dam beavers

[willybee]

been eyeing a spot on the topo map for a couple days. i spend a good amount of time reading maps and looking for indian camps based on previous experience.
getting there is half the fun-except today i got lost on some unmarked gravel roads and drove 25 miles out of my way (floyd smoked the map on that last trip...). finally i launched the boat in a big ol' lake and cruised 2 miles to the mouth of a creek. the water was shallow but i kept on going upstream about a mile until i hit this beaver dam:




beaver dams actually blocking creeks and flooding them (this dam holds back 12 inches of water) are relatively rare around here. turned out the series of crumbling banks behind the beaver dam in the above photo was an indian camp.

saw one set of footprints and they were yesterday fresh. turns out someone was just fishing the deeper beaver pool and not arrowhead hunting. found a large preform near the footprints, and nobody looking would have missed these:








some busy beaver around here-kept a good eye out for them while hunting. dozens of downed trees upstream from the dam:




this was my haul for 2 hours on site :




nothing spectacular, but i consider it a succesful day because this is a new site for my site list.

happy hunting

willy

[cgode]

I see what you mean by getting there is half the fun!.....good finds and good luck on your next trip up the river!.......did you have a paddle?

[willybee]

cgode-paddle just for backup- 7hp jet drive by MOKAI.

willy

[Flyjunkie]

Recon searches are always fun, doing some homework (Topo Maps, google Earth, etc..) and then hitting the path, visiting the potential site in person and seeing what there is to see.. it's all fun and I enjoy the time spent searching even if the potential site is a bust (I figure another location crossed off the list)

You did nicely on your first visit and proved to yourself the site's potential.. Very Good, very good indeed....

[MO816]

That's a perfect day, finding new spots and some pieces! That's a nice spot and great research. Thanks for the look

[ghost recon]

Looks promising, nice finds. I'm considering a Mokai, to me it makes more sense than rigging up a trolling motor on a kayak and they look alot more portable than a jet ski. Can you carry it short distances by yourself?

[willybee]

ghost-the kayak weighs 100 lbs empty and is 12 feet long. the motor and fuel tank are quick release and weigh 38 lbs (motor) 20 lbs (gas). i use boat ramps mostly, but you can roll it on the mokart or drag it over grass pretty easily-just not too far.

i wrote a 6 month review on my mokai for the mokai owners site:

here it is below-its long, but if you are considering spending $4000.00 its worth reading. i wrote this for people considering a mokai.

willy


I searched the internet for the perfect shallow water vehicle. After looking at every type of drive available, I zeroed in on the MOKAI, a jet powered kayak, as my best available option. I ordered it june 15th 2011, and it was delivered to my yard on july 13th. Apparently 25-30 of these boats are manufactured each month-as they are ordered.

My yellow Mokai impressed me immediately with its quality, size, and new boat smell.
I opened it up and everthing seemed fine-that box REALLY took a beating-the driver
was astounded at the contents of the box-and so unfolded a scene that was to be
repeated over and over-what's that? where did you get it? how much was it?

I was able to remove the engine (to fill oil) with the quick releases without even referring to the manual, the internet videos are great. Registered the boat on the way to the lake and 1 hour later was on the shakedown cruise!

Now 6 months later i have about 400 miles on my Mokai. The mokai really is at its best in a shallow river. outside of the RIVER environment you would be better off with a regular boat and outboard motor.

15 mph is about the top speed for a Mokai with an adult and gear (lunch-cooler-ice-etc.)
The Mokai is not a jet ski. If you ride a wave runner and buy one of these-you will not
be happy with its speed. If you are a kayaker buying a Mokai you will be very pleased.
15 mph is about as fast as you can safely navigate a shallow river full of logs and rocks.

You do have to be at full speed and on plane to run in 4 inches of water. 15 mph
feels exhilirating as the water gets shallower. If you run the mokai up on a gravel
bar at full speed (I did that-but not on purpose) gravel will be sucked up the intake.
Then you have to get out of the boat to clean the intake grate-no problem when its
warm-but in cold weather you would not be happy getting that wet. The solution is
simple-if you are running up onto gravel just let go of the accelerator and kill the
motor.

This technique has been successful for me but I REALLY have to pay attentnion
when approaching shallows. This keeps the intake from getting clogged in the first
place.

Manueverability is not great-but its just good enough allow me to get EXACTLY where
I want in this boat. The pull start is very reliable, but you have to slowly pull out the
starting rope while holding the throttle open, then slowly let the cord back in. Now
pull that sucker (the metal foot bar in the floor of the mokai allows
you to really get a good pull).

It starts on the first pull about 99 percent of the time!

The other one percent of the time it takes 2 pulls. Mokai cockpit is very roomy, but
don't fill the bow with weight-it makes you plow through the water and you lose
speed. A small soft sided cooler fits perfect right next to the seat. If you want to
carry a lot of gear-say for overnight camping or diving-pull a deadman kayak.

I was able to load two 80 cu. ft. scuba tanks, a 30 lb weight belt and full scuba suit in a
10 foot long old town OTTER kayak. Strapped the tanks to the seat, and covered the
cockpit with its travel cover. You can tow that weight a LOT EASEIR than loading
down your mokai. My speed is reduced to about 10 mph while towing a deadman
kayak , but if you load all that gear into your Mokai you will go about 5 mph tops.

As far as loading goes, even empty the Mokai is a handful. If you are older, get the
trailer, and for sure get the MOKART no matter what your age. You will need it if
you plan on moving the boat in your yard or to your shed like I do. Its not fun to
load the Mokai up on my van roof-but its do-able for one strong, young person.


In a choppy open water the Mokai will splash water directly in your face most of the time its moving forward into waves. (not big rollers but small chop-handles big rolling waves just fine, even sideways.)

A spray skirt will not alleviate this- but a windshield works great. a snowmobile windshield
will fit if you buy the right one. This water in the face thing will REALLY get you down on a big open lake with waves--you either need a windshield or a mask and snorkel-its your choice.


Gas mileage is awesome-went 33 miles on my longest single day trip, and still had
a gallon left at the end of the day.

The footprint of this boat is the smallest you can get and still feel safe on a big lake.
Its very stable, and has a ton of flotation. I can easily mount the Mokai in deep water
by climbing up the nose. I would not want to go out on a lake in the green colored
Mokai, but the yellow color is highly visible -everyone sees you.

This special purpose skinny water boat will get you safely up river, around and over
logs, under low hanging river canopy and into spots where you can't go on foot-
and you can bring 30 lbs of gear without affecting performance (I weigh 170lbs). If you want a
water toy buy a jet ski-this machine is not made for that. This boat is made
for the special purpose of getting where others cannot go, and doing it RELIABLY
and SAFELY.

I am VERY PLEASED with the quality, reliability, and well thought out features of this boat. The Mokai is at its best in a shallow river, and if you are in lakes mostly you would be better off with a john boat/outboard.

The best features of this boat are -

1. does not require a trailer. load it on a roof rack!
2. goes UPSTREAM in only 4 inches of water.
3. only one car required for river trips-put in and go upstream as far as you want, then
turn off the motor and FLOAT QUIETLY BACK! Sometimes I drop my buddies off upstream
and then put the mokai in at the takeout and run upstream towards them-still just one car needed.
4. goes over submerged logs and under river canopy-where even kayaks can't go.
5. awesome gas mileage-45 miles for 3 gallons!
6. super reliable starting and running.
7. noise not an issue. sounds like my push lawnmower. one kayaker heard me from a distance and later told me it sounded like someone was mowing the river. (i have the subaru motor.)

The negative points of this boat are -

1. not very good for open water/lakes-especially with oncoming waves/wind.
2. not worth using during fall when leaves come down from trees. clogs intake grate every 1/2 mile. first three weeks of november mokai is unuseable in rivers or streams.
3. intake grate difficult to clean. gravel gets jammed in grate and requires a screwdriver to get it out. this means getting your entire arm wet for several minutes-not fun in winter. best to avoid running engine at speed onto gravel bars--(more difficult than it sounds!).
4. moss clogs intake grates even at idle. AVOID mossy bedrock in shallow water.

Conclusion: Single vehicle river runs and shallow water running are the reasons to buy this boat.

In the river, NOTHING BEATS A MOKAI. In a river, the MOKAI outperforms ANY outboard motor boat, canoe, kayak, or even an airboat. (airboats cannot pass UNDER logs blocking the river.) There have been several instances where I have come upon people dragging their canoes in the river where it was too shallow for them to paddle. I was able to pass by them at 15 mph.

Was on a large federally navigable river when I came around the bend to find 4 bass boats stopped. The hydroelectric dam was shut off miles upstream, and the water was down to only 3 feet. None of the bassboats could navigate up the newly exposed rapids to the next pool. I passed right by them and went up the rapids like it was a golf green and i was riding a kart. smooth and deliberate glide right up the length of the chute.

This summers drought kept me from small streams. Falling lake levels exposed entire forests on local lakebottoms. Once submerged forests now with only 2 feet of water. ONLY the mokai was able to navigate the sunken forest.

The Mokai is the ultimate skinny water craft. Boldly goes where no other watercraft even try.

LOVE my MOKAI.

[ghost recon]

Great review, I appreciate you putting that up. You answered alot of questions I had in that post. A cart, that's brilliant, should of thought of that. Trading hours of paddling for hunting and being able to get into some tight spots and get back quickly would be priceless to me. I don't mind paddling to my spots but after a days worth of hunting the trip back up river is often a struggle. Thanks Willy

[Ohioan85]

Finding new sites to hunt is always a good day and some nice finds to top it off

[joshuaream]

That is a great review of the mokai, the more I read about them the more I want one.