OLD TOWN SPORTSMAN PDL 120 Upgrades (Aluminum Rudder Install)

After three years we finally ended up with a crack in one of our Old Town Sportsman PDL 120's.
Lucky for us, Old Town has one of the best warranties in the business! After a couple pictures and an email our new hull was on the way! Now it's time to rig a new kayak!
Step by Step how to video for installing the Aluminum Rudder Replacement from Navarre Kayak Fishing. One of the best upgrades we've done on our Old Town Kayaks!
#fishing #kayakfishing #howto #fishingequipment #diy #upgrade
A HUGE thank you to Old Town for sending us the new hull as quick as possible.
oldtownwatercr...
Also a huge thank you to Western Canoe And Kayak for receiving our hull from Old Town so we could pick it up!
westerncanoeka...
Parts Used:
navarrekayakfi...
Aluminum Rudder Replacement
Rudder Handle Replacement
Rudder Pin Replacement
www.yakhobby.com/
Rudder Cable Thumb Nuts

[@Steady_Stick]

Great recommendation on checking the foam block inside the hull. 👍👍

[@kckayakfishing]

It was just floating inside the hull, definitely something worth checking as there's a lot of expanding and contracting with these hulls. Unfortunately, the silicone just let go

[@kevinkompolt8033]

I installed my Navarre rudder today! Went great thanks to Nick’s instructional video. Also did those other mods…handle, rudder bolt, and adjustment knobs.

[@kckayakfishing]

He doesn't make a single bad product! Everything we've bought from him has been amazing! Thanks for watching! 🙌

[@findheroutfishing]

Thank you so much for making these awesome, informative videos!! I just got the aluminum rudder from Navarre and a few other goodies for my Old Town, so this video is going to be really helpful for installing. Looking forward to seeing your adventures this season and maybe even see you out there sometime! All the best, guys!

[@kckayakfishing]

Thanks so much for watching! And glad you like the non-fishing videos! It's hard to keep them exciting like our fishing videos but hope it helps some people, you'll love the Aluminum Rudder! Best upgrade we've done hands down! Appreciate the support! 🫶

[@roberturen1772]

Thank you,very informative!

[@kckayakfishing]

@@roberturen1772 thanks for watching! 🫶

[@BCFishingJournal]

Timely video for me, as I purchased the Navarre aluminum rudder a month or so ago, and will be doing a bunch of similar work soon. Thanks for sharing!

[@kckayakfishing]

Hope it helps! The aluminum rudder is one of our favorite upgrades. You'll love it! 🙌

[@jeffeager9779]

Good to know! Just picked up a pdl120.

[@kckayakfishing]

Awesome! Congrats on the 120 and thanks for watching!

[@backontheyak]

Awesome video bro. Appreciate the step-by-step. I have the big water 132 pdl version. I wished it was the epdl lol. I have the same parts that you put on. I did invest in the right-hand control steering system. Works great. Also I would invest in the pdl rod holder/track mount. Great great product. Also another product from Navarre is the rod tube caps. They do keep the water out. But anyways awesome video. Looking forward to the 2nd part. I just got the yak power 8 channel distribution power. I forgot the exact name. In march or so I will make a video for that.

[@kckayakfishing]

Thanks for watching much appreciated! Crystal really wants the EPDL, but for myself I think the next kayak will be an Autopilot 136, need the extra weight capacity as I'm not getting any lighter! 😂😂😂 do you have the new style PDL rod holder? We've been pretty interested in those, looking for a spot to mount our phones for the gram!

[@richardriemer6675]

Thinking I’ll just get some star board and do the same before my maiden voyage makes perfect sense! Thx

[@kckayakfishing]

I think it will work 🤞 we got some half inch because we like the position of the seat already and didn't want to raise it to much, it's a ton of weight focused in one small area so hopefully the starboard helps distribute the weight! Thanks for watching!

[@jldj5000]

Great video. Did you have to send the broken hull back

[@kckayakfishing]

Thanks! No, we only had to cut out the serial number in a 12"x12" square and bring in the piece when we picked up the new hull. We ended up stripping every usable part off of the old hull for backup parts. After that, the hull ended up going to the dump. Seems like such a waste, but that's what Old Town wanted for the new hull to be sent. Thanks for watching!

[@hoahuynh8649]

Is that some kind of tape you used to cover the bottom of the kayak?

[@kckayakfishing]

Yes, we lined the bottom of the kayak with Gorilla Tape, which was a complete waste of time 😂 it didn't last long, and we didn't do it on the new hull. Thanks for watching!

[@ralphzaccaria7420]

Can you be voiding the guarantee by altering the kayak with starboard?

[@kckayakfishing]

Good question, I'll get in touch with Old Town and see what they have to say, honestly I doubt it would void it, we were just going to attach a piece with double sided tape, hopefully they'll see it as we're trying to save them sending us a second new hull 😂 thanks for watching!

[@FamilyNick]

What adhesive did you use to attached your keel guard ?

[@kckayakfishing]

Double sided gorilla tape, and then some marine silicone around the perimeter of the keel guard. Worked great, that was two years old and I still needed a heat gun to pull it off 😂😂😂

[@FamilyNick]

@@kckayakfishing thank you! I have been trying to decide between double sided tape and marine adhesive

[@therealfreekshow]

i want the metal rudder but man i would bet worried about it wearing down the plastic when your retract the rudder back up

[@kckayakfishing]

It could definitely do some damage over time slamming into the hull of the kayak, luckily for us we keep our carts on the back of our crates and the rudder stops at the crossbar of the cart so it never touches the hull. But possibly some marine mat or seadek in the area where the rudder makes contact would help prevent any damage. Thanks for watching! 🙌

[@therealfreekshow]

@kckayakfishing no problem your guys are great and yea I was thinking the same thing about the mat

[@kckayakfishing]

@therealfreekshow appreciate it! 🙏 we were planning on doing some seadek or marine mat in the back anyways, maybe we'll add some to the rudder area and see if it helps