I am looking at used kayaks. I am a novice to kayaking, so I need some advice. I am average build- 5’11 180 lbs and would like a kayak for touring and some fishing. Don’t need a hard core fishing yak just yet. I would like something I feel safe in on the stono river (boat traffic and potential to flip!) and the creeks that feed off of it.
Looking at some used boats on craigs list. See ocean kayak scupper pro (15’ I think). Hearing a lot of great things about the Ride135 but hard to find a used one!
If you have a chance to test drive some kayaks I would suggest you do that first. Some shops will apply the rental to the purchase price. When looking for a used one, get one that has been stored inside. A yak that is faded will likely crack on you. I own a Ride 135 and it is great for the bigger guy and I can spend most of the day in it without getting tired/sore. This is a heavy yak at approx 70lbs. You might check out the Tarpon line by Wilderness Systems as well. There are others on this site who are very knowledgeable about kayaks and they may suggest others to consider.
The Stono isn’t that bad a place, but there is a ton of boat traffic. It would be fairly difficult for a guy your size to flip most sit on tops in a river situation… going off the beach is a different story entirely…things happen, yaks flip.
I’ve paddled just about anything you can imagine in the past couple of years. Sit in or sit on top. I’ve fallen out of or flipped 2 of them. One was a Dagger Edisto sit in that rolled when I was climbing in and got blasted by a boat wake. The other was a Wilderness Systems Cape Hatteras sit in that I fell out of trying to climb out onto a dock instead of landing in pluff mud.
Try looking at a couple of the bigger dealers to see if they have a demo day coming up. There was one in Columbia recently and I think there’s one coming up near Greenville, SC and another in Greensboro, NC… long way to ride, but it’s nice to see a whole lot of yaks at one time.
A scupper pro is a pretty cool sit on top if the reviews are anywhere close to accurate. Not as wide as a Ride, but a whole lot faster. I’ve got a tarpon 140 with a rudder. Good stable yak, relatively fast, HEAVY… VERY HEAVY.
Let me know if I can help.
There is nothing - absolutely nothing- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Kenneth Grahame
I have a Scupper Pro, but mine has the tank well behind the seat, which I think is a much better set-up for most uses. For fishing, I can put my crate and gear behind me and I have a little cooler I can put in the front hatch. For cruising around, I have can have one of my kids sit in the tank well and keep on cruising. That makes for my 180lbs, plus 100 more with my son.
As TooBusy said, it is not the widest boat, but it is pretty fast, with pretty good primary and very good secondary stability. I have not felt unstable at all and have tossed a small cast net from my knees pretty well. One last note, it is not a dry ride, but scupper plugs, or foam golf balls, can take care of that.
John
John
1996 Sunbird Spirit 170 - 112 Johnson
15’ Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro
The Ride is a tank. Very stable, wide and roomy, not the fastest but will keep up with the rest of the group, tracks well. It is a very good fishing platform. Some even stand and fish from it although I have never tried. It is versatile, I use mine everywhere and am very pleased with it’s performance. It is alittle sluggish in the surf but will pound through the waves to yak baits out. I have never questioned its stability 500 yards offshore and it is easy to reenter if I get dumped. I have never been dumped outside the breakers but have reentered several times quick and easy between bars with heavy surf. Of course this is only my experience.