How to pick a kayak

[clc]

So I am hell bent on getting a kayak but don't know where to start. After talking to a woman at work she said look on craigslist but still don't know what Im looking for. I want something to fit on or in my toyota carolla and wanna spend like $350 at most. Any help would be awesome!

 

[pete41]

Are you familiar with kayaking? No offense meant but low end Kayaks are made more for price points than serious use.

 

[jdaddy]

But couldn't he do well in the used market on craigslist? I mean you would have to know what you are looking for.

 

[gfen]

I did a little research, but I had some pretty specific goals on this.

You can fish in just abot any kayak, but a sit on top is going to be far more versatile for fishing than a sit in. For the most part, "fishing kayaks" are just sit-on-top kayaks with a few extra geegaws like rod holders.

There's also thigns that split the difference between kayak and canoe, like the Native Ultimate.

Good luck, they didn't meet my needs so I never pulled the trigger on it.

 

[Fishidiot]

clc,
Toyota Corolla? You'll need to find a suitable roof rack system I would think. You can buy inexpensive foam blocks but in my experience they don't work especially well and the car's paint job will take a beating.
I love fishing from kayaks and canoes. I'd recommend for a starter kayak that you look at a fairly short, "sit-in" kayak with a fairly large ****pit. These are sometimes called "recreational" kayaks and are inexpensive, tough, easy to cartop, and maneuverable. They don't have a lot of space but if you're not planning on overnight trips you don't need much space. If you find you really like yakking you can always upgrade to a touring boat or custom sit on top.

 

[pete41]

No-Gfen-cheapo's are made to save cost-Too narrow,poor keel design and fragile material.
Suggest going to a dealer,have him explain what to look for in a kayak or google it up.
Aftermarkets can be added but a kayak poorly designed is a toy not a tool.

 

[gfen]

pete41 wrote:
No-Gfen-cheapo's are made to save cost-Too narrow,poor keel design and fragile material.
Suggest going to a dealer,have him explain what to look for in a kayak or google it up.
Aftermarkets can be added but a kayak poorly designed is a toy not a tool.

You've got the wrong idiot, you want the Fishidiot, not this one.

About all I really can say is that the cheap 10.5' kayaks I saw on craigslist never had enough carrying capacity to haul my fat around, so I never looked into them very hard.

Which brings up the last point I can make oon kayaks, for the OP: Make sure you take stock of how much that kayak is supposed to carry, and then how much you weigh and how much stuff you bring along. Alot of these little watercraft seem to come in at 300#, which is still a bit too close for comfort for me.

Roof racks, on the other hand? Watch craigslist, you will absolutely be able to score a smoking deal there or ebay for a set of used rails. The two big makers are Thule and Yakima. See how both connect to the top of your car to help mak ehte choice, IE on my wife's car one door clips and one uses integral mounts, making one a better choice.

Most of the attachments for racks are pretty generic, and despite the major differences can still interoperate between brands. Cross bars can always be cut down, but leaving them a little longer can be helpful.

 

[pete41]

My bad-in a hurry-
quick way to tell difference between cheapo and inexpensive good buy.
Look inside-if keel at stem and stern isn't poured at least twice as thick as rest of hull-pass.This area takes the brunt of hits.
Also if you plan to travel on lakes or ponds short kayaks are a PIA as the front will plow into water-this is why the long ones are preferred.

 

[beeber2]

Are you sure you want a kayak? It depends on the type of water you fish. A pontoon boat is a great fishing platform. Creek Co is having a decent sale...http://creekcompany.com/home.php

 

[smallie]

I use my 12 ft native manta ray mainly to get to wade spots, unless your fishing flat water. S.O.T is a lot easier to get in and out of. Try finding a good demo from a shop, Appomattox in virginia are great people. You will need a good paddle and life vest. I mainly float the Allegheny, for smallies.

 

[1stfly]

Definitely go with a SOT. I bought a mainstream (which is a "discount" brand) SOT which is ok for fishing, but does have some drawbacks. I couldn't afford a top shelf SOT at $750 when I bought mine so I learned to deal with the non-optimal nose design. If I were looking at a new boat I'd check out a Wilderness Systems Tarpon in the 10 ft or 12ft range, dependent upon your planned usage. Overall I would stay away from anything with a keel if you plan to use it on moving water.

 

[smallie]

Tarpons are great yaks like the op said, and appamattox carries a bunch of demos

 

[clc]

What are the pros and cons of a kayak vs. A pontoon? Also I figure I might take it out without fishing just to explore. Is 9.5 foot about as small they go? I want something not to big as I want to take it out with my car. Our canoe is like 12 ft I think and is a pain to get out.

 

[outsider]

I have an Ocean Kayak Big Yak (fishing version). Around 10' long, extremely stable. I can sit sideways with both feet in the water, even stand up in it. Like most short kayaks, it doesn't track well. It's wide and slow. It's a sit-on-top, which I would recommend for fishing. I can move around on it, kneel, and change sitting positions, which helps my ailing back.

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear clc,

A lot of the choices in kayaks will made by your size and body type before you even set foot in a store.

If you are 5' 11" and under 200 pounds you have dozens more options open to you. If you fit that body type you can easily find an Old Town Otter used for $ 350.00 or less.

It is a sit inside kayak but depending on where and how you want to fish it may be perfect for you. I have a buddy who has one and a small folding cart he built. He can take the kayak, a couple of rods, a small soft cooler, and all the gear he needs for a day and just grab ahold of the bow line and tow the thing 3/4's of a mile to a Gamelands pond.

I know that because I fished with him and had more trouble myself carrying a float tube, fins, lifevest, fly rod, and fly gear than he did with his towalong rig.

The Otter is about 10 feet long and rather lightweight and easy to handle when it comes to mounting and removing it from a vehicle. It is by no means the only option but there many of them out there and people often sell them with little use of wear and tear. You won't run the Yough in one, but the moving water in most parts of PA is easy with it. My friend uses his on lower Penns, and the West Branch of the Susquehanna with no trouble at all.

If you can wait a while check out the Demo days at Blue Mountain Outfitters in Marysville. They usually have something the first weekend in May or so, and you will be able to check out a variety of different models and styles of kayaks.

Edited to add. A pontoon is another choice but better suited to lakes and ponds or when traveling with a partner or two on moving water. That isn't because of any kind of safety issue but rather because it is world's easier to move upriver in a kayak than it is in a pontoon. You could put in after work on the Susky, paddle a ways upstream and fish down several times on a summer evening. If you put in with a pontoon someone will have to get you back to your launch point. I know because I own a pontoon.

Good luck,

Tim Murphy

 

[tracker12]

First thing to decide as has been mentioned is whether you want SOT or SINK. I have a widerness systems Pungo sit in top and love the thing. I fish for bass, bluegill and shad out f it all year. Nice thing about it is I can fish out of it in early season cold weater. With waders or dry suit you can do it with a SOT also. Recommend going to a good kakak canoe form and doing a little research. I the paddle net is a good spot.

 

[Jeremi]

I own a Ocean Kayak Frenzy. Got it for like $300. 9ft. SOT added rear rod holders. I use it mostly for running shark baits from the beach in AL. But it is fishable. Not the first choice for fishing out of but with a few mods it does work. But will work just fine for floating down river from spot to spot.

 

[clc]

Hay thanks for all the help guys. Im just wondering how well a sot would do for just paddling around? I would like to take it out on the river if possible.

 

[Sylvaneous]

You're probably not going to find anything decent for $350. I bought my 1st, gosh, 12 or more years ago for more than that. (Loon 111)
WAIT OMG!!! THE SUN JUST CAME OUT!!!! 1ST TIME IN A WEEK. I just had to announce that happened as I was typing this. wow, that felt good.
OK: back to kayaks. You'll also need a car top kit.

I'm kinda on my own with the kayak fishing/SMB and LMB flyfishing up here in NWPA. There isn't much of or a very vibrant community of kayak or bass flyfishers, let alone combining the two. I went with recommendations from people who WERE in such communities in my newest FFing kayak purchase. I would limit my search to the Wilderness systems TARPON, Ocean Kayak's Prowler, Native's S.O.T., Native's new Ultimate (really just a low sided tunnel hulled canoe with foot pegs) Wilderness's version prolly' isn't any better, but is heavier, so carrying it physically may be an issue. (I have to handle my kayak a lot, so it is for me) I went with the Tarpon b/c I met a part-time guide on the Susq. who let me F.-around in his 120 while he rigged up. Jeff Little uses them. And when you're voting with your own $$$$ that says a lot! I wanted one to stand up in, but that's REALLY STUPID for a kayak in a river. And I had sincere issues fishing out of the Native Ultimate when I used one to stand fish out of. That really requires other gear & set-ups. (Pontoon systems)

So, I'd say almost anything is better than nothing. At least it gets your body OUT where you couldn't otherwise, and you can wade fish from there at least. But you have to about TRIPLE what you want to pay to find something that serious (yeah, right!) kayak anglers would recommend.
Syl

 

[CLSports]

I own a 12' Old Town Dirigo kayak which is a sit-in style. I have used the kayak for several years on the Delaware River, Lehigh River, Lakes and the back bays of Island Beach State Park. It works equally well everywhere. It is not meant for extreme whitewater conditions, but can easily handle class I and II rapids.

It is not the easiet to cast a fly rod from, but the majoriy of the time I just use it to get to a destination and get out of the boat to fish.

I prefer a longer boat and one that is of good quality becuase I will use it in non-fishing situations as well. The longer boats will track much better when you are just paddling around a lake for recreation.

I spent in the neighborhood of $1000 for the kayak, paddles, life vest and other misc. acessories. The kayak itself was about $750 new. I am sure you could find a used one for less. I also like the Wilderness Systems Pungo. Two of my friends have that one at love it for the same purpose.

My factory car racks on my Durango were crap and broke early on. I had to purchase a Thule rack which was not cheap. The "J" racks make it nice and easy to load/unload the kayak. They are not necessary though, but a time and space saver if you haul more than one boat.

Rob