Deleted This One.
Wilderness Ride 135
There is no one best kayak.
I could write a book on why
Boat drinks, Waitress I need 2 more boat drinks!
quote:
Originally posted by Too BusyThere is no one best kayak.
I could write a book on why
Boat drinks, Waitress I need 2 more boat drinks!
Then- “If someone was seeking your advice buying a new kayak what brand/model would you recommend?”
I’m afraid this thread won’t be very helpful except as a list of brands for prospective purchasers to look at. Like boats, trucks, or anything else, the user should buy what best fit their needs. Those needs will depend on everything from the size they are willing to transport, the type of water they are using it on, seating preference, stability, paddlability, storage capacity…the list goes on and on. Additionally, users will need to compromise one attribute to get the next. The two brands that I like best in terms of making innovations for fishing Kayaks are Wilderness Systems and Jackson Kayaks. Both of those brands are reputable and both have models that will fit MY needs. YMMV.
16’ High Tide Flats (Green) w/Yamaha 90
Wilderness Ride 135
Wilderness Tarpon 120
I’d spend a couple of hours with them to learn how they wanted to use it the vast majority of the time. I’m a Wilderness Systems guy, so I’d fit them into one of our models. We have a broad lineup.
I spend most of my time in a Tarpon 160. I like a fast yak.
Boat drinks, Waitress I need 2 more boat drinks!
Malibu Stealth 12
Proverbs 3:5-6
Kebda380, if you’re trying to choose a Kayak for yourself, why not give us some details about how you plan to use it, and I’m sure they’ll be some good ■■■■■■■■. Questions you’d need to answer are: What type of water will you be using it on (surf, lakes, fast flowing rivers, tidal bays, etc.), is paddling distance or maneuverability a priority, do you intend to stand and fish, how often will you jump out to wade, how much weight will you carry, what season will you use it most, do you need electronics aboard, how do you plan on transporting the boat?
If you said you planned to use it to chase smallmouth on the Broad River above Columbia, I’d give you an entirely different answer than if you said you wished to paddle across Bull’s Bay.
Some generalities: Longer is faster, wider is more stable, shorter is more maneuverable, SOTs are easier to get in/out of, SINKS catch less wind, whatever you get you’ll wish you had at least two other styles.
16’ High Tide Flats (Green) w/Yamaha 90
Wilderness Ride 135
Wilderness Tarpon 120
I consider my malibu stealth 12 very versatile. Its rated for class 3 rapids and does great on the lake or even open ocean. I test paddled around 10 kayaks, some of the most popular being the ride 135, native 12, and jackson cuda 12. They were all good kayaks and I liked the ride 135, but I found it to be very plain and lacking of the features that my malibu has. It was also heavy. My malibu has a live well and 2 dry compartments that are within arms reach. I can stand and throw my cast net and drop it right between my legs into my 5 gallon livewell and keep my bait alive all day! How many kayaks can do that. Thats a huge convenience if you’re a bait soaker like me. The other feature was the pre threaded holes and recessed area beneath the kayak that fit a lowrance transducer. I didn’t have to worry about shooting through the hull because my transducer sits in the water and out of the way. Took me less than 20 minutes to hook everything up. The malibu is easy to paddle, but it isn’t the fastest kayak. Thats fine for me because stability is more important to me. I honestly think it paddled just as well as the ride 135, if not better. It also has a big gator hatch that really comes in handy for storing gear. None of the other major manufacturers make anything like this setup. It also comes with pre threaded holes for adding a bar on the back incase you wanted to mount a trolling motor in an inexpensive manner. When I jumped into the kayak realm a couple of years ago I realized just how popular some of these huge heavy kayaks are. I can’t justify something like that because my motivation to buy a kayak was price and convenience. I wanted something I could easily carry and/or drag and throw on top of a car or in the back of my truck. My kayak is less than 70lbs. I also couldn’t justify something like a hobie with a price tag over 2k, in my opinion, may as well buy a boat. My stealth 12 was less than $1200 for the kayak, spider angler seat, and a paddle.
"They who can give up essential liberty t
That’s a great report on why you like your yak and why it suits your needs.
My go to yak is the Tarpon 160 and my backup yaks are the Ride 135 and Commander 140. I prefer speed above everything else. I’m 50, 190 lbs, average to thin build. I want a yak that gets me where I want to go with minimal effort. I can haul a crate full of fishing gear, a cooler, a couple of flowtrol buckets, and everything else but the kitchen sink.
The T160 is fast, really fast, like I can beat any fishing yak on the market to the hole when I put the hammer down.
It’s plenty stable sitting and fishing, I’ve paddled it a few miles offshore and the only time I’ve flipped it I was standing in the seat poling across a grass flat when a bunch of tails popped up in front of me and I tried to stop too fast.
I ran a charter service for 3 years putting customers into Tarpon 160’s or Ride 135’s. In 3 years I had 1 kayaker flip a boat. I take that back, he didn’t flip, he fell off of a Ride 135, the yak stayed upright.
Most were brand new to kayak fishing.
Boat drinks, Waitress I need 2 more boat drinks!
quote:
Originally posted by JLeephotowhatever you get you’ll wish you had at least two other styles.
Ain’t that the truth!
Annoy a Liberal, Work Hard and Be Happy!
I am looking to fish the local rivers saltwater- Stono, Wando, Cooper, Ashley, Folly, etc. The purpose of the poll was to find out what the most popular kayak (best kayak) was for this type of fishing. I will start the thread over and clarify the topic.