Since I bought our last kayak a little more than a month ago, I decided that we “needed” another fishable yak. I have been selling junk on CL to raise money for another because I want to buy something a little nicer than our Perception Caster. With that in mind, I have begun researching and have come up with a list of interesting yaks and would like some expert input. Not necessarily what to buy but which (if any of these) to stay away from and why. I am 5’10" 180 lbs. My list includes:
NATIVE- Manta Ray 12 HERITAGE- Red Fish 12 MALIBU- Stealth 12 WS- Tarpon 120 PERCEPTION- Search 13 FEEL FREE- Moken 10 or 12
The FEEL FREE and the COBRA have awesome capacity but there must be a trade-off??? Any input appreciated.
I have a Manta Ray 14 and a Search 13, very happy with both of them. However, I am not able to stand in either - at least comfortably, so I don’t. My next one will allow me to stand. Everyone swears by the Wildy Ride 135…
BTW. I am NOT an expert. Tommy (TooBusy) should be along soon
My guess would be the Tarpon 120. But, I’m really basing that on that is what TooBusy fishes out of mostly I think and I know he has tried out many different kinds and really seems to like the Tarpon.
Russ B. Formerly known here as “Top2Bottom1” www.joinrfa.org
God is great, Beer is good, People are crazy
I have the ocean kayak prowler trident and it is a great kayak. Nice and stable. You can stand up in it and throw a cast net out of it. Plenty of storage. I rigged mine up with more rod holders and a fishfinder.
depending on how big ya are I woldn’t stand up in a trident… I did it ONCE… I didn;t fall in but it was not very stable for a Biggun like me. If ya want to stand then a Wildy ride 135 or Commander, native ultimate or a freedom hawk. if standing isn;t a deal breaker the Tarpons are a great line as well as native… Just my $.02 worth tho.
“In every species of fish I’ve angled for, it is the ones that have got away that thrill me the most, the ones that keep fresh in my memory. So I say it is good to lose fish. If we didn’t, much of the thrill of angling would be gone.” Ray Bergman
Why don’t more people around here fish with pedal kayaks? I recently bought a Native Mariner and love it. The hands free ability to fish and move and stand too make it great for anything and everything I can throw at it. I can stand and thow a cast net with no problems at all. I have enough room to put everything including the kitchen sink on the boat with me. Even my 5 yr old daughter comes along with me with all my fishing gear.
The hobie yaks are nice as well. I just went with the Native because of the layout vs. the Hobie. Even though I prefered the drive system of the Hobie.
I just think that the ability to move and fish without a padal in your hands is a big advantage.
I guess the biggest draw back is price. They are more expensive. But from what I have read, most people end up upgrading once or twice in their kayak life. By that time, you could have just bought a pedal Native or Hobie and be done with it. That’s the route I went.
I guess the biggest draw back is price. They are more expensive.
That is pretty much what killed it for me. I could buy my current kayak 3-5 times again for the price of one pedal boats. Weight and/or maneuverability are potential issues for some as well?
John
1996 Sunbird Spirit 170 - 112 Johnson
15’ Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro
The hobie kayaks are just too expensive for a kayak. You could buy a small john boat for the price of some of the pedal kayaks.I dont see how the pedal has much advantage over paddling.
The hobie kayaks are just too expensive for a kayak. You could buy a small john boat for the price of some of the pedal kayaks.I dont see how the pedal has much advantage over paddling.
If you have a bad wrist such as myself, it was my only choice to go with a pedal version if I wanted to get into a kayak.
My advice is to try as many as you think you possibly want to buy. Time Out let me demo the two pedal versions before I bought. And that is what made my mind up for sure.
Fishless- I can not make an argument on the cost but by your comment I have to guess you have never fished from one before. For soaking bait there is no difference between the two but for covering ground and fishing it there is no comparison. Please do not get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with fishing bait. I do it all the time, especially when taking out clients, but you simplify can cover the water as efficiently when you paddle. Come fish with me and I promise you will be singing a different tune.
“The fishing was good; it was the catching that was bad.” </font id=“size2”> “Go Big or Go Home!” </font id=“size2”>
Oh, I have “looked” at the Hobies and they are really cool, they are just not in my price range. I know I am already going to spend more than I want to and it is even hard somewhat to justify that. It is after all not something I need but something I want. Okay, where is TooBusy with his input? I have somewhat narrowed down my list to the Tarpon, Manta Ray and Moken as I have actually seen these. Have not physically seen the Redfish or Stealth. I am in no hurry and want to demo a few of these before I buy.
I am fishing the Combahee River upstream. I bounce the bottom on logs on a regular basis. I think the Pedal “fins” would have trouble with all those obstacles…?
I have a Search 15 and it is a good fishing and paddling platform. Honestly, I’d rather have the Search 13 as I think it would be a bit more maneuverable. But when I was looking, I found a great deal on the used Search 15 I ended up buying.
The Hobies are nice, but the price is a deal-killer for me. And I really prefer paddling to pedaling. I’ve tried both and it just feels better to me.
If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.
I’ve been on vacation this week and not really keeping up with the forum activity.
Thoughts on the above
Manta Ray and Redfish are both really nice paddling boats. The redfish is really comparable to the Tarpon 120. Similar layout, speed functionality, etc. The Manta Ray is faster with better glide, not as stable
I’ve got no info on the Malibu. Only spent 2 minutes in one at the kayak festival
Tarpon 120 and Search 13 are both nice boats. I paddled a Search 13 for a long time before selling it to Optiker He still uses it and can carry a load. It’s heavier than the Tarpon by a good bit.
Moken is SLOOOOOOOW the only boat I’ve paddled that was more of a chore isn’t on your list. It’s made by the company that used to be Russ B’s family as a big boy boat.
Thanks TooBusy, all good information. I hate to hear about the Moken being so slow. I thought it was a nice looking boat with some interesting features. Should have figured with the payload capacity that there would be a trade-off. I don’t spend money easily on luxury items so I am probably over analyzing all of this but I want to look at all decent boats and buy the one that I won’t regret getting later.
As someone who has paddled kayaks for years (but only recently started kayak fishing) I’ll pitch in with some peddle/paddle thoughts. I wasn’t sure I’d like the peddle concept but when I got a chance at a cheap used Hobie peddle boat I couldn’t pass it up. Turns out I like peddling and it doesn’t seem much different efficiency wise than paddling. My Hobie is a 2003 model so they may have improved dramatically, I don’t know but peddling mine for a distance is fine.
That said, it’s not as useful as I thought it would be when fishing. It’s not as maneuverable as a paddled boat; wide turning radius, no reverse capability and shallow water limitations. I ran into some manatees up a small creek yesterday and wanted to take some pics (another hands focused activity) and I found it easier to use the paddle to keep the kayak pointed in the right direction as the manatees moved around me.
Sometimes the hands free aspect is great, just not as often as I expected.
