Jackson Coosa Kayak

[Trout Commander]

Good point. Maybe I should get a Yeti for my new yak

Or better yet; buy me one!

[Gavin]

60lbs isnt bad for an 11' SOT....Looks like the Cuda is a bit longer 14'3" and 75lbs or so..The weight is more of an on off the car issue imo..Its been years since I've encountered a situation that required a significant portage. Cheers.

[gotmuddy]

60lbs isnt bad for an 11' SOT....Looks like the Cuda is a bit longer 14'3" and 75lbs or so..The weight is more of an on off the car issue imo..Its been years since I've encountered a situation that required a significant portage. Cheers.

you float bigger streams than me. There are three or four spots on the southfork that require you to carry your yak over. That being said, if a kayak can survive falling off my trailer at 70mph on the way to hammond camp then dragging 10ft on concrete wont hurt it.

[Al Agnew]

The more built-in, molded-in stuff you have in a boat, the heavier it will be. And to me, having a boat that's much over 45 pounds kinda defeats the purpose of having a solo craft. Sure, you can lift 60 or 70 pounds by yourself if you're in reasonable shape, but it ain't much fun. Like Gavin, I seldom encounter places where I have to portage very far, so that's not a big issue, but getting it on and off the vehicle is, and even more important to me, getting it to and from the river at difficult accesses can really be a problem. Ask ColdWatrFsher about the Kingston Access...I dragged my canoe all the way to the vehicle on that one and put some major wear on the bottom. I would have hated to have to get a 65 pound boat all the way to the parking lot.

To me, the most important things about any craft for float fishing is the configuration of the hull below the waterline, which determines how it handles, how fast it is, how stable it is, and how it does in bony water; and the amount of storage space to carry gear and tackle. You can always customize your craft for everything from seating to cup holders to tackle storage to anchors. But you can't make more storage space, and you can't change the hull configuration.

So if you have a chance to spend time actually fishing from a craft that you're thinking of buying, do so by all means.

[moguy1973]

Al, what kind of kayak do you float on around here?

[Ham]

Al, what kind of kayak do you float on around here?

Snicker snicker. I think Al would rather swim with a fishing rod in his mouth that use a kayak.

[moguy1973]

So I guess he's a canoe guy...

[Gavin]

Dat would be a yes!...Wenonah Vagabond is Al's boat of choice....used to have one...not one for standing & casting...but a great boat if you plan to sit & cast....Used to have one, but I didnt float it much...maybe 4-5 days a year...usually took my tandem canoe because I can stand up and walk around in it....another board member has it now...havent heard how he likes it....but I miss it....would buy it back...but thinking Cuda...

[Al Agnew]

Ham's right, of course, and we've had a lot of arguments about canoes vs. kayaks. My belief is that a good solo canoe can do everything a kayak can, and do some things better. In my opinion, the ONLY advantages to a kayak like the Coosa are that it's less affected by wind than a canoe, and you can stand up in it supposedly comfortably. If that's important to you, fine, but you're giving up some things that to me are very important, including light weight, the ability to store multiple fishing rods completely inside the gunwales of the canoe so they don't get snapped off in brushy riffles or get tangled up with the line you have a big fish attached to, the ability to carry all the camping gear you wish for overnight floats without worrying much about how you're going to stow it, and the ability to customize your craft the way YOU want instead of the way some designer who may not fish like you thought would work.

I don't want to rehash the whole canoe vs. kayak thing again, but can't help thinking a lot of people who are in the market for various kayaks would be better served by a good solo canoe.

(My Vagabond weighs 43 pounds and retails for around $1100 these days...and you can get brand new serviceable solo canoes for $500-800.)

[Justin Spencer]

I'm a canoe guy also, but I'm too cheap to buy a solo canoe. I just sit backwards in the front seat and off I go, I like to see down into the water, and kayaks just sit too low for me. Kayaks are easier for most to handle so I do see why people like them, with the Coosa having a seat that can be elevated I think I might like that better, but will probably always be a canoe guy.