Kayak help

When i say regular im thinking about the non fishing kayaks that are not as wide or much longer. I do have some space restraint so i would like to keep the kayak to around 13ft+/- so at lets say 31in wide and 13ft long would it too slow to get on the ocean and cover any distance for fun. Well maybe trolling a line or two behind.. I see alot of people say great things about the Cobra fish and dive kayak. Except that its slow at 36in wide. Would it be very slow compare to other fishing kayaks??? Would hate to get out there just to find my self going way too slow to get to any fishing spots off shore. I found one set up for fishing for $500. With the seat, paddle, hatches, and rod holders.

Sasha
 
They're slower than a dedicated, sit-in sea kayak, like what jgon shows in his post. But as compared to other sit-on-top (SOTs) kayaks, some fishing boats aren't any wider or slower than non-fishing boats. The Tarpon 160 and Prowler 15 are two of the fastest SOTs out there barring specialized surf skis and the like. People make crossings to Catalina Island with these and their shorter manifestations. In your size range, check out the Tarpon 120 and 140, Prowler (and Prowler Trident) 13. The widest of this bunch is the Tarpon 120 at 30 inches. Not too familiar with other brands, but there are other similar options out there.
 
I have a Old town Kayak about 10ft long. Its the sit down inside type. It only weighs 38 lds, so carrying it is no problem. I love it but I have only used it 2 times. Just for thought though, Dont let some kid talk you into using it and going down a small river. I let a 15 yr old boy, one of my daughters freinds, use it and he scratched the hell out of it. It may have a crack in it, I dont know. I havent checked it out yet. Heck I have only used it 2 times since I bought it new and paid 300.00 dollars for it and then 50.00 for the oar. If its cracked and leaks then Im just Sh..t out of luck. Just warning you because once you let somebody borrow something, they dont take care of it and they keep wanting to use it again and again. Now one of his friends wants to use it. Im not letting him. Sorry for the rant.
 
wintermute said:
In your size range, check out the Tarpon 120 and 140, Prowler (and Prowler Trident) 13.
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All good choices and all popular fishing boats. :thumbup:

Wildone39 said:
Heck I have only used it 2 times since I bought it new and paid 300.00 dollars for it and then 50.00 for the oar. If its cracked and leaks then Im just Sh..t out of luck.
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No you're not. Polyethylene kayaks can be "welded" and repaired, though I would not try the job with an un-experienced hand.

http://vimeo.com/7931904
 
Kayaks are like machetes-they're a general term that encompasses so many different types of vehicle you can't just stereotype them. For my purposes, self supported river running/big water/creeking. Right now I'm running a LiquidLogic Hoss, a big ol' creek boat with plenty of room for gear, stability on bigwater and creeking and sufficient control for navigating technical whitewater. I'll start fishing more regularly, too. Not a bad boat for my intended purposes. Ocean kayaking is an entirely different story...
 
sasha said:
I understand that if i get one that is fast it wont be very stable for fishing and if i get one that is stable it wont be fast.
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Hi Sasha,

Some kayaks are pretty good at both... I did a lot of research before I chose one. The Wilderness Systems Pungo 140 has an excellent reputation as a stable but very efficient design that is particularly good for big guys. I have the "Angler" version and really enjoy it. I looked at some sit-on-tops but the weights were a turn-off. I wanted something I could easily put on the top of my car by myself.

I use mine for day touring and fishing in fresh and salt water. (With all the recent Great White Shark activity in the areas I fish on Cape Cod, I added shark mouth graphics a la P-40 to mine.)

SharkBaitc.jpg


Here are the specs:

http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/products/angler/angler_pungo/pungo_140_angler


Take care,
desmobob
 
PorcupineMtns66 said:
I'd be interested in any information also as I have been thinking about getting one.
Have had my eye on this Vapor but know nothng about kayaks.
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The Vapor is alot of boat for the money period. Cabelas is running the Vapor 10's right now for 379 delivered.

My wife has the Vapor 10 and loves it. I paddle it once and awhile as well.

Again, it is also an ugly boat. One of the best buys out there for a beginner.
 
sasha said:
BigShovel is that a double wall kayak?? As it wont sink if it got full of water... I just knwo im would fall out of it and roll it till its full.
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Sasha,

You would be really hard pressed to flip this kayak, you can do it but its hard to do. It is a single wall boat, water can come in. In general it is a dry boat compared to the sit on tops by design. I keep a bilge sponge and use when needed. All of the water I get in the boat came from my feet and legs entering it to launch.

I strongly reccomend intentionally flipping any kayak you buy in a controlled manner and learn self rescue to right it and get back in safely. This also allows you to know the final tip angle.

Someone a few posts back stated they had a PUNGO 14. That is a great boat as well.

On a budget, check out the OLD TOWN VAPOR 10 or 12 foot model.
 
I have been fishing out of a yak for better than 5 years now. I am a big guy 5'10" and 300# . I did a lot of reserch before I bought my first kayak. I have an ocean kayak drifter it is 12' 7" long 32" wide and stable as all get out. A week ago thursday I landed a 40" 30# blue cat in mine :D It has lots of storage and places to tie stuff on. The only thing I would do different is get it in yellow instead of olive green I have never had any one run off and leave me paddling. I also have a perception America 11 sit in it is 11' 1" long 28" wide I have caught many nice smallies out of it ,but it the water could get rough or biiiiiiiiiig fish are possible the drifter is the boat I use
Roy
 
Guys that lots of info.. I got alot more to read now with all the info on the kayak forum..Wish we had more fresh water lakes close by... but its only the ocean for me..

Sasha
 
Howdy Sasha,

I have done a fair amount of kayak fishing and grew up fishing SoCal Waters. If I were to buy a fishing kayak it would be, as Guyon suggested, the 15' ft prowler by OK. That rod hatch is key. Or maybe a Malibu. You could probably visit the Malibu factory. Other brands you might look at would be Cobra, and Wilderness Systems. The Cobra F'n'D' is notoriously slow and I would pass on it if you planning on doing any distance. There are other kayaks that may look great on top but are lacking in hull design. In my experience Hobie is one of them. A friend had a Hobie Quest that tracked very poorly. I would be cautious of box store kayaks-Bass pro, Cabelas, Costco. I wouldnt even consider anything but a sit on top for serious ocean fishing. There are reasons that no one uses anything else. I would go 14'+. I have a WS Tarpon 120 and wish I would have got a 140 or 160. If I lived in socal I would get the 160 but you could probably get by with 14'. If you plan on fishing the kelp beds you will want the ability to cover distance easily if weather comes up after paddling all day.

I dont know where in LA you are but some of the best bass fishing in the country is just north of you at Castaic. I just talked to a friend who said he has been hittin' the bass hard at Puddingstone(Lake Bonelli) in San Dimas. There are great lakes all over SoCal. It might be a good safe way to get used to angling from a kayak.

There is a big kayak fishing community down there, as well as guides, which will accelerate the learning curve.

Check craigs list in OC and SD there are always great deals.

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Feel free to hit me up when you get ready to select your fishing gear. I have fished it all down there. From spotted bay bass to tuna on the fly to marlin and mako tourneys. There is some incredible fishing within easy stricking distance of the shore. From a kayak you really get to experience the ocean in such an intimate way.

Some friends and I are putting together a camp out in early september at the ocean. You are welcome to come up and do some fishing from one of my yaks. You'd be amazed by the fishing here.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=760960

Good luck

Matt
 
If you wanted a sea kayak for the workout factor or to simply cover more distance, you could easily rig your boat up with paddle floats using a spare paddle across your deck. It's what expedition paddlers do when taking a break, fishing and even sleeping.
 
This is what I paddle:
http://www.huki.com/index.php?page=S1-X_Special

It is called a surfski. Super!! fast, super unstable. Takes someone who has never paddled one quite some time to even stay upright on flat water, but once you get the hang of it you can surf open ocean swells at great speeds. On flat water I average close to 7 mph...have hit 13 mph in a following sea. Used for racing. Guys much better than me race them between Molokai and Oahu in Hawaii.

Super fun, but pretty much impossible to fish from!

J
 
Thumbs up for the Ocean Kayak brand. I used run the rental at Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys as well as sell them. They were originally designed to paddle out through the waves with you dive equipment, etc. Rugged, easily handled and as a sit-on-top, made to slide off to dive/snorkel and slide back on afterwards. Great if you wanted to dive those kelp bed floating offshore to spearfish.
 
Oakietree, thats some good fish you got there. Just found a wilderness tarpon 120 with everything included and great shape for 500... realy consider that one so left the guy a msg to see if i can grab it before someone else will.
With my work it would be almost impossble to get out there for the get togher but i would have loved to try that..
Newknifeguy that kayak is sure is not for me lol. Might as well just swim as i would spend more time in the water then the kayak.
sasha
 
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I am in the boat market right now as well. I just sold a SOAR pro pioneer it is great for doing float trips but miserable in still water or in the ocean. I had thought I would go canoe but that is super danger in the ocean. Where I live the waves can kick up fast. I am a big guy. 6' 310 so the SOT boats are appealing. Some sort of a hybrid looks great. Just reading this thread has show many a pile of boats I didnt know existed. Has anyone tried the madriver adventure 16?
 
sasha, the Tarpon is a great boat, and given that you're limited to 13 feet of storage, it sounds like a good choice.
 
Alright, I bought my kayak. here's some quick thoughts to the process:

I went to the dealer fully expecting to buy an OK Prowler 15 for a decently discounted price - thoughts being it's fast, a good fisher, lighter than the Tarpons. What could go wrong? Went into their warehouse to see how well I could lift it (it had a rudder) - way too back heavy, which made it very awkward to lift. Didn't even bother checking out the Tarpon 160. So it came down to the Prowler 13 and the Tarpon 140, both with rudders. Surprisingly, they were about equal to lift. Although the Tarpon was heavier, it was more equally balanced. Onto the water...

Performance-wise, the Prowler got up to speed better and had decent glide. It had a little side-to-side motion with my strokes, even with the rudder down. The Tarpon took a little more to get going, and was a little "heavier" feeling to paddle, although faster. Straight as an arrow, no side-to-side with or without rudder. Tons of glide. Well behaved without the rudder.

So, I felt through all that both boats were equal. I came down to ergonomics and the little things. The Prowler's seat was a joke. The hatches are rubbermaid-type. very difficult to get off in the water and the small hatch took on water. The rudder system was difficult to pull up and down and to do so, you had to tug on bare polypropylene rope, which doesn't feel none too good. The combination of footwells and rudder pegs was a bit annoying, and the cockpit was too busy.

The Tarpon's seat was very supportive, has nice easy adjustments for back height and thigh support, and locks down for when you mount it upside down on your car. The rudder was easy to deploy and you grab nice soft rubber toggles to do so. Plenty of room in the cockpit, no footwells to bother rudder operation.

Tarpon 140 it was. I felt it would've been fine without a rudder based on the handling, but i figured there would be times that I wished I had it, so I got one.
 
Sorry, let me edit that, the Prowler's hatches weren't rubbermaid type - front has latching belts (can be a pain), and the center one was a screw-down (a definite pain).
 
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