In the Market

[ncfisherman]

Hello,

I'm interested in buying a kayak and I wanted to see if anyone could give me some pointers. To start off, I'm 6ft 4 and weigh 225lbs; I am interested in a yak that I can fish both fresh and salt water with and possibly duck hunt out of as well.

The 12ft hobie mirage fisherman really appeals to me although; I don't know how safe it would be offshore with someone my size. If anyone could give me an honest opinion on this yak I would greatly appreciate it.

[riomar]

ncfisherman .. welcome to the board.. I would say the Mirage would be perfect for the type of fishing you are talking about. I have one and love it. Although I havnt ventured out off shore I know many people that have. The boat is perfect for someone your size and you would have plenty of room left over to bring all the goodies along as well. If you going to be using it in rivers, ponds and occassionaly offshore I would say this is your boat. If you were going to use it primarily in the from the surf and offshore then I would consider the Hobie Adventure.
The drive system on the hobies makes it perfect for fishing even though some of the purists might wave there noses at you. If you want some real good information on rigging your hobie and fishing kayaks in general go to www.kayakfishingstuff.com. They actually sell the Hobies and are offering free shipping... No sales tax and no shipping cost.. cant get better then that. Here is a link to some reviews of the Mirage http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/review/index2.php?item_id=24

Im 6-1 and have no problem with the size of the kayak as you can see below. Good luck
http://chrissadlers.com/kayak.jpg

[ncfisherman]

Hi Riomar,

Thanks for the warm welcome. I found that website very educational and I think I will go with the 2006 outback version b/c of the increase in storage.

I have one last question that my wife is drilling me about. Are sharks a major concern in a kayak? Thanks again for you help.

[notso]

This question seems to get asked pretty often. I think the general concensus is no, they are not usually a problem. Lots of the guys down on the gulf use yaks to both fish and to deploy baits for sharks. At 12 ft long, your yak is bigger than the vast majority of sharks that you might encounter. I think that generally speaking, most predators don't like to pick on stuff that's bigger than they are (too much like work). Here's a link to the last time this question was asked on here.
http://www.pierandsurf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21193

[riomar]

I dont feel sharks are much of a threat.. no more so then the many other obstacles you could encounter on your way to the launch or once you are out in your kayak (weather, other boats). I have caught spinner sharks from my kayak and Ill tell you it was no more eager to get in my kayak then I was to have him in my kayak. I also know first hand that sharks will follow your hooked fish back to your boat and have no problem taking a bite out of a fish on a stringer but once they realize what they are dealing with they always take off.

[SeaSalt]

Beaware of People and their power boats!!!! more dangerous than sharks...

[Russell]

Old town preditor is a great fishing/duck boat. It is a traditional kayak(Sit in) but I use one for hunting, fresh and salt water fishing. plenty of room.

[J_Lannon]

Hello,

I'm interested in buying a kayak and I wanted to see if anyone could give me some pointers. To start off, I'm 6ft 4 and weigh 225lbs; I am interested in a yak that I can fish both fresh and salt water with and possibly duck hunt out of as well.

The 12ft hobie mirage fisherman really appeals to me although; I don't know how safe it would be offshore with someone my size. If anyone could give me an honest opinion on this yak I would greatly appreciate it.

Hi ncfisherman. You wont be disappointed getting a good fishing SOT. The Hobie mirage fisherman is a nice boat but may be a bit short in the leg room for you. I tried one and found that I was cramped. I have a 36" inseam. The mirage system is nice for water over 12" , but in the shallows it plain stinks. The mirage system also likes to collect seagrass and other debris floating around. Anytime you go into the shallows, you will have to lift out the mirage system and then use a paddle. Most fisherman I know would rather not have the hassle.

Check out the following:

Hobie Quest.........Decent leg room but not great, I could barely stretch out my legs flat. It has a awsome layout. it definately needs a rudder. the nose goes side to side when you paddle. Speed is ok, not great.

Ocean Kayak Prowler 13......awsome cock pit layout, and huge tank well. Decent speed also.I currently own one. Takes rough water like a dream. The foot area of the cock pit stays wet but drains when paddling.

Malibu X factor : Can't tip it.........but tad slow.
A great cock pit and excellent storage. I only got to try this one in a lake in suffolk, so I can't say how it would be in the big water. I hear its ok in the ocean but its a wet ride also.

Wilderness T160i/T140/T120 : All are very nice kayaks. I have paddled all 3 of them. I owned a T160i...... and I loved the boat. The only down fall that I saw with the boat is that Wilderness lied thier ass off about weight capacities. Anyone at "lets say" 230 lbs and over can forget this boat. The bow will be under water in choppy seas, and you will get wet. That is some thing to consider when you paddle in cold conditions. The seat area and tankwell stay wet also. I only weigh about 205 lbs. and could see a big difference when my son was in it, he weighs about 155 lbs. I would say that all Wilderness boats are great, but they are more suited to guys under 210 lbs and under.

I am just a first year kayak fisherman, But I see see that its gonna be just like golf. Can't pass by a YAK without giving it a waggle. SOT's are really neat boats and I love just trying them out. I got to paddle quite a few differents kayaks and my 2 favorates are the T160i and my new Prowler 13. I thought the Prowler would be a let down after the T160, but its been a pleasant surprise.

[riomar]

As J_Lannon states leg room may be an issue so always try any kayak before you buy. All the other kayaks he suggests are excellent choices based on what I have read and everyone that owns any of them seems very happy. I do disagree that the hobie stinks in shallow water. I use mine primarily in the Indian River Lagoon Fla and the water averages 0-3 feet and I never have to take out my drive. If one pedal on the drive is pushed all the way forward the drive sits almost flush to the bottom so you may only loose around a 1-2" of draft. Just pick up your paddle and paddle until you can resume with the drive. I scrape bottom occasional in real shallow water and have never damaged the drive system although Im sure it could get damaged if you were going fast enough and hit rock. Im even able to propel my kayak in shallow water just by fluttering the drive system with short strokes. Again the only time I take out my drive is when im returning to shore at the end of the day. As far as the drive collecting debris Im sure thats possible but I have never experienced it. The biggest plus for the drive system is that it great for fishing. You can control your drift and even fish against the wind and current without ever putting down your rod and picking up a paddle. While fighting fish you have quick control of the direction and can easily keep your fish in front of you. I also fish Inlet waters with a strong current and I can sit in one place for as long as I want just by facing the current and soft pedaling with small adjustments to the rudder and be ready to take off without having to pull an anchor or drift sock. If you like to paddle efficiently the Hobie Outback does not do that very well. But if you want to fish :) .... I usually try to paddle until I get close to my fishing destination just to get an upper body workout and improve my paddling technique and my plan is to upgrade to the Hobie Adventure so I can have both an efficient paddling and fishing pedal kayak. I would try to demo or rent as many fishing kayaks as you can and make sure you fish in all of them.

[LouDog]

Feb.07.20002
SYDNEY, Australia

*-- A 35-year-old man has had a harrowing encounter with a shark while paddling a kayak in the habor waters just a few kilometers west of downtown Sydney.

The man was in in his kayak Thursday evening near the Cabarita Marina in the Parramatta River when the shark struck.

He was thrown into the water by the impact and then hit in the chest by the shark, which then began circling him as he swam for help.

The man was able to climb onto a nearby navigational buoy and was rescued by a passing fishing boat.

Water Police examining the kayak found a large bite mark and part of a tooth imbedded in the stern. The man suffered bruising and minor lacerations in the attack, police said. *
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Grommet]

ncfisherman--

You're almost exactly the same ht & wt as me. I paddle a 2004 T160. Lannon's right about the weight...the water comes to the top of the scuppers in the foot well when I paddle. Scupper plugs solve that problem.

The only other complaint I have about the 160 is that it is indeed a long boat. With all that length she's a touch hard to control when coming up against a cross current; the bow gets going and then it's off to the races. Lannon can attest to that, too, he helped me try and find my gear on the bottom of Crab Creek after an impolite channel marker got in my way.

That said, the 160 is extremely stable, even with my lanky 220 lbs stacked on top, and I wouldn't trade it for any other SOT.

[ncfisherman]

Hi Guys,

After reading a wide range of opinions, I think it is probably best to test three of four of the most recommended models before I make my decision. One thing that I am sure about is the more I learn about SOT Kayaks, the more I want to buy one. I want to thank everyone for there advice and hopefully in the near future, I will see some of you on the water. Does anyone on this board fish the OBX?

[SeaSalt]

great!! post some reports and rigging pictures when you get your yak!! :)

[J_Lannon]

Hi Guys,

After reading a wide range of opinions, I think it is probably best to test three of four of the most recommended models before I make my decision. One thing that I am sure about is the more I learn about SOT Kayaks, the more I want to buy one. I want to thank everyone for there advice and hopefully in the near future, I will see some of you on the water. Does anyone on this board fish the OBX?



You will love the quiet mornings drifting along in some back water or bay. Its a feel that you cant get from a boat.

[J_Lannon]

Hi Guys,

After reading a wide range of opinions, I think it is probably best to test three of four of the most recommended models before I make my decision. One thing that I am sure about is the more I learn about SOT Kayaks, the more I want to buy one. I want to thank everyone for there advice and hopefully in the near future, I will see some of you on the water. Does anyone on this board fish the OBX?

I'll make a trip down to join ya after the holidays.

Mayby GROMMET can join us and move some of the channel markers that they always seem to put in our way......heheheheeeee:D :D :D :D