Is pedal drive necessary

[FISH11]

Originally Posted by Flounder

Of course its on another level its not a yak. Just like going from a bicycle to a car and being impressed by how far you can go in a day. solo skiff = jetski fisher.

Having fished for years at La Jolla using paddle and pedal kayaks, I have to disagree about how easy it is on a drive kayak to stay in place. That is more dependant on the type of current and wind. If you move, in a pedal kayak it takes longer to get back in place because of the wide turning radius, unless you use your paddle. Hands free is only part of the time, the rest of the time you are constantly having to make rudder corrections. Getting tired (arms, shoulders) is not too much different then with pedals. If you don't use it once a week or more you won't be in the shape needed for a day of fishing at any real distance. Even on my Hobie Revo if you don't go out for a few weeks, it's best to pace yourself so as not to strain any muscles that could make it even harder to get back to the launch. Being at the southern La Jolla MLPA and having to get back to the shores is a task on either if there is a strong current and wind. I have had to do it multiple time on both. When you look at the FF and the GPS is telling you that you are going into the current and wind and depending on strength the speed is .5-1.1 mph and there is over 3 miles to go, you can't troll or fish. If you catch even a Calico you will loose the distance it took you 15-20 minutes to cover. Without heavy current or head wind I could paddle at 2.5-3.2 mph for a constant speed, on the Hobie it was only .2 mph faster, that is not top speed, but top speed is impossible to keep up for more than a few minutes. When covering that distance in those conditions, it SUCKS on either type of Kayak. The Solo has no problem with either and can often go full speed and get back in 20 minutes instead of hours of constant paddling or pedalling. More and more guys are putting some kind of electric motor on kayaks to save some energy, but the speed is the same or less then under their own power. The hulls don't have the design to let them go too much faster safely. BOTTOM LINE: (and it's been debated here on BWE many, many times) THE SOLO SKIFF IS AS MUCH A KAYAK AS A HOBIE PA! I know that will ruffle some feathers. I'm not saying they are bad, just pointing to advantages that the outboard and the Solo's hull design have. At my age after 7 years of kayaking I want to cover water that used to be out of reach, spend more time fishing, finding bait quicker and most of all not having to wear myself out fighting the elements. In the end It makes it easier to have a great time every time. Relaxing and de-stressing is one of the main reasons I do this in the first place. ALSO what needs to be said is every one has a budget and not everyone can spend 2k or 5k. Get what you can afford and allow for a good FF, that means spending more than $300 on a FF.

Originally Posted by Mahigeer

How much that unit weigh?

How do you transport it?

Not on a roof I would guess.

Weight: The Solo's hull is 150 lbs, that only 10 lbs more than a PA14 without the engine. The Tohatsu/Mercury (they are all Tohatsu) outboard is 57 lbs and can very easily be removed for transport if needed. I leave mine on.

Transportation: Like a lot of guys with different kayaks, I carry it on the bed of my Ram 1500 using a bed extender. I made a 5' 2 piece ABS pipe ramp to the bed extender and use a hand crank strap winch to pull it up and into the bed. Same as you have on a boat trailer, $27. That saves me having to do any heavy lifting. It take less time to load than it took to remove items and lift any of my kayaks on top of my truck bed rack. If I need to use my travel trailer I remove the outboard and put the Solo on top of the bed rack. No different than all the guys that have to carry their PA's on a truck rack.

Roof Mount: On a car I have seen all sort of Kayaks and combinations loaded. Roof racks on cars are usually rated for 150 lbs Some you know just aren't safe. It's not the weight on the roof rack. It's the forces of the weight wanting to continue it's course while the driver is trying to stop, turn, or accelerate. I have seen Pa 14s on the roof of small cars, but would never recommend that as being good. I choose not to use a trailer because of speed limits and hassle in finding Parking (especially at La Jolla)

Price: The Solo Skiff and the Tohatsu outboard together is less $ than a PA14, Pa12, and just a little over the Outback.