Kayaking, Diving, Skiing, & Surfing Forum. - Kayak suggestions

Anyone have suggestions on a good first kayak? I'm gonna use it in the small lake behind my house for afternoon leisure/excercise/largemouth fishing, and will use it for trout/redfish on a limited basis. I found this.......http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3052267. Any opinions on Future Beach kayaks? Or the Pelican Castaway Fishing version? Thanks for the help.

I own three Ocean Kayaks and have been very happy with them all! I use the two larger to fish the Sound and the small to fish the ocean/surf and Sound.

Good luck to ya.

stay far, far away from pelican yaks. In order to find a yak that will fit you it would greatly help to know your size and weight. If you want a kayak forum with a lot more traffic I will PM you the link. Its not as simple as just grabbing a boat off the shelf and running with it height/weight make HUGE differences in kayak choices.

After tons of research I think I am going to try out a Cobra Navigator and a Perception Search 13. Thanks for the help guys. Anyone have any personal experience with these 2 models?

Paddled a Navigator, they're not good for people with longer legs. If you are under 5'10" or so you should be fine

mitch: What would you recommend. I am 5' 11".

thanks

beachnut53 - 7/17/2008 5:42 PM

mitch: What would you recommend. I am 5' 11".

thanks

depends on what you are looking to do with it and your size. Are you planning on fishing from it making short paddles or fishing with long paddles? Whats more important stability or speed? what do yo uweigh

New to this:

what is the significance between fishing with long or short padles?

I like stability better than speed.

I weigh about 170 lbs?

thanks again

I live in South Florida and own 3 Ocean kayaks, two Scupper Pro TW (tank wells) and one Scrambler. The Scupper Pros are set up for touring and are equipped with rudders, which are helpful when crossing open water with cross winds. My wife and I have been all over Florida with them, which includes out in the ocean. The Scrambler is fun for the surf and is the one that I began with, also in the lake I lived on. All are "sit on top" rather than "sit inside" and are perfect for the warm weather. They are also less expensive than most "sit insides", are nearly indestructable, and are very stable in the water. I do a lot of snorkeling from mine and it's not too hard to get back on. The down side is that they are slower than the sleek "sit insides", most of which are fiberglass. Check the net for different manufactures, check a couple of stores, and check kayak rental places. Get some suggestions from the stores and maybe rent some different types. Often, rental places have sales at the end of the paddling year that may save you some $. Happy paddling.

I rent sit on top kayaks in The Keys. Exclusively Ocean Kayaks; Scramblers and Malibu Two's. They are wide, very forgiving for beginners and are durable. While not a true "sit on", I also suggest a look at the Current Designs, a high end boat (more $$) that you will keep a long time. I beleive Perception makes a fish specific kayak, another reasonably priced quality boat.

Fortunately, i've done all the hard work for you on this one. :)

I've owned several different kayaks and recently decided to buy one that I could use for exercise, cruising, fishing and general fun. I wanted something that had rod holders, was stable, yet narrow enough to not be too slow, and was priced pretty reasonable. Only one fit the bill: Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT Angler. Many other models will outperform this one, but not by much and you'll pay alot more than 400 bucks for them. In my experience, anything over 30 inches, while it'll be very stable, will be very very slow. If you only travel very short distances this won't be a problem, but if you plan on covering some distance, or paddling in wind, it'll be a problem. My wife has a fast 24 inch wide sea kayak and I can paddle along side her in this kayak and keep up. I prefer the sit on top over the sit in. They are more comfortable and versatile. You'll get wetter and colder in the winter in a sit on model, but you can easily dress to accomdate for that.

I have a 1999 ocean kayak scrambler model. I have tried a perception, but that brand is just not durable enough for the oyster beds. The only option for someone looking for a fishing/beach kayak is a ocean kayak. Bass Pro runs a great deal on the scramble angler addition. I have considered getting an extra just for the fishing features.