fishinwrench Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 It's a fact that there is no perfect all around river craft, that is only because of different rivers. Some flows scream for a yak, some a toon, others a jon boat. A canoe is hands down the most versatile of all. So where you plan to use it should be the deciding factor. The truly cool thing is that all designs of river craft are easily affordable. Even a poor dude like me can afford one of each.
Smallieguy87 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Posted January 12, 2015 I'd mostly be using the craft on small Rives like Jack fork, huzzah, black river, occasionally on big river, the Meramec. Does anyone have a recommended dealer they go through on their canoe or kayaks in Missouri? I don't mind to drive to say Springfield to pick one up if that where the good deals are.
GloryDaze Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 I'd mostly be using the craft on small Rives like Jack fork, huzzah, black river, occasionally on big river, the Meramec. Does anyone have a recommended dealer they go through on their canoe or kayaks in Missouri? I don't mind to drive to say Springfield to pick one up if that where the good deals are.I don't think you will find a new Royalex priced decent. Mine was rather expensive and that was 5 years ago when their was no demand for Royalex. You can usually find a good used one on Craigslist though. By the way, I paddle mine with a double bladed paddle and it works out just fine. I've been on pretty much every river you mentioned and then some with it and it has served me perfectly. I will say I had it narrowed down to a Wenonah and the MR Legend 15 but I liked how the MR felt a little better. It has secondary stability, for a newbie that simply means it feels very tippy at first but tends to stabilize the further you tip. Due to its shallow v hull design I can draft just as great if not better than most kayaks. Simply meaning even in shallow water I don't drag like some think you would with a full boat. No matter what you decide, I think your experience having any craft will enhance using the streams. It opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. The dealer I bought mine from in KC has closed shop so not sure about others around the state. I guess I should say, I wished I didn't spend as much $ as I did on my first two boats. As much as I thought I would never get rid of them, I eventually did just because when I bought them I wasn't 100% sure on if they would fit my needs. It took 2 as a learning curve before my canoe. Follow me on Twitter @DazeGlory
Terrierman Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 I'd mostly be using the craft on small Rives like Jack fork, huzzah, black river, occasionally on big river, the Meramec. Does anyone have a recommended dealer they go through on their canoe or kayaks in Missouri? I don't mind to drive to say Springfield to pick one up if that where the good deals are. Ozark Mountain Trading Company is where I bought my Mad River Legend and also a Wenonah Prospector for my grandson. They have as good a selection as anyone. They have a store just outside Ozark MO. They do take trade ins so finding something used is at least a possibility. They've always treated me fair and to me that's as good a recommendation as you will get from anyone. Ham 1
ScottK Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 I'll second OMTC, I've bought both my kayaks there. If you get a kayak instead of a canoe, for the waters you're talking about you may want to look at the Cuda 12 (Jackson) along with the Coosa. Or if you decide you want a Pescador, I may have one for sale (used 1 season).
Plastic_worm Posted January 12, 2015 Posted January 12, 2015 I've owned a couple kayaks. Currently own a JK cuda 12 and have a canoe for long (more than 3 night trips). Like everyone else has mentioned, there's no perfect boat, but for me a kayak is the best choice. It's easy to load, paddle...tracking and speed, and fish from. It doesn't catch nearly the wind that my canoe does b/c of the lower profile. And it's fast, for a cuda, but I have to stop and wait on my buddies who are in canoes. I like how I sit above the water line and standing gives me an even better perspective. When I was deciding between a solo and a kayak, I made the decision based on water I could take them in...canoes are open boats as such open to being swamped or if you flip...self rescue means dumping the water out. SOT's won't swamp, self rescue means climbing back on. For me that's important b/c I paddle lakes, rivers, the gulf and marsh...unlimited options!!! PM me if you have further questions...I'm not an expert but happy to help anyone thinking about getting a yak!! +3 on OMTC - got my cuda from them! Add a rudder and you can fish hands free for very long stretches. Will never have a yak w/o a rudder!! YT - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5T_lKUH3gVkxSraJWUVzoQ FB - https://www.facebook.com/looknfishy Blog - http://looknfishy.blogspot.com/ IG - https://www.instagram.com/looknfishy/
Smallieguy87 Posted January 12, 2015 Author Posted January 12, 2015 I did have a look at OMTC web page. A friend of mine referred me to river Jim. I also got a recommendation to take a look at some of old towns offerings.
Al Agnew Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 The Alpine Shop is the place to go for canoes and kayaks in St. Louis...knowledgeable and helpful people. Don't know how they compare to OMTC but I've bought a couple of boats from them and have no complaints with them. I agree with most of what has been said. However, I will note that I doubt that any kayak will be as easy to load and unload and portage as a solo canoe, both because of the weight difference and because of how you can lift and carry the canoe. Kayaks just don't have the same kind of "handles" as the gunwales of a canoe. As a class of boats, kayaks only have one big advantage over canoes, and that's already been mentioned; they are much better in the wind. And wind can be a factor on rivers like the Meramec, somewhat less so on smaller streams like the Jacks Fork. All the other supposed advantages of kayaks over canoes seem to be mainly put forth by people who compare solo kayaks to tandem canoes, which is comparing apples to oranges. On the other hand, canoes have the major advantage of being able to carry a lot more stuff, and on the smaller Ozark streams, being able to carry multiple rods and reels safely, with tips inside the gunwales where the brush doesn't jump out and snatch them. While I agree that self-rescue and recovery is easier in a SOT kayak than a canoe, that is not a factor that I'd consider very important on Ozark streams, where, if you're prudent, you can go many years without flipping your boat. Not that I haven't flipped mine a few times, but that's more from being too complacent than from the inherent difficulties of the streams. As far as the speed of both, that again is more due to using a double blade compared to a single blade. If I wanted to go fast enough to keep up with a kayaker using a typical recreational or fishing kayak, I'd just use a double blade and know that I'd be able to keep up and probably pass him. I do use a double blade to paddle upstream, because it's easier to keep up your momentum with the double blade. However, a single blade is more useful overall for fishing from the canoe, because you can do so many more effective one handed strokes while holding your fishing rod in the other hand. Price IS an issue. I noticed that Wenonah is now listing the Vagabond, which I think is the best solo canoe on the market for Ozark stream angling, for $1300 in Royalex. That's a pretty good chunk of change, and up from $900 just a few years ago and $1000 just before the word came out that Royalex would no longer be produced. Old Town is no longer offering their Royalex solo, the Pack. Their Discovery 119 is a serviceable solo angling canoe, and reasonably priced at $700. I haven't paddled nor even seen their new solo, the Next. It might be okay, according to the specs.
Plastic_worm Posted January 13, 2015 Posted January 13, 2015 Canoes absolutely have more capacity but all the gear is usually exposed and needs to be protected and secured. My gear stays in the hull and I never worry about rain or losing it if I flip. There are even a few things I never take out. Extra pfd, trash bags , toilet paper, disposable waste bags, rain gear, towel...In the winter I leave a dry bag with extra clothes/shoes. Not all kayaks have rod tip protectors, but the cuda does, and I use them all the time. When fly fishing I carry 2 rods...1 is bungied down and the tip stays under the protector. If I were looking to spend 1k or more, I'd want something that could be used in any type of water in all conditions. And: Demo, demo, demo...find what's best for you, good luck!! Ham 1 YT - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5T_lKUH3gVkxSraJWUVzoQ FB - https://www.facebook.com/looknfishy Blog - http://looknfishy.blogspot.com/ IG - https://www.instagram.com/looknfishy/
Smallieguy87 Posted January 13, 2015 Author Posted January 13, 2015 thanks for all the help and suggestions guys i should be making the purchase in 2-3 weeks and ill let you all know what i decided on!
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