Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

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sethmac
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Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by sethmac »

I've always owned a paddle-powered kayak: WS Ride 135, WS Tarpon 100, WS Commander 120, Malibu Mini-X

To this point, I've mostly fished reservoirs and small lakes for bass. But there are a ton of new offering since I bought my last yak.

Interested to hear thoughts on best yak for getting in the flats (and maybe beyond the breakers). I've been intrigued lately by all the pedal options out there: Bonafide, Native, Old Town

Let me know what is working for y'all?
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by SWFinatic »

IMO the Hobie Revo 13 is at the top for a peddle drive salt water kayak. It fishes well in shallow water or offshore. The Hobie Compass also does well in both but doesn't paddle as easy as the Revo. The Old Town Salty is another good one and is the most economical of the ones I mentioned.
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shoffer
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by shoffer »

I am Hobie Outback guy and likely always will be. Plenty roomy and stable, can paddle it and peddle it nicely, and has great features. While it is not as fast as a Revo, the features and stability more than make up for it.
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Neumie
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by Neumie »

Although I do not own a pedal kayak I still find the Hobie style pedal drive to be more comfortable. IMO, the Hobie Outback is probably the most versatile kayak available. It's stable, but not so wide it's impractical to paddle. It's relatively lightweight compared to other pedal kayaks around the same length. The newest kayak has a lot of fishing functionality. Just a really solid offering.
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by Dandydon »

I agree heartily with Shoffer & Neumie. I've owned 4 different kayak models over 30+ years and am happy with my Hobie Outback.

It works for BTB deep surf trips as well as shallow marsh outings. The built-in fishing accessories like the molded-in rod holders make it my favorite fishing platform. Image

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Ron Mc
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by Ron Mc »

Since nobody else has mentioned it, I'll add that prop-pedal drive is functionally useless for inshore fishing.

Hobie flipper (Mirage) drive is the better choice, but you'll want a good paddle, also, for where redfish live.

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creekstone
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by creekstone »

If you decided to go Hobie, finding an Outback will be easier than finding a Revo 13 (new or used). That said, there's a 2018 Revo 13 on CL right now.

Also, be aware that the Hobie Mirage drive has evolved over time. They added reverse (Mirage 180) several years ago. And kick-up fins more recently.

Another consideration for some folks is the weight of a kayak. Wider kayaks offer more stability but usually come with a weight penalty.
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by d_harp »

SWFinatic wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:04 am IMO the Hobie Revo 13 is at the top for a peddle drive salt water kayak. It fishes well in shallow water or offshore. The Hobie Compass also does well in both but doesn't paddle as easy as the Revo. The Old Town Salty is another good one and is the most economical of the ones I mentioned.
Thank you for sharing. I'm wondering, is there any alternative to Hobie's fishing kayaks or not? Like Vibe kayaks(this)?
Last edited by d_harp on Tue Mar 08, 2022 9:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by Ron Mc »

If you want to fish inshore, the answer is Not.

And you still need a good paddle. I hope this thing is on.
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by SWFinatic »

d_harp wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 3:59 am
SWFinatic wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:04 am IMO the Hobie Revo 13 is at the top for a peddle drive salt water kayak. It fishes well in shallow water or offshore. The Hobie Compass also does well in both but doesn't paddle as easy as the Revo. The Old Town Salty is another good one and is the most economical of the ones I mentioned.
Thank you for sharing. I'm wondering, is there any alternative to Hobie's kayaks or not?
There are BUT the quality in most cases isn't close. They use Hobie's pedal drive system that is pushing 15 years old. Do they work- yep. Just likely not going to last like a Hobie will. That said here are a few options you might consider

Hammerhead Kayaks Bull Shark- This is a brand new kayak that I don't know much about. It is a budget kayak. The cool thing about this one you can actually buy a rotary pedal drive type and interchange between the Hobie style and rotary style pedal drives.
Hoodoo Impulse 120- Another budget kayak with Hobie style pedal drive. They also have rotary pedal drive kayaks and I believe also have a hybrid
Vibe Shearwater 125- I consider this a budget kayak and it does have mixed reviews. But this is a rare kayak in that you can buy the kayak without the peddle drive and use it as a paddle kayak then buy the pedal drive later when possible (if that's important).
Hobie Passport 12- I forgot to mention this one earlier. It is a budget kayak at around $1900 plus tax but is a really good kayak for fishing shallow.
Lighting Kayaks Strike- This is the least of my favorite of what I have mentioned in this post because of the weight of the kayak (weight is huge to me) and it's likely the worst paddling kayak in this list. But it is loaded with a lot of bells and whistles they others don't have.

You mentioned in your earlier post possibly doing some offshore fishing which is why I limited my initial list to what I did. The Outback certainly fits as well. The kayaks I have mentioned above possibly could go offshore but I am not familiar enough to know how watertight the hatches are for going offshore.

There are a couple more Hobie style pedal drive kayaks but they are not good to say the least so I won't mention them.

Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any questions.
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TX All Water Fishing
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by TX All Water Fishing »

Over the last 10 years I've owned 4 different kayaks and in 2018 I was looking for a major upgrade to a peddle drive kayak. I explored every kayak on the market at the time and I kept coming back to the Hobie Outback. I've been fishing out of it ever since and I have no regrets. I will say this, there's no such thing as a perfect kayak. I like the Hobie drive system because you can go extremely shallow and never pull your drive- but that's also a big down fall too. You can run a ground and the only you can pull your drive is to fully extend the fins. Which leaves you 2 choices, turn around until you're deep enough to pull your drive or lift you kayak and extend your fins and pull the drive (very had to do). That's really the only downside I've seen fishing out of my Outback.
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by 2manytoys »

I'm a Hobie guy as well, I have 5 different hobbies but the real answer is, any kayak with a rudder add the Texas power paddle. I have had a hobie since 2006 and this is the best add on I have ever bought.
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by SWFinatic »

I'm glad you like yours. I looked into this motor couple of years ago and it's definitely not for me because it's under the bottom center of the kayak which obviously is prone to grass, mud, shell, ect. and it takes away the option to have a transducer mounted in the underside pocket where Hobie designed them to go. Not to mention the $2,000 price.
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2manytoys
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by 2manytoys »

Fin and feathers talked me out of the one under the center, because if it's on the rudder it improves the steering. I bought one for my my 360 pro. and liked it so much I got one for the wifes revo. I used her revo the other day while letting a friend try the 360. Oh my lord it was fast and lasted all day. couldn't be happier! yes it's expensive but so worth it. My Dad tried it as well and bought one he loves it too (he is over 80) helps him get home when it gets windy
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by SWFinatic »

2manytoys wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 9:25 pm Oh my lord it was fast and lasted all day.
Don't they have a 25 ah 12 volt (or similar size) battery? If so you didn't use it much to last you all day.
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creekstone
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by creekstone »

SWFinatic wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 6:32 am
2manytoys wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 9:25 pm Oh my lord it was fast and lasted all day.
Don't they have a 25 ah 12 volt (or similar size) battery? If so you didn't use it much to last you all day.
How does that compare to the option from Bixpy?
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by SWFinatic »

creekstone wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 7:12 pm
SWFinatic wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 6:32 am
2manytoys wrote: Wed Mar 16, 2022 9:25 pm Oh my lord it was fast and lasted all day.
Don't they have a 25 ah 12 volt (or similar size) battery? If so you didn't use it much to last you all day.
How does that compare to the option from Bixpy?
I had to look it up to refresh my memory. Bixpy runs in a 25.6 volt system which is much more efficient than a 12 volt system. I'm not sure what the Texas power paddle motor produces in terms of thrust. The Bixpy puts out 33 lbs of thrust. The Bixpy is also roughly $700 less but that depends on what attachments one might need for their yak.
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creekstone
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by creekstone »

I could be wrong, but I think this is the power paddle motor:

https://bluerobotics.com/store/thruster ... ter-r2-rp/
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by CastawaySteve »

d_harp wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 3:59 am
SWFinatic wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:04 am IMO the Hobie Revo 13 is at the top for a peddle drive salt water kayak. It fishes well in shallow water or offshore. The Hobie Compass also does well in both but doesn't paddle as easy as the Revo. The Old Town Salty is another good one and is the most economical of the ones I mentioned.
Thank you for sharing. I'm wondering, is there any alternative to Hobie's fishing kayaks or not? Like Vibe kayaks(this)?
If you looking at the Vibe because it's less expensive than the Hobie, you really should consider the Perception (here) instead.

The Perception has all the important bells and whistles of the Hobie, so you're not getting less for less. The only disadvantage is that it does not track as well as the Hobie, owing to its hull design, but it is a third of the cost.

Back to the OP, if you are looking for a great ocean-ready fishing kayak then the Jackson Big Rig is your best option. It tracks like a dream, is stable as an ox and has enough room to store all your gear. But it will set you back $3000-$3500 - if you are lucky to find one in stock
Last edited by CastawaySteve on Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:24 am, edited 1 time in total.
SWFinatic
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by SWFinatic »

creekstone wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 5:07 pm I could be wrong, but I think this is the power paddle motor:

https://bluerobotics.com/store/thruster ... ter-r2-rp/
I'm sure it's that or something similar which is why I was floored at the price when this first came out several years ago. Bixpy sells a similar yet superior product (IMO) for almost half the price.
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by SWFinatic »

CastawaySteve wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:21 am
d_harp wrote: Fri Mar 04, 2022 3:59 am
SWFinatic wrote: Sun Feb 27, 2022 9:04 am IMO the Hobie Revo 13 is at the top for a peddle drive salt water kayak. It fishes well in shallow water or offshore. The Hobie Compass also does well in both but doesn't paddle as easy as the Revo. The Old Town Salty is another good one and is the most economical of the ones I mentioned.
Thank you for sharing. I'm wondering, is there any alternative to Hobie's fishing kayaks or not? Like Vibe kayaks(this)?
If you looking at the Vibe because it's less expensive than the Hobie, you really should consider the Perception (here) instead.

The Perception has all the important bells and whistles of the Hobie, so you're not getting less for less. The only disadvantage is that it does not track as well as the Hobie, owing to its hull design, but it is a third of the cost.

Back to the OP, if you are looking for a great ocean-ready fishing kayak then the Jackson Big Rig is your best option. It tracks like a dream, is stable as an ox and has enough room to store all your gear. But it will set you back $3000-$3500 - if you are lucky to find one in stock
I believe the OP was looking at peddle kayaks
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by DHardy »

4EF822A6-16ED-4DEC-91B9-FE34F75845A7.jpeg
26E8BF37-03E2-480D-949D-01BAAAAC2204.jpeg
I use a Hobie Outback for 80% of fishing. Can’t say enough good things about the Hobie. Also have a Diablo Chupacabra for less windy day flats fishing. The Diablo is not great for distance but stable. As set up in picture, stand on cooler, pole around/ paddle skinny water and sight cast or fly fish. Lots of fun.
C988E486-7717-47A0-A386-E8A06E284BB5.jpeg
squid013
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by squid013 »

I run a jackson cuda 14. Very easy to paddle, i can consistently cary 3.5-4 mph boat speed.

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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by Barnibonn »

I really like the Perception Pescador Pro 12 kayak! I was totally surprised at how stable this kayak is. It is very comfortable and I have no problem fishing from it all day. That's why I can recommend it to you.
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Re: Suggest A Kayak for the Salt

Post by OldTownYakBoi »

I'll post a my 2 cents. I've owned a Old Town Sportsman 120 PDL for 2 years now and bought for $2300 NEW... Let me tell you, this thing is a tank. Best money I've ever spent. One huge plus about the old town drive system is that it's all self contained and has fewer moving parts than a Hobie drive. I can and have abused this thing and it just keeps GOING. I have drilled oyster bars going full speed that have brought me to an immediate stop and it doesn't bother the system one bit. Ron talks about a propeller style drive being useless but I'm not sold on that. When fishing near docks, structure, or areas of current the prop style kayak shines. Being able to INSTANTLY reverse without pulling a cord is a game changer, it allows you to back away from a dock or schooling fish you're catching is a HUGE plus. I can only imagine how many miles I've put on that kayak over 2 years. It has handled anything I can throw at it including push poling in the shallowest of waters to stalk and sight cast redfish. It is an extremely comfortable and versatile vessel and couldn't be happier. I wouldn't trade this kayak for an outback... MAYBE a REVO bc i like the idea of a speedy kayak
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