Kayak Stabilizers

[grimlin]

Anybody know or recommend a brand? I need them badly because i seriously suck at kayak paddling.

Short story of what happened:

Me and my buddy got the pelican pulse 100X angler kayak. He went first while i watched. while watching i notice he was going side to side and he paddled. Made me a bit nervous actually. After about 5 minutes of watching him I figured I'll give mine a try. No problems getting in....after pushing myself off the kayak seemed extremely unstable.I'm sure this is due to my inexperience. I figure I'll stay close to shore in 1-2 feet of water and try to get the feel for it. I never could! Next thing I know my buddy tries to turn and flips. At this point I had enough after I saw this.

Would kayak stabilizers help us or are we just wasting our time? My buddy is a bit older,but knows how to swim. Me I'm younger than he is,but I have no swimming experience.

I've looked on Ebay and found some that would work,but before i do anything i wanna get your opinions. Would I just be throwing more money into it for nothing or would this help us a lot?

I've watched other people kayak and they make it look so easy.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

It should be easy. I used an odder for my first experience. Even though it was very small for the size guy I am I never flipped it or had a problem outside the first time I tried to get in the boat. Made a 3 mile trip that day

[grimlin]

So a stabilizer would be a good idea then?

I'm gonna have to sell off a few baitcasters to fund this(I rarely use them)...LOL So i really want to make sure I'm making the right decision.

I did not feel comfortable in my kayak....It's already a concern. Already have this much invested into it. I really want to feel comfortable in it....not so tippy that it was in the short time I was in it.They were extremely easy to tip over which really made me feel uneasy about it. There's no way I'm gonna even be able to fish from it,much less set the hook on a fish without feeling like i was gonna tip it over.

I'm just hoping I didn't make a bad decision on buying "that" kayak as compare to the one I was gonna buy at DSG store. regardless I'm somewhat stuck with it now.

[Ima Bass Ninja]

I looked at pelican kayaks before buyin the one I did. They didn't get good reviews so I bought something else. I'm sure stabilizers would work but you shouldn't have to buy them in the first place it seems like they would be kind of a crutch for a poor design. I guess the question you need to ask yourself is if you'd rather throw more money into a yak that has already disappointed you performance wise or try to sell it and take the money you would use for the stabilizers and buy a yak that would give better performance right outta the box.

[Dave P]

I don't know about yaks, but I'll never use a canoe for fishing without them again.

[alexofoakton]

Until I sold it to my son-in-law's brother about a year ago, I fished from a Heritage Featherlite 9.5 fishing kayak (think the company has gone out of business). It's a little wider than your traditional touring kayak. I never came close to tipping it over. I can swim, but the reason I never really worried about tipping over is that I wore a life jacket at all times (I am 68 years old). So - wear a good life jacket at all time. Always fish with a friend since you can't swim. You shouldn't need stabilizers. If you do, I think you should consider another (more stable) kayak.

[gregp]

Check with your local kayak shop ans invest in paddleing lessons. Alot cheaper than stabilizers and you may find new fishing buddies.

[grimlin]

Check with your local kayak shop ans invest in paddleing lessons. Alot cheaper than stabilizers and you may find new fishing buddies.

yeah,it's what i should have done,but I'm pressed for time in my life....I can't even make my appointments sometimes. I work right in the middle of the day and my morning are spent getting the kid to school and catching up on sleep afterwards. Sunday is the only day I have off,and I rather spend that day fishing and family time. Horrible routine in my life.

Well I did end up getting stabilizers from yak-gear(off ebay) and I must say,I'm very,very pleased with them....But my next kayak will be a more pricier one(really liking that Nucanoe Frontier)......kayaking is definitely addicting,but for now I'm gonna just gain some experience with the one i have and enjoy my time on the water. I did have a boat pass me by and I felt in no way I was gonna flip.....Those stabilizers make a big big difference. I'd recommend them to anybody who feels very uncomfortable in a kayak. It was a must for me,specially fishing.

Sunday was the first time I had it out with the stabilizers.....Felt totally comfortable with it even caught a few fish to break it in.

[Goose52]

The main thing is - you're on the water and off the bank...

I have outriggers on my canoe and take flak from the canoe purists, the kayakers, the bass boaters, and just about everyone else. My canoe doesn't look very elegant...BUT, I'm on the water and can stand and fish all day long. I might fall out of the canoe...but it will never roll...

[Dave P]

Yes Sir!

[Jig Meister]

if you are having issues that are caused due to paddling, make sure you are making a sweeping motion rather than jerky sharp stabs in the water with the paddles. you want to move smooth through the water, there will be some torso movement, not just hitting the paddle into the water this is going to cause you to move all awkwardly.

my first ever kayak experiences was in a open bay in the ocean, and then through a mangrove forest in pureto rico, I survived almost getting pulled out to sea by a current, and also missing the bow of a huge ship, and I mean huge, like tanked huge.

All this at night mind you, I learned really fast how to paddle, turn and maneuver lol.

[bigbassctchr101]

Take a spare paddle/cruch/2x4 board/etc... and tape down foam on the ends (the foam out of an old life jacket. Place it perpindicular to the kayak and use some braces to hold it there. I've got "sponsors" from an old canoe and it works a lot like that. You shouldn't need something that will support a lot of weight, more like something that will just keep you from tipping long enough to stabalize yourself.

[Yinzyaker]

I would say you are wasting your time with stabelizers/outriggers. Personally I think they would be a pain to deal with, you need to worry about remembering to pack them with your gear and put them on and take them off every time you take it out. Not to mention it will probubly slow you down quite a bit and you have a good chance of getting your line tangled up in them when fighting a fish. I would recommend getting yourself a nice sit on top or hybrid (canoe/kaya) like a Wilderness systems commander or native ultimate. I have paddled sit in kayaks like the pelican you used and they are not stable. I have a Wilderness Systems Commander and a Jackson Coosa both are super stable, I stand and fish from them most of the time I am on the water. A good quality kayak is not cheap but you can find a good deal on a used one. I would recommend getting out to Demo any kayak before you by one.