NEED SOME ADVISE ON A KAYAK

[brokeassboater]

Funny you mention Big Break marina, we were there today. did a free demo for about 2 hrs on a trident 130 and my wife had one that I assume was a 110. Good guys over there. We learned alot and we're going to try a few more. Big Break has all the shallow berms,tulles floating veg. that I wanted to try and slip thru. Little wind today and the water was pool clear inside the shallows. Saw pleanty of fish and supprise a flock of 20+ greenheads. All the replys are much apreciated.
Headwaters in Lodi.. thanks for that we'll check them out also.

[Mongo Johnson]

All the boats mentioned are better purpose-built boats, as opposed to cheapy "fun" fun yaks from Big 5. They're all a step up with more load capacity and better, stable designs.

The best advice is to try 'em and take the little bit of time it takes to learn about 'em.

It IS worth trying a Hobie with a Mirage drive, though it adds about 400 to cost. Try a Revolution and the Outback.

You can cover a lot of miles with them and do well in current and wind. Both are very stable. The Revo is faster. The Outback is more an SUV. Both are very fishable.

I have a Hobie Revolution and it fits "my" needs. Since we run offshore, covering some miles is great and the Hobie is a good fit. Kelp isn't a "problem" as we just clip up the flippers and paddle. For us, getting to the kelp is more the goal and longer tours. The drive is great for that as you can crank for an hour at a comfortable pace and be doing 4 mph the whole time. Heck, two hours is fine too.

And, try the others. All the boats mentioned are good boats.

Beware bias of a dealer "selling what he carries" and guys that are all "Ford v Chevy' on one brand or style of boat. I've got two pals who snagged a pair of Malibus at a sale and love 'em.

Think more ergonomics, and think hard about tandem v single. My wife and I have singles and are glad we did.

We've more latitude on the water and they're lighter loading/unloading. 'Nice to have two boats when takin' out friends or having a lighter option when out on our own.

I was just in Florida in Mosquito Lagoon and did a rental of a tradional yak. The overall area was pretty shallow and reedy near shore.

I "felt" limited in range on a normal yak. But, we still got around and had a good time.

We really did miss our Hobies coming back into the wind. It was more work and slower to get back. But, we did get back and still had fun on the water. Our experience with Hobies may have spoiled us, but if you're on the water, you're fine -- drive or otherwise.

The hands-free nature of a Hobie is kinda nice and may more relevant than "speed" or perceived speed. Once you're on the water with a good boat, drive or not, you'll be doing something you like.

It was a pain shooting pix and wrangling the paddle, something not an issue on our Hobies. But, it's not the end of the world. Fishing is the same.

Price point, ergonomics, the backing of a good mfg/dealer network ...

[Rufus]

For sure demo every yack you can get your hands on before you buy. Pay attention to its weight because you and the wife will have to lift them up onto a roof rack on your car.

As far as paddle versus peddle arguement, I was a stubborn paddle purist for many years. My 27 year old son and I have always fished hard from our Malibus.

But I was secretly envious of the guys on peddle boats, especially the PAs. After talking to about twenty guys with Hobie's, I demo'd the PA and....well....that was all it took. The difference between paddle and peddle for fishing is day and night. I can keep the bow into the current or wind and cast to my heart's content. The PA is a battleship, it's a heavy mofo, but it's nimble on the water. And the energy it takes to move is much less than the paddle guys, especially into the weather. It makes sense, your quads are much larger than your back muscles.

My son is still a stubborn purist. So he still does the paddle, paddle, cast, paddle, paddle, cast cha cha.

So, fast forward to his spring. my 56 year old wife (I'm 57) felt left out and wanted to hit the water with us. So we demo'd a handful of boats. One thing became clear, her shoulders wouldn't put up with paddling. There was too much clicking and popping going on. The minute she got in a Hobie Revo 11 it was love at first ride.

So now when the boys are out fishing, she's getting her day in the sun with us on her own Revo. She listens to tunes on her iPhone, she takes photos and text messages her envious girfriends who are sitting at home on their asses and she gets her exercise.

And as far as the arguement goes with skinny water or weeds...the Hobie drive flattens against the hull. Simply transition to your paddle and move through the weeds. I do it all the time in the kelp beds. And if you get some weeds on the "props", you know it right away, but in most cases the weeds fall off without effort or simply reach down and lift up your drive.

One thing I'd pay attention to, the hull weight. How strong is your wife? Will she be able help load the boats? Can she lift much weight over her shoulders? Can she drag the boat on wheels down to the water? If not, that job will fall to you.

Finally, if your wife is willing to go yacking, DO IT! Do it now!!

[brokeassboater]

I going to try the the hobie next and run right into the weed withit. My wife is a cowgirl and has 5 f@#knig horses,"why?" is another whole debate. lifting saddles and feed bags ect is no problem, my concern for her is getting tired in a wind and or current. But I would belive her indurance would improve with reg. outings. Im 225lb and built like a fireplug, would a 13' or 14' make more any differance?

[Mongo Johnson]

There is a notable stability difference between the Revo 11 (mentioned earlier) and the 13 -- even for a gal weighing in at 145 lbs. Of course, the 11's wobble was more pronounced for me, and I beat your 225. My wife and I demo'ed an 11 and 13 ... and swapped boats during a trial run.

The 11 was liveable and a dandy ride. It'd be fine if all I was doing was a fun run rental and chasing bass on a lake occassionally and letting kids bop around on it the rest of the time.

We opted for Revo 13s as they felt better for my 145 lb wife and certainly for my stocky bod. Also, if I was bringing out a buddy, most of them top 180-220 range and the 13 has more carrying capacity. As a rigged fishing boat, you're going to add more lbs.

For us, fishing wasn't the original motivation, but the Revo gets fine props on that use. At 60 lbs they managabe in loaded/unloading.

Still, for fishing-specific uses, also consider the Outback and PA. They're more angler intended. Since we're into touring and coastal kelp the 'faster' Revo's attracted us. The 14 Adventure seemed spiffy, but overkill for our needs.

Since we weren't fisherman first, the more SUV style boats or heavier fishing yaks weren't needed. The Revo seemed to split the difference between a more streamlined yak and more fishing utility yak.

All the Mirage drive yaks will "get you there," so it comes down to looking at your intended use. As far as wind/current, just know your limits. The drive may make it easier to get through.

The bash on the drive in low water is over blown. I'd echo the other post that the drive isn't a hassle in kelp. Just put the flippers in neutral and paddle a while and jump back on the peddles when you're clear of the kelp.