Lure 11.5 V2 with Overdrive Pro Build

As a part of our ongoing Pro Build series, this month we spotlight the Lure 11.5 with Overdrive.The lure is the midsize workhorse of the Feelfree pedal-driven kayak family. Its relatively compact size, and yet full-featured hull make it one of the most popular kayaks in the Feelfree family.

This month we are taking a closer look at the Lure 11.5 that Bobby Ulrich put together last yearthat has spawned a few copycats, and asking him a few questions about how and why heoutfitted this kayak the way he did.

Welcome, Bobby! Thanks for letting us take a look at your kayak today!

No problem! It’s been a great build for me and for the Lure 11.5 itself. I think that the things I’ve done have worked really well for a few of us with the same basic build. The Lure is just such agreat mid-sized, do-it-all kayak that it really deserves some great builds! It has been so fun overthe last few years to just learn how I fish out of it, and then build a lot of features into the kayak based upon that.

Let’s start with the obvious. The display for your fishfinder is smack dab in the middle ofyour kayak. Most people have traditionally mounted theirs on the rails. Tell us aboutwhy you did what you did.

Yeah! That is probably the defining feature of my build. This is actually the second Lure I’vedone this on. The first was about three years ago. My initial thought was that I usually fish offthe front of my kayak. I didn’t like looking down at my graph, and missing what was happeningin front of me. I knew that putting the screen out front, further away from me, would make itharder to see the display, so I decided to up the screen size to 9”. I’m convinced that 9” is aboutas big as you would want to go on a Lure.

I not only like the functionality of it but also the look of it. I like the look of a symmetrical kayak. I know that you can’t always do that, but it does look sharp when you can pull it off.

Getting a 9” display to be centered in front of the Overdrive took some planning though. I didn’twant to mount it to the hatch (which is possible). I played around with a few different ideas. I decided to utilize one of the front mounting pads on the Lure to attach a Ram ball so that I could use a long Ram arm to get the display into the middle of the kayak. I was a little skeptical if the Ram arm would support such a heavy display, but I just rest the arm on my front hatch, and it works great.

How did you route all the cables for that?

All I did was use two YakAttack through hull wiring kits to route all the cables into the hull where I store my battery.

Can you see the display over the pedal drive?

Yes. I actually have had a few questions about that. I can see it just fine, but if I need to add a waypoint, I just sit forward in my Gravity Seat, and I can reach it pretty easily. I’ve even noticed more and more people mounting their displays front and center. It just cleans up the sides of the kayak for landing fish.

I’ve also had people ask me if it gets in the way of casting and fishing. It doesn’t at all. It probably only sticks up about 8” higher than the Overdrive, and it is out far enough that you really don’t notice it while casting or fishing.

That’s awesome. I noticed that your transducer is also mounted up front too. Tell us about that. Does the Overdrive interfere with the sonar?

That is a great question. I wanted the transducer up front like the display to free up the sides of the kayak for landing fish. I mostly fish for bass, but every now and then I’ll land a big tiger muskie, and when I do I need every inch of real estate on the sides of the kayak that I can get. To mount the transducer, I used a Ram flexible aluminum transducer mount that I attached to a Ram ball that is hard-mounted just in front of the rail. The arm just angles about 45 degrees to the front of the kayak, and then straight down into the water. I’ve never had any interference from the Overdrive at all. Ram makes different end attachments for different transducer styles, so if you order one, just be sure to get the right one for your type of unit.

Okay, I’ve noticed that you have the other front mounting pad used for a phone mount. Explain that to us.

Haha! Yes. It’s a little overkill, but I use the second mounting pad for a Ram ball that attaches to a long arm, that attaches to a short arm, that attaches to a Ram Mounts X-Grip. I like to have my phone visible when I’m fishing. I might just want to see the time or look at a map of the place I’m fishing. But the thing I use it most often for is taking pictures. I wrote a whole blog on it. You can take some amazing pictures with just your phone.

I love that you utilized both of those mounting points. We don’t see many people do that.

I’ve had great luck mounting things to them. It just makes sense. They are in perfect locations to attach components that you need hard-mounted to the kayak. I love that mounting to these doesn’t affect your warranty either. They get components out of the way so that you can free up deck space for fishing. That has always been one of my main goals; to have as little gear around me as possible so that I can fish without hitting a rod on something, or getting my line tangled around a piece of gear.

That makes a lot of sense. The rest of your kayak seems pretty straightforward. But why don’t you give us a rundown of the rest of your kayak?

I use a 13” x 16” Blackpak Pro. I just like how customizable it is. If I use the flush mount rod holders, I can carry 9 total rods with the Black Pack.

I also utilize the YakGear YakSack. It is a small waterproof zipper bag that I hang off the back of my chair to hold things that I don’t want to get wet like my keys and wallet.

I use a YakGear Backwater Assassin paddle. It is lightweight and works well to get myself out of jams. 

Finally, I have a YakAttack AR Tub rod holder on my rail. It is the only thing mounted on my rail, and I only use it when I catch a fish.

Okay, one last question for you. I’ve noticed the stickers on your kayak. What is your theory on stickers?

That’s so funny. I actually really like stickers. I want all my stickers to be the same color. So everything on my new Midnight Bolt kayak is white. On my last “winter camo” Lure, everything was black. I just think that all one sticker color looks like it is well thought out. Light colors on dark hulls or dark stickers on light hulls are higher contrast and make both the kayak and the stickers pop. Some of my stickers are brands that are corporate sponsors of the Feelfree Kayak Fishing Team and some are just brands that I really like. When it comes to stickers, I think you just should do what you like.

Thanks so much for the time and info on your build! We really appreciate it! You can catch Bobby out on the water this summer in the Pacific Northwest.

Written and edited by the Feelfree Team