are you showing us or are you just making a video to look at yourself? You're looking at your image instead if the camera lens. To us it kinda looks like you're looking at our ear.
Whether he bought a 200 to 2000 dollar kayak it would not matter. Any angler kayak would have just as much rigging and fittings straight out of the box as he himself manually placed on his boat as a retrofit. In fact, his boat is BETTER because he customized it and set it up specifically to his liking. The thing about about the store boat angler yaks is that your stuck with the setup of the model or again find yourself in his shoes and begin modifying to what you need it to do. Once the thing is fully outfitted and all of your gear put on they all look, in your words, "junked up" no matter what piece you're floating in.
I have the same kayak in blue and want to do these mods for fishing. No one said we need a large boat for small fish. Alsl what rod holders did you use?
The SunDolphin Aruba 10 actually came in 8th on a list of Top 10 kayaks.
Being the son of a WW II Navy Seabee I was taught to make do and can do ...I like your attitude not everyone has abundant resources and making do on a shoestring is both and art and a science allowing people to participate and enjoy life...looking forward to seeing more of your videos ….have fun and be safe...
Hell yeah bro , I'm a marine and one big lesson we learn is improvise, adapt, and overcome. We also learn to make do . You'd be amazed at what you can live without and what you can do on a small budget .
I have the Aruba 10. Have had it three years now. Bought used from a friend. Always have a good time on the water with it. No complaints.
Nice yak man! I just bought one, and looking forward to getting out tomorrow morning for the first time. I'm hearing nothing but really good things about these. Be safe out there and have fun!
Well, you're out living life! That's rich to me😁.Be safe out there.
dont worry about what other people think . nice ride have fun
👍 "Big boy, big girl pants".. love it
You're richer in life than all the guys with Yeti coolers and $150k speedboats that sit in their garages and only get pulled out on the weekends for waxing.
Thanks! It's nice to have someone talk about mods that they have actually time tested. Your kayak is scratched and well used, not brand new and shiney. You are putting it through its paces. I was wondering if I'd be crazy to try kayak camping with my 10 ft Pelican. Apparently not :)
Please if you camp with a Pelican, document it and repost here on youtube. I would be impressed and amazed and give total props.
Glad I found your video. I plan on getting a kayak for the next season and this is one of the models Im considering. I think all your mods are great giving me ideas for mine.
Great video man. I bought my boat for the same reason you did...cost effectiveness and easy to port. Since these boats are pretty basic, it opens a world of imagination. I like your setup buddy and you inspired me with a few ideas to apply to my 'Ruby. BTW, I made an effective light weight and portable trolley for mine out of pvc, vinyl hose and aluminum. Straps right to boat with bungee. Completely breaks down to be stored in the side of the boat where seat is. Believe it or not, I race my 'Ruby. I had to make the trolley lightweight but strong enough to hold the weight of the yak and some gear. It weighs just over 2 lbs. total and assembles, disassembles in under 2 minutes
I have this boat and I have no complaints. It tracks very well and is very light for carry. I would recommend the Lifetime Cruze, which I also have, because is about the same price and it has much more room in a 10 ft boat. The back storage is already cut out in the Lifetime and it's a little faster. The Cruze has a lot more room and has a better seat. The Aruba stays dryer, has better foot pedals, and tracks better at low speed. The room will make all the difference fishing or camping.
Cool mods and a nice setup. Thanks for sharing!
⁸67 I
Dude! Don’t worry about the other people. I have the same kayak and doing some fishing mods myself. You’ve done just fine with yours.
bro. that's great.... I just bought 2 yaks from a frind, want to modify them just like yours... great ideas
Excellent video. Very helpful and full of good ideas.
awesome set up dude ,,you gave me some great ideas
Love what you did!!!Kudos!!!!
I take my Aruba 10 down river all the time, scrapin on rocks everywhere just out having fun. I am about to do a few of these mods to make mine fishing worthy on the lake
Thanks for the help couldn’t figure out where to put my pole holder
Dude you have a really cool kayak man I'm building one of myself
Great video thanks for sharing. I have a suggestion you may find helpful. The seat pad you have is rather thin and you mentioned it could be better. Try this. Buy a second or even a third till you have the padding you would like. Then spray them with 3M adhesive spray and stick them together. You will have a much more comfortable area to sit in and it won't cost you an arm and leg.
I’m over 200 pounds and the back of the kayak can get kinda low especially with wake.. i wouldn’t try to store too much in the back , especially with a huge hole back there
out standing job well done in joy it well all don't need to be rich like some people as long as were happy and in joy life to the fullest happy fishing i got two of these too i use one for cargo and use a cover to seal it up pull it be hide it with home made floats on them no flipping over .
I have a sit in to. It's good to put a hand bulge pump in strapped to ur kayak. I got mine from Field and Stream. Just in case you flip or take on water. Don't worry what people think. Enjoy and be safe bro.
Solid video. Great job
Regarding the rear hatch..How about sewing bungee chord into the rim of a waterproof material (old rain jacket or anything waterproof) then use it as a hatch cover under that plastic lid you have...
nice man. i got the same kayak last month for this summer. but ima keep my rear storage hole as is. the space where my legs sit is plenty enough room for me. tho im not much of a boat camper
Nothing wrong with cutting that cargo space out and removing that foam. I bought a Future Beach Fusion from Dicks for under $300 and modded the shit out of it!!! I cut holes for rod holders straight off the rip, hadn't even had it in water yet. The cargo spot in the back has a cap on it that's kinda, sorta water tight but not really, and no foam. The state of Maine requires at least one floatation device on board, so I always have a life vest if I do capsize. You can also carry a cheap bilge pump...There's plenty of ways to make it safer, and like I pointed out, most of the kayaks I've seen are built that way anyways. No different than what you did, so I don't know why people are running their mouths, they obviously don't know shit because not every kayak comes with foam whether it has an open cargo hold or not. You have a pretty nice rig there man, and you got exactly the set up that suits your needs....That's priceless as far as I'm concerned. I feel ya on the not being rich and having $1000 to blow on a fancy set up...I had to work an extra job on the weekends just to afford the $300 or so I dropped on mine plus paddle and life jacket. It always makes me happy to see other people out there who are willing to put a little extra work into something instead of buying their way through it. I do the same with everything I get into. I backpack, and bikepack as well, and while I have more than enough gear, I don't have a ton of money invested. Just time, and knowledge I pick up along the way. I doubt very much you'll do anything to risk "losing your boat" since you appreciate it a lot more than some rich kid punk who only had to ask mommy a couple times and got the most expensive rig out there, just to turn around and beat the crap out of it the first time out. Keep it up man, nothing wrong with making your stuff a little more versatile and getting the most use out of it.
Yes you have the same kayaks that we have and I want to do some of these modifications I would like to know how that cut out in the back worked out for you because I was thinking about cutting out that dry Box myself
Nice mods. ,. It's always important to personalize your boat your way. ,. I could see these Dolphins are Affordably good boats. Both the 8 and 10 footer may grab one in the future on Offer Up or Craiglist. I've seen some awesome deals
I have a Aruba 10 and have done a lot of modifications to it. I would like to send you a pic. I have homemade outriggers, trolling motor, dashboard, elevated the seat and used a beach chair to make a back support. Welded a five gallon bucket where bottle holder was for dry storage. The little storage area in the back, I welded in solid.
The loopy things are called pad eyes... Good job.
You made it yours cool , good ideas
I do most my pulling on a bicycle with kiddy trailer the weight on these is perfect
Dude that is one smart idea!!
The new model (Phoenix 10.4) has the hole almost exactly like your mod you cut out. Good video brother
I bought a second hand Aruba 10 for only 100 bucks with upgraded Chute brand paddle. I love the thing. I will not cut my dry locker out as I plan to put my Aruba in some mild choppy water. These boats can handle mild chop but not moderate or severe chop. If you have some upper body strength and a good paddle these things can move briskly through the water even with the 31" wide beam. I took mine 4 miles upstream and had such a great time I almost forgot about low tide. I beached the Aruba twice on the race back down because the water was low. When I mean low, I was in 4 inches of water skimming bottom. This boat has such a shallow draft and flat bottom, its the only reason why I didnt get stranded. I was so enamored with the Aruba, I bought the Phoenix 10.4, and really love that boat. Because of the low deck and wide open cockpit, it is much better to fish with. Your arms can freely move even while handling gear. EASIER to fish in than restricted Aruba. Flat water only though with this boat. Any chop in the water will make it easy to swamp it. Huge stow locker in the rear from the seat to the tip on the stern. It is not a dry locker though but can fit a couple of 5L dry bags back there no problen. My Phoenix boat also just looks fantastic. Has more of a one-person canoe silhoette rather than a kayak shape. A roomy boat it is.
When I got mine it came with the two rod holders he added and another swivel rod holder same style and got it new not used
Good job 👍
I started out of the Intex inflatable kayak, now we have hard shell kayaks. the wife has one of those Aruba 10's she loves it. I have a Future Beach 10.4 I did some mods to. Don't need a 1000.00 yak, I catch just as many fish out of my cheaper yak
What would you recommend for a 265 pound guy? I have a Sundolphin Aruba 10ft and took it out 1st time yesterday. It did good but I need one able to hold more weight
I have a Aruba 10 kayak too we're just letting it clean because its been in our shed for 5 years
Is it hard to get the foam out from under the storage if I cut it out? Is it multiple pieces or one big piece?
Could you send me a link of those exact rod holders please?
You can substitute that foam with spray foam squirted into every small, useless area.
ManScoutsofAmerica like his mouth?
Are you talking about that insulation foam at Home Depot, Lowes or any store like that? We have it in stock where I am at, it is called Great Stuff. I see it used to fill the voids in windows frames often. It never pccured to me that it could be buoyant. Brilliant idea.
they actually make this kayak with the rear hatch already cutout from factory. so there for the trolls that think it's not safe to cut this hatch out. plus there's videos on UA-cam that people actually try to sink this boat after cutting out the rear hatch and it won't sink, it fills up with water and it still floats.
What's one of the videos called? I'd like to watch it
Where do you get the rubber that is put on the inside of the kayak so you don’t have that ruff edge when you pick the kayak up
Beverly Gratkowski. Those are manufactured with the Aruba 10. They are thigh pads that double as side lift padding. You should be able to cut and glue on some 1/4" marine closed cell in those spots yourself (12" square is $5-7 on Amazon) and you'll have it. Order a 1" thick pad too for the seat bottom. "Granger"
What's wild is you talking about removing the foam....I have a no limits adventure angler kayak and it came with not the first piece of foam and it was a bit high on the pocket, so I guess I'm s.o.l if my boat capsized. But what people fail to realize is kayaks and canoe are designed so that they are not supposed to fill completely up. Meaning there will be as air pocket somewhere in it.
Great modes by the way.
When in doubt.....wacky noodle. Always trust the wacky noodle.
What kind of pole holders did you use
Parker Ferguson I believe they're bass pro brand. The one towards the front is "Yak Gear".
The Yak Gear holder up front is a great value. Its reasonably priced and quite reliable. The rears are generic although I have seen them rebranded under several manufacturing names.They are well-type holders and you can find them on ebay for cheap.
You're Amazing. Nice Boat @}'~,~~
Velcro is your friend when modding
You can always stick a few semi inflated beach balls and a drybag in there. All problems solved!
Just get outriggers and it's better than the foam you took out
Big boy with big girl pants
I had to re-wind that too. Cracked me up.
TIP: Use a regular camera or turn your phone with the screen away from you... You spent the entire video staring at Yourself instead of the camera lense.
Rule of survival, redundancy , PADDLES ,two is one ,one is none . Always , Always have more than one .
Are you showing us or are you just making a video to look at yourself?
You're looking at your image instead if the camera lens.
To us it kinda looks like you're looking at our ear.
wow looks like Fred Sanfords kayak . I understand not having much money trust me but don't junk up your kayak .
Whether he bought a 200 to 2000 dollar kayak it would not matter. Any angler kayak would have just as much rigging and fittings straight out of the box as he himself manually placed on his boat as a retrofit. In fact, his boat is BETTER because he customized it and set it up specifically to his liking. The thing about about the store boat angler yaks is that your stuck with the setup of the model or again find yourself in his shoes and begin modifying to what you need it to do. Once the thing is fully outfitted and all of your gear put on they all look, in your words, "junked up" no matter what piece you're floating in.
I have the same kayak in blue and want to do these mods for fishing. No one said we need a large boat for small fish. Alsl what rod holders did you use?