Kayaking, Diving, Skiing, & Surfing Forum. - Sit on Top or Sit in Kayak

Hello THT, I am hopeing to get the flow going a bit more in this forum, seems things have really slow since starting out quickly.

I learned that a sit-on-top kayak was great for rivers and ocean whereas sit-in was great for lakes. But lately I have seen people out in the ICW in sit-in-kayaks. Is it a preference or is there positives and negatives of both? I see the biggest difference being that with the sit-on-top water drains right out where on sit-in kayaks it accumulates inside.

What do you prefer and why? :tht_rulez:

SOTs are more popular among fishermen because they are easier to enter and exit, especially for wade fishing. Sitinsides allow you to keep dryer and usually have more storage area. I own and fish out of both types. I lean toward the SOTs because I wade a lot.

There is a new Yak available now. I just did a new product evaluation on my website of the Native Watercraft "Ultimate." It combines the best of both sit insides and sitontops, making it a serious fishing machine.

Before I bought my last yak, I paddled 23 different yaks. I settled on an Emotion MOJO because it worked for me and the price was right. I love the MOJO but I haven't paddled it since about 4 hours ago. Seriously, my yaks are ready 24-7 and I live right smack in the middle of great fishing. Today, it was 80 degrees here but lots of wind.

If I had seen the Native Watercraft "Ultimate" before I bought the MOJO, I'd be paddling it right now. The boat is incredible. Check out my new product evaluation on my website.

Price is under $800.

your website address?

I'd be interested in that, too.

i fish in fort pierce a lot on my SOT, i wouldnt have it any other way. If ur agile u can stand on a sot...thats always fun. but if ur looking to fish i wouldnt consider anything else in this climate region

I prefer sit on as it is easy to get in and out and easier to land (and release) fish. Of course it is colder on your behind in the winter months when the water is cool. I fish on my Malibu two on the ICW and the ocean.

the only problem i have with the sit-on tops is the lack of back support...but there are those seats you can buy that increase the amount of back support. for fishing purposes, i like the sit-in kayaks a lot better. they give you a lower center of gravity, thus allowing for a more stable ride..which can come on handy when youre reeling in a monster.

The sot allows quik reentry in the case of a spill. That should end the subject. If you spill in a cockpit boat and have all the self rescue gear with you. You are still looking at 15 minutes or more to reenter. I fish for hours and not only do I like to wade but nature calls at least once an hour require a quik exit and reentry.

Short answer - SOT is fine. Most toy kayaks are sit on tops. If you want a real touring kayak for teh ocean or a shorter sport kayak for rivers, they will be the sit in kind. When renting for a kayaking trip, they were all sit ins.

That said, if you are fishing, you are not concerned with the amount of drag or the prismatic coefficient of the kayak, nor do you need to drop $1200 for a nice sit in one. SOT kayaks are fine.

If it takes you 15 minutes to get into the kayak after a spill, I would strongly suggest taking a class or getting some training. After your first outing on a sit in kayak, this should be no more than a 15-30 second exercise, not including the time to fix the spray skirt after you are seated.

I am not a serious kayaker, so we just have a cheapie West Marine inflatable kayak. It was under $500 and takes up little space. It is very stable (almost too stable for my liking) but has no storage area and requires more effort than a sleek fiberglass sit in. It also wouldn't fare very well with hooks. :)

jobowker - 4/27/2007 4:39 PM

Short answer - SOT is fine. Most toy kayaks are sit on tops. If you want a real touring kayak for teh ocean or a shorter sport kayak for rivers, they will be the sit in kind. When renting for a kayaking trip, they were all sit ins.

That said, if you are fishing, you are not concerned with the amount of drag or the prismatic coefficient of the kayak, nor do you need to drop $1200 for a nice sit in one. SOT kayaks are fine.
It takes more time than that to inflate a paddle float and lashit down...then you have a precarious reentry followed by pumping all the water out. If you can do all that in 15 seconds lets see the video. If you can reenter without a paddle float then you are using a big wide sis which has zero advantage over a sot, but alot of disadvantages.

If it takes you 15 minutes to get into the kayak after a spill, I would strongly suggest taking a class or getting some training. After your first outing on a sit in kayak, this should be no more than a 15-30 second exercise, not including the time to fix the spray skirt after you are seated.

I am not a serious kayaker, so we just have a cheapie West Marine inflatable kayak. It was under $500 and takes up little space. It is very stable (almost too stable for my liking) but has no storage area and requires more effort than a sleek fiberglass sit in. It also wouldn't fare very well with hooks. :)

since i do this and also go out in the ocean......i like a little more protection...sorry for the recent re post...just trying to lightheartedly make a point
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Has anyone seen the new boat from Orvis? Not a canoe or a kayak, but claimed to have the advantages of both. Hard to believe, but if true, I would buy one right now. Pretty spendy at $1500.

The Orvis is a specially designed yak made by Native ....Native and Herritage are now owned by the same company ( Legacy Paddlesports ) .....The Native Ultimate 12 is the model that the Orvis is designed around .... You can buy the Ultimate 12 and outfit it yourself for less $$$....Native makes some fine yaks, but after investigating a little more from other yak forums, the Native yaks are better for flat water ... They have been used in light chop, but are better designed for flat water....One of the VERY COOL features of the Native yaks is that you can stand in them ...They are VERY stable , and hold plenty of weight !!.... You can find the Ultimate 12 for under $1,000 .... I don't work for Legacy, I have just done a tremendous amount of research on yaks ....I'm a little guy ( 265 lbs ) and have been researching yaks for slightly bigger guys :roll ......Jim

Thanks for the information. Do you own a kayak at this point? What have you concluded in your research? I moved to Arizona from Florida 6 months ago, and am now looking for something for lakes. I'll be in Florida in mid-May and look at a few possibilites then. Thanks again.

Pete's Dragon ,
I just bought the Native Ultimate 14.5 ....They are not that easy to come by , but I lucked out, and found one locally .... GREAT YAK !!.....Very comfortable , and holds all of my 265 lbs and then some ( rated at 450 lbs ) ....It's a tandem yak , that can be converted to a single which is what I did .... VERY stable !!.... There are pic's on other forums of a guy standing and fly fishing in some chop !!....Very impressive ...
They also make a 12 foot model that has a skeg that can be put up or down via a control on the right hand side of the yak ...Very trick !!.... The 12 is a single seater , and does not hold as much weight, but a great yak for you smaller guys ..
Very well built , with do dads that no other yak has ....Check it out ....Really nice unit ...Not cheap, but not cheaply made either ....Jim

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