Kayak reccomendations

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drow1984
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Kayak reccomendations

Post by drow1984 »

I'm looking for some reccomendations on my first kayak purchase. Never been in one before so I have no idea what I'm looking for. I've always fished out of a boat and am in the process of selling mine right now so a kayak is in the near future for me. What I'm looking for in a kayak would be one big enough for me and my son or wife to both get in. I don't really expect to actually fish out of it all that much as I'm mostly a wade fisherman. So a 2 person kayak for sure, I'd like to have one that you can foot pedal to make it go, I don't know if a live well is an option or not but somewhere to store your bait or caught fish, one with storage space for an anchor or anything else if that's an option, built in cooler or area on the kayak big enough for a decent size cooler, rod holders, and one that is comfortable to sit in and ride for a fairly long distance to the fishing area. Again, my terminology may be way off on some of this and I have no idea if everything I'm asking for is a pipe dream or not but these are just some of the things I was thinking about. So again, does anyone have an suggestions on what to look at? Brands? Models? Thanks for any help

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motoyak
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Re: Kayak reccomendations

Post by motoyak »

Sounds like you want another boat. Kayaks are best solo IMHO. Definitely go beg, borrow or rent one to see if u actually like kayaking
drow1984
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Re: Kayak reccomendations

Post by drow1984 »

motoyak wrote:Sounds like you want another boat. Kayaks are best solo IMHO. Definitely go beg, borrow or rent one to see if u actually like kayaking
I actually don't want another boat........ hence why I'm selling mine now. As I said I have no idea about anything with a kayak. You are the 3rd person who's said don't go tandem. I believe yall. The only reason I even brought it up was because I have an 11 year old son and I didn't think having him on his own kayak was all that good of an idea but I could be wrong about that and probably am.

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SWFinatic
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Re: Kayak reccomendations

Post by SWFinatic »

If your son would be open to being in his own kayak you could always hook a rope up to him and pull him with your pedal drive if he gets tired or when necessary. A small 9 or 10 foot kayak can be a lot of fun for kids.

Biggest issue with tandem kayaks is most of them require 2 people to operate. With just one person the weight is out of balance and the bow gets light and wants to float around on you and makes it really hard to use. But if you want to consider tandem Hobie makes a tandem Compass and Outback as well as a tandem Pro Angler. The tandem Pro Angler is basically a boat. It's 17 feet long, heavy doesn't even cover it (akin to a tank) and requires a trailer. And it's pretty much impossible to paddle it. You could stand up and push pole it but you would need at least 10" of water for that thing to float loaded. But it is big, would have plenty of room for your son and gear and it's the only tandem pedal drive kayak I know of the you can use solo or tandem (the others I mentioned are duo use only). Did I mention it's a tank lol? Oh and they're about 6 grand used.

Does or do you want your son to go fishing with you in the kayak? If so how big is he?
mwatson71
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Re: Kayak reccomendations

Post by mwatson71 »

I would 100% get two kayaks. My 15 yr old son has been kayaking with me solo since he was about 9-10 yrs old. My wife goes infrequently. Started out in two paddling kayaks but now have two Hobies. The Hobies were game changers as far as fishing goes. I can carry them on the rooftop of my Sequoia. No trailer needed. I can go solo easily. Buy used if you can and potentially save thousands of dollars.
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motoyak
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Re: Kayak reccomendations

Post by motoyak »

mwatson71 wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:51 am The Hobies were game changers as far as fishing goes. I can carry them on the rooftop of my Sequoia.
Holy beefcakes Batman! you load and unload those Hobies on the roof of an SUV :shock: Impressive, but definitely not for the aged or normal sized person :lol:
mwatson71
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Re: Kayak reccomendations

Post by mwatson71 »

motoyak wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 11:47 am
mwatson71 wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 7:51 am The Hobies were game changers as far as fishing goes. I can carry them on the rooftop of my Sequoia.
Holy beefcakes Batman! you load and unload those Hobies on the roof of an SUV :shock: Impressive, but definitely not for the aged or normal sized person :lol:
I do, but one is an Outback and the other is a Revo. It’s not that bad once you figure out how to lift and balance them. I’m 50, and 5’10” with a dad bod.
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shoffer
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Re: Kayak reccomendations

Post by shoffer »

Get a used Hobie. When I started this hobby in 2008, I started with a 9-foot sit on top a buddy let me borrow so I could see if I liked it. I did. Then I bought a paddle kayak for about a year until I saw a Hobie Outback. Then I bought a used Revo and loved it, but wanted more deck space and versatility. Bought a used Hobie Outback in 2013 and have never looked back. If I had just bought a new Hobie Outback from the get-go, it would have actually been cheaper all the way around and a time saver, as I would have only had to deck one boat out, once.

Sold it, bought a new 2015, sold it during Covid as my boys were not digging it like I was, bought a used 2018 since then in a screaming good deal and that is the one I have now (though I really want a 2020-2022 now after having rented one in Florida - BTW, I also rented a Hobie Compass in Florida and would tell you to stay away from that boat. Once you get used to the luxury of an Outback, everything seems ordinary and a hassle. Stay away from the 2019 Outback hulls as they had some cracking issues.

Outbacks are absolutely the best fishing platforms. and you can get a Hobie Livewell if you want, but I think those are too expensive and an overkill. Just throw an Engel Bait Cooler in the back with the Air bubbles. Bring a cast net also and one of those floating bait buckets and you can peddle out to a reef and wade your ass off. Tying your kid to you in a 9 or 10 footer is the perfect idea, but that kid will outgrow that kayak in about 2-3 years. I would just plan on finding a used Hobie and keeping your eye out on Craigslist, Facebook Market, this board, and other sale sites for a second one. I'd also be willing to drive 300 miles to pick it up because they don't come up often.

And while they are expensive relatively speaking, trust me, they are totally worth it. But buy used first. You can always sell it easily and get close to what you paid for it, if not a profit. I knew a dude on here who used to flip them and make some cash, but he moved to Chicago. He comes back every winter - hit him up on the board. He can give you some advice. His name is Saltykat.

I would steer away from the Pro Angler, though. While it has so much storage and deck space and is stable as hell, it is pretty heavy and bulky and that can limit what you can do with it or how often you go. If it is a hassle, you just will stop using it. Tandems suck also, but even with two people, you cannot comfortably fish together in those close quarters.
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