Posted: 3/29/2014 5:40:43 PM EDT
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Whos got'em? Where did you get them and what do you use them for?
I think I want one set up for fishing local lakes and streams, nothing too crazy/extreme. Transport it on the top of a SUV with crossbars and some sort of store bought roof rack. Looking to spend $500 ish on a kayak. Whats good gear to go with it? Does it make a difference at all in the quality the paddle. What do you got? Lets see some pictures. |
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I sold mine when I moved. I had been using a Wilderness Systems Pamlico 120 (now discontinued) as a day-paddler. Comfortable for me (6'1 and 225ish), dry compartment for lunch and personal stuff, stable enough to do some fishing.
Yes, the paddle you pick matters. You don't need to spend megabucks on the latest-greatest, but a carbon shaft with adjustable feather is a wonderful thing. I think I spent about $700 on the kayak and then another $500 on gear... PFD ($100), paddle ($125), paddle float and pump ($40), anchor kit ($30), paddle leash ($20), and so on. If you've never been, take the time to learn safety. Especially re-entry and how to unswamp a boat when you're alone. It's not hard to do, but it's hard to describe. If you're thinking about hitting the lakes early for trout and whatnot, a wetsuit at minimum and preferably a drysuit - that water is DAMN cold and will kill you in a flash. |
| I've heard wilderness systems are gtg, I just havent looked at them yet. The only ones I've seen/considered so far are a a few at Gander and Dicks. Old town, Field and stream, and Perception all got decent reviews and come with some basic adds and fishing stuff like rod holders, anchors trolleys, etc. I think I would like a sit on top but leaning towards sit in since, as you mentioned, it gets really cold here, I'd like to stay as dry as possible in the early months. |
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Growing up in Florida we've had all sorts of boats, and to this day I still have two, and while I'm no Navy skipper, I'm fairly comfortable, well trained, and competent on the water; that said, the one boat that damn near killed me was a Kayak.
A couple years ago some friends had a couple new ones so I made a few passes in their little pond, and while I was ok with paddling around in it, there was still some hesitation....I think it was/is the getting stuck inside that's the issue; for the difference, I'll stick with the canoes. 
BTW: You're absolutely right about the water being cold and killing you in minutes. 
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not knowing if id enjoy kayaking i grabbed a smoking deal from Dicks . bought the Field and Stream Eagle Talon 12 SOT. after a summer long of floating the genny and small creeks around me including bigger ponds i am hooked. im gonna ride this SOT for a while but already have plans on upgrading to a nicer model .. for around 350 out the door i couldn't do any better for a new yak |
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not knowing if id enjoy kayaking i grabbed a smoking deal from Dicks . bought the Field and Stream Eagle Talon 12 SOT. after a summer long of floating the genny and small creeks around me including bigger ponds i am hooked. im gonna ride this SOT for a while but already have plans on upgrading to a nicer model .. for around 350 out the door i couldn't do any better for a new yak I was looking at that one. Whats the deal with the scupper holes. Is water constantly coming up? Am I in for a wet ride? |
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SOTs are good for puttering around in ponds and small lakes, they are a bit more affected by wind/waves so the larger lakes are a bit more energy-sucking.
Length... I wouldn't go with anything under 12' - they just don't track as well and you spend more time and energy trying to keep it pointed in the direction you really want to go. Longer boats track straighter but the corollary is they don't maneuver as quickly. If you're working brushy shorelines a 12' is great - I was able to move in and out under trees easily. The "trapped" feeling depends a lot on the boat you pick. My Pamlico had a looong cockpit and I never had any worries about being stuck if I rolled. Even in a tandem sea kayak with a skirt, I was never really afraid of it - getting out just isn't that hard if you're upside down. The F&S/OldTown/etc from Dicks can be good starter boats, just pay close attention to how they're rated for capacity. 
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I was looking at that one. Whats the deal with the scupper holes. Is water constantly coming up? Am I in for a wet ride? Quoted:
Quoted:
not knowing if id enjoy kayaking i grabbed a smoking deal from Dicks . bought the Field and Stream Eagle Talon 12 SOT. after a summer long of floating the genny and small creeks around me including bigger ponds i am hooked. im gonna ride this SOT for a while but already have plans on upgrading to a nicer model .. for around 350 out the door i couldn't do any better for a new yak I was looking at that one. Whats the deal with the scupper holes. Is water constantly coming up? Am I in for a wet ride? There's no such thing as a dry ride in a 'yak. 
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They do make scupper hole plugs if you need them.
Not sure where you are in NY; Mountain Man Outdoors in the ADKs sells a lot of boats and Oak Orchard Canoe in western NY (they have a smaller shop in Rochester too.) They have some used and demo boats for sale too. Check out solo canoes too. |
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Growing up in Florida we've had all sorts of boats, and to this day I still have two, and while I'm no Navy skipper, I'm fairly comfortable, well trained, and competent on the water; that said, the one boat that damn near killed me was a Kayak. A couple years ago some friends had a couple new ones so I made a few passes in their little pond, and while I was ok with paddling around in it, there was still some hesitation....I think it was/is the getting stuck inside that's the issue; for the difference, I'll stick with the canoes.
BTW: You're absolutely right about the water being cold and killing you in minutes. You have 3 miles of legs, you would probably relax more on a sit on top type. ETA, I still have my old town discovery but it's a heavy fricken pig and it paddles like a ocean going barge. I would love to get a kayak. |
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I have a Wilderness Systems Tsunami 120, as does my wife. I bought them in 2006. I think they were in the neighborhood of $800, and I spend another couple of hundred on a carbon fiber paddle for myself (wife bought one with a carbon shaft, and fiberglass paddles).
It's been an awesome boat. I would like a 14', but the 12' does the job, and is a hell of a lot easier to transport. My wife and I have been all over the place with them. Fun, and good exercise. We've even camped out of them. I bought ours at a place that no longer exists. Down in my neck of the woods (Binghamton area), the best place to buy boats is probably Rt. 96 Power and Paddle in Candor. They have a very good selection of boats and accessories, as well as a pond where you can try boats out before you buy them. |
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Well lets see my family started out with a 14' discovery row boat. Heavy has heck and pia to car top but we did it.. As we got older the 125 lbs was becoming a pia to lift on and off.
We tried a 15 foot canoe..It was much easier to take on and off the my jeep than the row boat. After my wife had too many beers on one outing she dumped us in a lake at high point NJ.. the lake was only 4' deep but she was done with using a canoe. We than purchased 2 old town 10xt vapor fishing kayaks from Dicks in the summer of 2010. My neighbor works there part time on the weekend in the lodge. He purchased one about year or 2 before we purchased these. Since we had no clue what we were looking for. He took the time to shows the differnet in models etc.. The old town seemed to have thicker plastic or more rigid than the other models we looked. He showed us with the other models you could flex the sides were you get in out of it. With old town we couldn't flex it. Dicks doesn't carry this model anymore but i bet you can find it else where. This model was setup for fishing with the fishing rod holders (which you can add later on if you want) a anchor, and ties for other equipment.. The drain plug is nice feature if you get water in it makes it alot easier to get the water out. They car top very easily, but be careful to buy the proper racks for them. When they are wet they will slip around. I had them on liberty just using a home rack cross rack and after coming home from a trip they slipped off and put nice dent on the back passenger panel. I went and purchased the proper side stand up rack and haven't had an issue since. We have been the Delaware river. Starting at Port Jervis NY and ended up about 8 miles down stream on the PA side where we were camping for the weekend. Minor ramps during the trip and they did fine. I have had them in many lakes in NY but stopped going around NY anymore. Southern part of the stated if you use the some of the state parks etc you will need a permit.. What i cost me to use one kayak for a section of lakes here i was able to purchase for 2 kayaks for 2 years in pa for. I pretty much fish and kayak in PA now. The PA permit is to use any state run dock to launch from and yes PA does keep the docks in good shape so they do dump the money back into there state proprieties unlike NYS. So i zero issues paying the 24 dollar permit per boat. We have been to Tobyhanna, state park several times. The camping is excellent. the bathrooms are spotless and modern. The lake is huge and deep.. One time we just went up for the day to kayak/fish and the winds were ripping pretty good to the point the lake had white caps on them. We were pretty worried how the kayaks would do. They had no issues going through the waves but the wind pushed the kayak around so much it was pretty useless to try to fish. So they do hold up very well in waves also.. Equipment: Life vest are mandatory Purchase a jacket type. paddles we got the yellow colored ones from Dicks i don't remember the brand but they have held up with no problems in 4 years we had them. They come apart and adjustable Straps to hold down the kayak Kayak holder for the car look for water poof clear bags for cell phone etc. The initial cost for kayak and equipment you around $700-$1000 for the all you need that i bet will last you a very long time. We pretty much use them every weekend unless the weather is not good. One tip try to keep it inside your house if you can. The sun will really beat the crap out of the plastic if you don't. |
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my wife and I used to rent kayaks pretty frequently. They usually make you show you can escape, self rescue and bail the kayak out. You really should not be using a sit in kayak if you can't do that stuf We had great fun, but the kayaks we rented, long flat water fiberglass kayaks usually with rudders, are like $ 1500. We have looked a few times but not bought. There is a big kayak sale in old forge every spring where you can try kayaks out. The sit on tops are much more fool proof, but slower and they do not track as well. The shorter plastic ones also do not track as well on flat water, but they cost 1/3
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Good replies guys. Lots of helpful info. I'm going to go look at what Basspro has next time I travel north. They have one outfitted to fish (Ascend brand) that gets good reviews as well. I'm also going to have to find a place that sells Wilderness Systems too.
The few ones that I have sat in (in the stores) have had really large cockpits that are very open. Im not too concerned about flipping or getting trapped. Seems like on these, you king of just get dumped out and float away. For the guys that have fished out if them, does the seat or sides of the cockpit interfere with casting or landing fish? Do you keep your lures and bate in the cockpit or is it easy to grab from the back? |
I have the Bass Pro Ascend FS10 set up for fishing. I love the thing. The rear cargo area has the plastic molded to hold either a 5 gallon bucket or a plastic milk crate just right. I rigged mine with an anchor trolley for a few bucks in hardware. It doesn't track the best on long treks but that's not what I use it for. I've had it in some gnarly swiftwater and flipped it many times. I actually lost it and it got folded over a downed tree in the creek. It looked like a fortune cookie and split on the sides. I was able to repair it using a special kayak repair resin and letting it sit in the sun to pop back into shape. It's really easy to fish out of and VERY stable. I could easily stand in mine but I choose not to because I'm very top heavy. The big dashboard on the FS10 is great for swapping out lures/bait and holding drinks. You can see my anchor trolley which is the green rope running along the side. I store the anchor in a PVC I have attached to the milk crate for ease of use. The anchor trolley allows you to fish off of whatever end of the kayak you want to. My setup works very well. 
I used to go with a fancy roof rack and all that but now I just pop the back window in my Yukon and shove the kayak in all the way up to the windshield. It's much quicker and easier when I'm by myself. I wouldn't go too crazy with roof rack systems unless you're going a long distance with it. Oh yeah, never use an anchor from a kayak in any moving water. |
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Good replies guys. Lots of helpful info. I'm going to go look at what Basspro has next time I travel north. They have one outfitted to fish (Ascend brand) that gets good reviews as well. I'm also going to have to find a place that sells Wilderness Systems too. The few ones that I have sat in (in the stores) have had really large cockpits that are very open. Im not too concerned about flipping or getting trapped. Seems like on these, you king of just get dumped out and float away. For the guys that have fished out if them, does the seat or sides of the cockpit interfere with casting or landing fish? Do you keep your lures and bate in the cockpit or is it easy to grab from the back? in the cockpit.. Its a pain to turn around to get them, but it can be done.. Also i forget to mention in above post get a padded seat on top of what comes with it.. You will thank me later for it.. After a while you legs might get cramped up and you will have to stretch / adjust the peddles.. |
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Right now I have 2 and sold my third last year.
I have a Perception Sport Rhythm 11.5 - wider boat, used it for my ex. Handles well, not too fast, but gets used in the winter for duck season. Walden Paddlers 14ft - I got it for my 10th birthday. She's seen some shit. Paddled a ton of lakes, rivers, creeks, and reservoirs in this one. Long, skinny, unstable and fast. Worst beginner boat with a steep learning curve but I made it. I just sold my "creeker" - a Dagger Mamba 8.5 whitewater boat. She was good for nothing but moving water. A friend insisted he use it on Otisco lake once. He hated himself after that. Next boat is a tandem - probably an Old Town Heron, so I can throw the dog in front and go for a ride. Was set on the Jackson Orion but that was discontinued. Get a comfy life jacket and a good paddle. Wear the jacket. Get one with a beer holder. If you can roll a few times in a pool do so. If you want someone to paddle with give me a shout. |
| One needs to fully research where you will yak, and what will you do while yakking. If you are new to the activity, and do not have a good friend knowledgeable of yaks and with similar interests, AVOID big box stores and go to a small kayak and canoe shop if you can. I am on Lawnguyland, am retired, primarily fish off mine, and not a big guy so my needs would be different from a pond goer. My 14' SOT is a Hurricane Aquasport Phoenix 14 which I bought in 2002 or 2003 after much research. One of the factors involved was its lighter weight, as it uses a different but slightly more expensive plastic than most of those at Dicks or Gander Mtn or Bass Pro, etc. My 14' weighs around 56 lbs empty. Add a seat (recommended), a rear hatch with a watertight peanut butter jar to seal in my cell phone, rodholders, etc and its closing in on 65, just light enough to allow my 160lb 63 year old body to chuck it up onto the TracRac of my Ranger. I routinely float over the three foot wakes thrown by 35 and 45 footers in the Great South Bay, and , although I know I am jinxing myself, have not capsized as yet. While I have a dry top which can be cinched down with a safety belt over my stocking foot waders, I rarely use my yak in weather cool enough where I can be comfortable wearing all that, and the water temperatures in which I yak are usually between 60 and 78 degrees. I usually return home within 3 or 4 hours to clean the fish more than out of any fatigue. I bought mine at The Dinghy Shop in Amityville, which I wholeheartedly still recommend, but thats not much help for an upstater. With regard to fishing, get a Scotty mount just forward of you and an angled built in rodholder or two behind you. I keep my net in one of the ones behind me, a rod in the other. Being that I am in HIGHLY trafficked waters with jet skis and ocean going yachts abundant, I also have a flag on a six foot pole in a skinny rod holder built in to the removeable canvas or nylon seat. I keep my fishing lures and rigs in a small canvas nylon zippered bag (I fish saltwater) and its attached by a small but sturdy string and clip to the Scotty in case I do flip. No problems casting since I only use the rod thats in the scotty or switch it with one from the rear rodholders. While my yak is pretty stable, I have never tried standing and there is zero need to do so. One distinct advantage of a SOT is the ability to hop off to go clamming and hop back on in hip deep water. (It needs to dock whatsoever.) |
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in the cockpit.. Its a pain to turn around to get them, but it can be done.. Also i forget to mention in above post get a padded seat on top of what comes with it.. You will thank me later for it.. After a while you legs might get cramped up and you will have to stretch / adjust the peddles.. Quoted:
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Good replies guys. Lots of helpful info. I'm going to go look at what Basspro has next time I travel north. They have one outfitted to fish (Ascend brand) that gets good reviews as well. I'm also going to have to find a place that sells Wilderness Systems too. The few ones that I have sat in (in the stores) have had really large cockpits that are very open. Im not too concerned about flipping or getting trapped. Seems like on these, you king of just get dumped out and float away. For the guys that have fished out if them, does the seat or sides of the cockpit interfere with casting or landing fish? Do you keep your lures and bate in the cockpit or is it easy to grab from the back? in the cockpit.. Its a pain to turn around to get them, but it can be done.. Also i forget to mention in above post get a padded seat on top of what comes with it.. You will thank me later for it.. After a while you legs might get cramped up and you will have to stretch / adjust the peddles.. I'll second that about the padded seat. The seat back is adjustable on mine using straps on the sides. You can recline it while fishing but put it up so your back is straight for more powerful paddling. I usually stretch out by pulling my legs out of the boat and resting them on top of the dashboard and slouching in the seat. I could easily fall asleep in this position. |
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If the op is interested I have an older hybrid cruiser/ whitewater kayak with plenty of extras (yakima roof rack mounts, floatation, skirts, paddle etc.) for free. If the op isn't interested anyone else willing to give it a go can also have it.
I'm located in Orange County. I hope there isn't a rule against posting up free stuff in the HTF. If so let me know and I will delete my post, I'm just trying to pay forward what was once given to me. |
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If the op is interested I have an older hybrid cruiser/ whitewater kayak with plenty of extras (yakima roof rack mounts, floatation, skirts, paddle etc.) for free. If the op isn't interested anyone else willing to give it a go can also have it. I'm located in Orange County. I hope there isn't a rule against posting up free stuff in the HTF. If so let me know and I will delete my post, I'm just trying to pay forward what was once given to me. Wow, what an offer. Very generous...IM sent |
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Wow, what an offer. Very generous...I sent Quoted:
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If the op is interested I have an older hybrid cruiser/ whitewater kayak with plenty of extras (yakima roof rack mounts, floatation, skirts, paddle etc.) for free. If the op isn't interested anyone else willing to give it a go can also have it. I'm located in Orange County. I hope there isn't a rule against posting up free stuff in the HTF. If so let me know and I will delete my post, I'm just trying to pay forward what was once given to me. Wow, what an offer. Very generous...I sent +1 |
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Quoted: I was looking at that one. Whats the deal with the scupper holes. Is water constantly coming up? Am I in for a wet ride? Quoted: Quoted: not knowing if id enjoy kayaking i grabbed a smoking deal from Dicks . bought the Field and Stream Eagle Talon 12 SOT. after a summer long of floating the genny and small creeks around me including bigger ponds i am hooked. im gonna ride this SOT for a while but already have plans on upgrading to a nicer model .. for around 350 out the door i couldn't do any better for a new yak I was looking at that one. Whats the deal with the scupper holes. Is water constantly coming up? Am I in for a wet ride? i haven't had any issues with the front and rear holes. but ones under your ass i was getting wet so i plugged them with some foam practice golf balls. works perfect and you can pop them out and drain water. the few times i went that i DIDNT want to get wet at all i plugged all 6. but when it was wicked fucking hot and humid i left the front ones open and wasn't an issue. i would say if you end up getting wet and not wanting to just grab some foam balls (yellow practice golf ones sold at the walls marts ) and stuff them in there ..works perfect and you still have the option to run them open |
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Wow, what an offer. Very generous...IM sent Quoted:
Quoted:
If the op is interested I have an older hybrid cruiser/ whitewater kayak with plenty of extras (yakima roof rack mounts, floatation, skirts, paddle etc.) for free. If the op isn't interested anyone else willing to give it a go can also have it. I'm located in Orange County. I hope there isn't a rule against posting up free stuff in the HTF. If so let me know and I will delete my post, I'm just trying to pay forward what was once given to me. Wow, what an offer. Very generous...IM sent Replied to IM |
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Very timely thread. I took off half a day tomorrow to wait for delivery of das boot. I have a Malibu Stealth 14 coming, I'm just praying it makes the trip from California to my house undamaged. (rather than register or make my rarely used AK safe compliant, I sold it and put the money towards a kayak. lol)
My friend and I had been fishing from one of my canoes for a bit last fall and talked about going to kayaks. He was able to get of of those 12' Field and Stream Eagle Talons for a LOT less than normal price, so he did. Naturally he was hesitant to sink a lot of money into something he might not like/use. As for myself, I quickly found that a "cheap" boat wasn't going to happen. At 6'4" 280, and long in the torso to boot, everything but a spendy ride just wasn't rated for my size. The irony being what I ended up buying is only 6" smaller than the canoe I've used for years. Oh well. I have another friend into sea kayaks who tried for years do get me to do it, but there was no way I was getting stuck in one of them. Turtling and wet exist's are not for me. He always laughed at sit on top kayaks, only seeing sunday paddlers, but he'd never seen a serious fishing kayak setup. He didn't realize they have live wells and fish finders and other gizmos. See what the majority of off shore kayak fishermen are using, you'll find mostly SOT's. |
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I have a River Otter single-person pontoon boat with 9' rocker pontoons. It's an almost indestructable professional-grade vessel that is capable of at least Class 3. It's been assembled once on the deck, and put back in the box. You can see it at http://www.waterotter.net/
I also have the optional soft seat for packing it in to remote ponds. All that it needs is a rod holder. PM me if you're interested. |
| ^ I said this thread was timely….. actually it's late. This weekend "Paddlesport 2014" in Jersey, the big regional kayaking and canoe show. Had you posted this last weekend we could have warned you ahead of time. http://www.jerseypaddler.com/general-information/ |