8' Vs 10' Kayak

[flyfshn]

Is there a huge difference between a 8' and 10' kayak, besides storage?

[Wayne SW/MO]

The 10' would be the best choice. They weigh around 40# and anything shorter isn't going to offer any advantage in weight. You might as well go for the storage and better speed and tracking. You give up speed and tracking when you chop off inches in a yak.

[Gavin]

I wouldnt want anything under 10' long...12' preferably.

[UnCivE]

I wouldn't want to paddle an 8 ft kayak. My wife has a 10 and it's even a bit too waggy for me. The shorter kayaks tend to track worse, turn better, and be slower. My wife has a 10 ft Bass Pro model and it wags side to side with every paddle stroke. Drives me crazy. My 12 ft kayak with the same hull design is way nicer to paddle.

Maybe if you've got to lift it up on top of your car every time , but not if you've got the room in the truck (IMO).

Good luck, whatever you choose.

[TroutRinger]

I have an 8 footer right simply for portability and storage. I can store it standing up in a closet or carry inside my Explorer (with all the doors and windows shut). I will say it is a lot slower than my old 9'6" yak because it is stubbier and less aerodynamic.

[flyfshn]

Thanks for the replies. My son and i bought a couple 8's from Cabellas when they had them on sale, mainly due to the price and not sure how often we would use them. We haven't used them yet and i read something on the internet that a 10' makes a huge difference, so we were trying to decide if we should take the 8's back and save up for something bigger.

[Gavin]

Anything beats nothing an it will get you out with your son...Try them for a year. If you dont like em, take a small haircut on craigslist and get something else. You will have a better idea about what you like/dont like at that point.

[Justin Spencer]

Anything beats nothing an it will get you out with your son...Try them for a year. If you dont like em, take a small haircut on craigslist and get something else. You will have a better idea about what you like/dont like at that point.

Gavin's exactly right, no matter what you have you always want better, but you will still have fun with them, silly to have an expensive piece of plastic just sitting there if you only use them occasionally.

[Wayne SW/MO]

It's going to depend on where you use them also. The 8's will do a lot better in slow or still water than they will in a current.

[jdmidwest]

8 footer would be just for paddling around, not much for fishing out of. Probably only weight rated for a smaller person also. I use 12' and have found them to be about the smallest for fishing stability. I have looked at a 10 footer just for paddling and floating.

As far as resistance goes, it is the hull style that make the real difference in paddling. An 8' yak may be pretty wide in the middle and track worse when paddling. Longer boats have more resistance when you stroke from one side to the other and tend to run straighter.