Thinking about a solo craft but really have no idea what I really want/need

[Moswimb8slinger]

If you would like to check out and demo any of the kayaks that Ozarks Extreme Outdoors has in its rental fleet, come by or give the shop a call (417-230-9314)

Here's some of the kayaks available 

Malibu Stealth 12

Malibu Seirra 10 (sit-in)

Malibu Mini-X

Emotion Stealth 11 Angler 

Feel free Moken 12.5

Diablo Paddlesports Amigo  (12'8")

 

 

[DownStream]

Hey Al, would you mind elaborating on your tackle box idea?

[Al Agnew]

Simple...as long as you have bench style canoe seats.  And if you don't, I'd suggest replacing yours with the bench style.  I hate the molded seats.  They are heavy and they eliminate what should be your most handy stowage area, beneath your seat.  Bench seats can be bought for less than $50 and are easy to install in most canoes.

Anyway, go to Walmart and buy an auto battery box, one of those black plastic boxes, the larger one.  Get five Plano 3701 tackle stowage boxes...those are the ones that are only about an inch thick.  By a very happy coincidence, five of them fit tightly and perfectly in the battery box.  Throw the lid of the battery box away.  Get some double sided velcro stripping.  Cut slits in the edge of the bottom of the battery box and run the strips through the slits and out the open top of the box.  Now all you have to do is make sure the battery box will fit underneath your bench seat--in a couple of canoes I've owned, I had to raise the seat an inch or so for the box to fit underneath it, but that only makes the seat more comfortable as far as I'm concerned.  You strap the box to the seat so that it's underneath it with the open end facing forward.

That means the Plano boxes full of your lures are lying flat.  Rain, paddle splash, and bilge water doesn't get in them (unless you get more than an inch of water in the bottom of the canoe), so the lures stay dry.  And all you have to do is reach between your legs to slide out any of the five boxes--label them on the front edge as to what category of lures are in each one with a black marker, so you don't have to guess which box you need.  It beats any tackle system I've ever had, and I've gone through a lot of them in nearly 50 years of canoe fishing.  Every other one I ever had either was too hard to get into or was always getting wet inside.

The only thing bad that happens now and then is, if you have to lift up the back end of the canoe to slide it over a log, the Plano boxes might slip out of the battery box.  I had that problem solved by just attaching a velcro strap across the open front of the box, but I found I never bothered to fasten it.

I also drilled little holes in the molded carrying handles on the ends of the battery box, and then attached a shoulder strap to make it easier to carry the box to and from the water.

[grizwilson]

Does anyone have knowledge about the Tuff-weave Flex core material Wenonah is using? I wonder how well it will preform in our Ozark Streams? At 43# the boat appears in the proper weight range for a solo?

 

[Al Agnew]

I don't have any experience with the tuffweave flexcore, but everything I've heard about it sounds like it would work well.  I think it's basically a fiberglass composite with a layer of foam.  The Vagabond in flexcore is actually supposed to be 40 pounds, compared to the Royalex version at 43 pounds.

I do know the flexcore version of the Vagabond is a bit different boat.  It is 14'6" as advertised, while the Royalex version is actually about three inches shorter.  And it has a bit or rocker, while the Royalex version does not.

[XP 590]

I just bought an Old Town Predator 13 this season and love it.  For some reason, Old Town isn't getting much respect but I read a year and a half of reviews with almost nothing negative before I jumped in.  I love this thing.  It is big and heavy so it won't win any races, but to me, it's a cruiser, not a racer.  It has a big comfortable seat with three positions,  up- extremely comfortable, down, at water level, and pushed back out of the way for standing.  Yes you can stand in this thing.  It has a big front hatch up front and removable pod in the middle that allow storage in the length of the hull, a storage bag on back of the seat and a big storage platform on back.  Easily big enough to pack for a multiple over nighters on the rivers.  There are also mounting plates along the gunwale so you don't have to drill into the hull to mount stuff, but as a fly fisher, I'm not mounting anything as they just get in the way of the fly line.  It has small rubber covers at the nose for rod tips, you lay your rod along the hull, strap it in the hull strap and tuck the tip into the tip protectors on the bow.  This thing is packed with features and worth checking out.  The only thing I mounted was an anchor trolley along the right side since I'm fishing in lakes alot and it helps you position yourself with the wind.  I'm new to kayaking, but in my opinion this thing tracks well and moves along pretty quick.  My priorities were comfort, space and stability and this boat fits the bill.  If you're ever around Columbia and want to try it out, shoot me a note.  As big and heavy as it is, I knew I wouldn't be hoisting it on top of my 4Runner so I bought a Trailex small boat trailer, which was a great investment as it fits my Dad's canoe as well.

[drew03cmc]

 Wouldn't trade my royalex solos for brand new kayaks.  Better capacity, draft less water, paddle better, rod tips in the boat..twice the paddle half the man.  I have a disco 119 and a Mohawk solo 14, the 119 never gets used.

 

check out the class five design fiberglass boats.  Not as great as royalex, but much better than poly boats, really affordable as well. 

http://www.classfiveboats.com

I just checked them out and am impressed. The price isn't bad and I think they would be perfectly serviceable for anyone wanting a lighter alternative to the three layer boats.

[jtram]

Get what you like, as in what looks like you want, read reviews, figure out a budget and be happy with what you get. The grass is always greener, even if you have a dozen boats, there will always be another you like. To me, 50 lbs vs 75 lbs is certainly noticeable, but even the heavy boats sre manageable. Just go fish!

[fishinwrench]

Everyone always makes a big deal about the weight of canoes.  Mine is like 74lbs. but I have no problem loading/unloading/portaging it.   

Maybe some of y'all just need a few nights per week at the gym?  

[Gavin]

No problem with a17' 80lb canoe. The weight is pretty even so it carries well and loads easy. Not so with SOT kayaks. Uneven weight distribution and most bow heavy with no good way to load easy w/o a buddy handy. Takes about 2-3 minutes and little effort to load & strap a canoe on the ladder racks on my  truck. Takes a while longer to load the SOT.  Heavy as my 17' tandem canoe and less than   12' long.