Mini x maiden voyage and review - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

MrPatrick · 10-19-2012, 08:20 PM

Wow! What a great little kayak. I had read people's opinions about the pros and cons of this little yak.
Pros: small, light, maneuverable and stable.
Cons: slow, walks the dog like a top water bait when paddling and slow.

I agree with all of the pros. I do have an issue with people not being able to keep the nose from wagging. It all comes down to paddling technique. If you try to dig in with short aggressive stokes, it will walk on you. If you paddle smooth and keep the blade in the water for a proper "use your core muscles" stroke, you will move along very well. Arm strokes cause the waggle.
Another con I noticed was that it was a little unwieldy in the wind chop. Because it has a short length, it will pitch and yaw on its axis in short interval chop. Not a huge deal, just pay attention.

I am very happy with my purchase of two of these for the wife and I. Took just seconds to feel at ease on my mini-x. I'm looking forward to years of paddling on it.

pchen911 · 10-19-2012, 08:32 PM

I put first time kayakers on mine and take them out to fish the kelp beds off La Jolla many times in the past. No one has flipped yet.

Dail14 · 10-19-2012, 08:41 PM

Yea it looked like you were on a beach when the wind started up. But otherwise looked like a good kayak for its size.

dorado50 · 10-19-2012, 09:28 PM

You can even catch fish off the minix 16 miles offshore.....imagine that!

10-19-2012, 08:20 PM	#1
MrPatrick Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Waiting to launch Posts: 1,381	Mini x maiden voyage and review Wow! What a great little kayak. I had read people's opinions about the pros and cons of this little yak. Pros: small, light, maneuverable and stable. Cons: slow, walks the dog like a top water bait when paddling and slow. I agree with all of the pros. I do have an issue with people not being able to keep the nose from wagging. It all comes down to paddling technique. If you try to dig in with short aggressive stokes, it will walk on you. If you paddle smooth and keep the blade in the water for a proper "use your core muscles" stroke, you will move along very well. Arm strokes cause the waggle. Another con I noticed was that it was a little unwieldy in the wind chop. Because it has a short length, it will pitch and yaw on its axis in short interval chop. Not a huge deal, just pay attention. I am very happy with my purchase of two of these for the wife and I. Took just seconds to feel at ease on my mini-x. I'm looking forward to years of paddling on it.

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10-19-2012, 08:32 PM	#2
pchen911 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 218	I put first time kayakers on mine and take them out to fish the kelp beds off La Jolla many times in the past. No one has flipped yet.

10-19-2012, 08:41 PM	#3
Dail14 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Posts: 123	Yea it looked like you were on a beach when the wind started up. But otherwise looked like a good kayak for its size.

10-19-2012, 09:28 PM	#4
dorado50 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: La Jolla Shores Posts: 1,626	You can even catch fish off the minix 16 miles offshore.....imagine that!