Screw it I'm buying a kayak.

[BilletHead]

        Ha! I  think this is so neat Ronnie,

If you look back you know what Pat and I have for kayaks. Ours is a cross between a kayak and stand up paddle board. I know you posted you don't care if you can stand up or not but we like the option. With my abilities I cannot sit too long or stand too long so I need to constantly move from time to time. They  are not speed demons either but very comfortable and have the high seat option. I may just might know where there is one like ours that needs some work and might be bought for the right price. I will look into that. For fishing sit on top are the best IMO. For speed and a dryer ride a sit inside type.. I have a native ultimate 12 foot sit inside I use for mostly easy duck hunting and some fishing. Like it too.

  As mentioned above use Austin Canoe and Kayak out of Texas  http://www.austinkayak.com/

  Sign up for their newsletter. Only comes once a month, they will not spam you and each month 10 to 15 percent off one item. Some things free shipping. On your birthday another 15 percent discount. We have bought some pretty nice things with the discount and free shipping I would never otherwise buy. Good luck and PM me if I can help in any other way.I could bring the Diablo's down sometime and we could paddle around some so you can see what thy are all about,

BilletHead

[moguy1973]

I have 2 Ocean Kayaks both 11', one is the Prowler 11T and the other is a Trident 11.  They are the same exact kayak except the Trident has a modular "rod pod" that lets you mount all sorts of things that have Scotty mounts on them.  They are great, and like jpb's they are super light.  I think mine are 52lbs each.  I've tried to lift heavier kayaks on top of vehicles and it isn't fun alone, but these are definitely manageable...  They are kind of pricey at $950-1000 each, but I got mine through a points program for free at my old job.  I think the newer model of the Ascend FS12T are built pretty good, albeit kid of heavy.  The Ascends use a high density polypropylene which makes them more rigid but also heavier, while the OK's use a medium density polypropylene that really lightens them up.  It also has a lot better seat than my OK's do...that's the only thing I wish was different on mine is a better seat that keeps my but out of the water that gets in the seat well.

[jdmidwest]

Academy makes a Tarpon knockoff using the old style mold that is a great bargain, the Perception Pescador.  I bought Heritage Angler 10 for the grandson last summer and use it now on all of my floats.  Its light and easy to paddle, stable enough.  Plenty of storage for a day trip.

Ocean Kayak is nice, plenty of features and well made.  Wilderness Systems makes great boats, but pricey like the Jackson ones.  I have an Pamlico 120, first yak I ever bought.  My daughter likes it.  I like it to duck hunt out of.  It is a sit inside.

Sit on top for kayak fishing is a must.  Good seat.  Lightweight.  Dry hatch and deck rigging.  Hull designs.  All good things to consider on a yak.  Best to find some to try out first.

[Gavin]

Do like the Coosa, but it's a beast to toss on the ladder racks on my F150 4x4. Uneven weight distribution. Much easier to tie it in the bed for a day trip and toss the cooler etc in rear. Might be to small if you are over 200lbs. The old tarpon 120 is a good design but seating is not as comfy. Buddy's Tarpon 140 paddles really well. Lots of nice boats but I like my 15' solo canoe better. Less stable but faster than the Coosa, easy to load, holds more gear and the rod storage is better. I'm sure that a few folks here would let you paddle theirs before you buy.

[Flysmallie]

Yeah I'm going to be a tad over 200. Hell I played defensive end my junior year at 270 and wasn't a slouch at it either. Wasn't real good with instruction though.  

But a road job and a good 5 years sitting behind a desk have done little for my figure. Had a little heart attack scare a while back and I am on a mission. But I'll never be around 200. 

 

I'm really intrigued with the Diablo. Looked at something like that at the beach last week but they were $2,700. Decisions, decisions. Glad I'm not in a huge hurry. 

 

I really appreciate all of the information. It's great to hear everyone's opinions on these things. 

[ness]

12 hours ago, Gavin said:

Do like the Coosa, but it's a beast to toss on the ladder racks on my F150 4x4. Uneven weight distribution. Much easier to tie it in the bed for a day trip and toss the cooler etc in rear. Might be to small if you are over 200lbs. The old tarpon 120 is a good design but seating is not as comfy. Buddy's Tarpon 140 paddles really well. Lots of nice boats but I like my 15' solo canoe better. Less stable but faster than the Coosa, easy to load, holds more gear and the rod storage is better. I'm sure that a few folks here would let you paddle theirs before you buy.

You touch on several things there that are what keeps me from going the kayak route. Weight, ease of transporting, speed, storage...

I think you give up versatility too. One or two people? Big cooler or small? Tackle box or smaller boxes? Throw in a chair? 

A canoe is like a blank canvas. The yaks have most things predetermined for you. 

But hey, Ronnie wants a yak ?

[Flysmallie]

8 minutes ago, ness said:

But hey, Ronnie wants a yak ?

Don't make me drive to where you are and force you to buy me lunch.

8 minutes ago, ness said:

You touch on several things there that are what keeps me from going the kayak route. Weight, ease of transporting, speed, storage...

This isn't about you. It's all about me....remember?

Weight isn't necessarily a bad thing. A yak that weighs 80 lbs is a lot easier to handle than a 17 foot canoe. 

Ease of Transport. Yeah that one sucks. I have a Camry. Yeah I know but it's free. Free car, free maintenance, free gas. I did have a fish wagon once but all it did was sit so I sold it. I'm going to ride this company car gig as long as I can. But anyways 17 feet of canoe does not fit the Camry well. 

Speed? I'm sure I want to go as fast as possible but it's not something I have really considered. My main purpose is going to be a small lake and I won't be pulling any skiers.

Storage is not a concern. I don't carry much stuff fishing. And I won't be taking it on any camping trips. That's why I have the Old Town Battleship. I will not be eating out of bags. Even though I probably should. 

 

And yes I could get a solo canoe. But then I couldn't fish one of the kayak tournaments if I decided to. 

 

[ness]

52 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

Don't make me drive to where you are and force you to buy me lunch.

This isn't about you. It's all about me....remember?

Weight isn't necessarily a bad thing. A yak that weighs 80 lbs is a lot easier to handle than a 17 foot canoe. 

Ease of Transport. Yeah that one sucks. I have a Camry. Yeah I know but it's free. Free car, free maintenance, free gas. I did have a fish wagon once but all it did was sit so I sold it. I'm going to ride this company car gig as long as I can. But anyways 17 feet of canoe does not fit the Camry well. 

Speed? I'm sure I want to go as fast as possible but it's not something I have really considered. My main purpose is going to be a small lake and I won't be pulling any skiers.

Storage is not a concern. I don't carry much stuff fishing. And I won't be taking it on any camping trips. That's why I have the Old Town Battleship. I will not be eating out of bags. Even though I probably should. 

 

And yes I could get a solo canoe. But then I couldn't fish one of the kayak tournaments if I decided to. 

 

How are you gonna hoist an 80 pound yak onto that Camry? You're a pu$$y What do you even hold on to? I've got a 16-1/2 foot canoe that's about 55 pounds and I can jerk it up over my head and walk around the block if I want to.  I don't want to, but I could.

Oh, and lunch anytime -- but you're the one with an expense account.

I really do think the yaks are cool, and would be a lot of fun on a local lake or pond. Maybe even on a stream. But, personally, I just can't get there.

[Smalliebigs]

2 hours ago, ness said:

2 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

Yeah I'm going to be a tad over 200. Hell I played defensive end my junior year at 270 and wasn't a slouch at it either. Wasn't real good with instruction though.  

But a road job and a good 5 years sitting behind a desk have done little for my figure. Had a little heart attack scare a while back and I am on a mission. But I'll never be around 200. 

 

I'm really intrigued with the Diablo. Looked at something like that at the beach last week but they were $2,700. Decisions, decisions. Glad I'm not in a huge hurry. 

 

I really appreciate all of the information. It's great to hear everyone's opinions on these things. 

man I'm glad you are taking care of yourself and very glad you had some sort of warning sign to help you in the right direction.....I just lost a good friend and it was big surprise and eye opener for me.

My yaks are 75lbs and I can throw them in my truck pretty dang easy, I would think you would be able to do the same. I did own a Diablo Paddle sports Chupacabra at one time http://diablopaddlesports.com/store?cat=boats and I liked it.....that was back when I thought it was important to stand on these things. I sold it to a dude from Indiana on Craigslist...it didn't perform in moving water like I wanted but was pretty comfortable no doubt.

I know you said you didn't want to consider a Coosa but, for the overall money especially if you can get a discounted price like I DID I you get a lot.....some would laugh  but let me show you. http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/kayak/coosa-hd/   your rig comes with tracking systems all over the rails, with gimball and rodholder, a killer seat with a thermarest pad, a Buck Knife tool that is badass, water bottles, storage bags, gopro attachments galore, lure boxes ect,ect,.

The one caveat to the Coosa is I only use them in moving water.....no lakes, you can but if I did fish lakes from a yak I would have two Big Rigs http://jacksonkayak.com/blog/kayak/big-rig/ 

I was lucky Ronnie and was able to pick my HD's up for $1350.....some would laugh at me but, it happens all the time I'm very used to it. I have multiple boat and multiple canoes with trailers.....my Coosa HD's are some funnest pieces of equipment in my ridiculous arsenal. Like Ham said once you go over to the darkside it can get ugly.

There are a ton of great yaks out there and all have more of a niche than others......like I said you just get a lot for your buck with the HD even though it's a lot of bucks  

for the record I am a canoe guy and a kayak guy.....I love them both

 

[Flysmallie]

14 minutes ago, Smalliebigs said:

man I'm glad you are taking care of yourself and very glad you had some sort of warning sign to help you in the right direction.....I just lost a good friend and it was big surprise and eye opener for me.

 

Yeah I was really lucky. Mine was all stress related and I didn't have a heart attack. But I got to spend the night in the hospital and have all kinds of tests that all came back positive. Ticker is good. No blockage. Cholesterol good. All blood work was good. Really high blood pressure that is now under control by meds and hopefully under control by diet in the future. My doctor told me I was the healthiest fat guy he has as a patient. I guess that's a compliment.