How much to budget for a kayak?

[CybrSlydr]

It looks like the biggest issue I'm going to run into is finding a roof rack for my car.

[J Francho]

Keep your eyes peeled on craigslist.  Even if it's the wrong model, you may only need to but the risers.  Don't waste your money with J-hooks or cradles.  Just put some pipe insulation or pool noodles, and strap her in.  Takima and Thule are the two best brands.

[CybrSlydr]

Why are roof racks so d**n expensive???

 

I'm looking at nearly $500 for Yakima!!!!  

 

Good God.  Do I really want to fish this badly?...

[DogBone_384]

To answer your question: YES - you want to go fishing that badly!

[J Francho]

I got a "pro deal" on my Thule.  Even with a deep discount, I had sticker shock.

[CybrSlydr]

33 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I got a "pro deal" on my Thule.  Even with a deep discount, I had sticker shock.

 

No kidding!  I saw $229 and figured, "Well, more than I'd like but it's doable".  Then you find out, oh, that's just the BARS.  If you want to actually MOUNT the things, you have to buy the clips.  But wait - there's more!  On top of the clips, you have to buy the base mounts too!!!  

 

Highway freaking robbery.  I might just put a couple pieces of foam rubber on my roof and tie it off through the doors...

[J Francho]

Pro tip: roll down the windows, and run the straps though them.  Ask me how I know how well this works, LMAO.

[CybrSlydr]

1 minute ago, J Francho said:

Pro tip: roll down the windows, and run the straps though them.  Ask me how I know how well this works, LMAO.

 

Is that rather than opening the doors and closing them on top of the straps?  

 

I won't ask how much the window replacement set you back.  lol

[J Francho]

I did it to a buddy's truck.  No windows were harmed, just my ego, lol.

[Choporoz]

3 hours ago, CybrSlydr said:

Why are roof racks so d**n expensive???

 

I'm looking at nearly $500 for Yakima!!!!  

 

I struggled mightily with that question.  I've come to accept it, however.  I figure that to some degree, we're paying Yakima and Thule for superior engineering and materials.    But I suspect a large part of that $500 is for insurance and liability.  A lot of risk involved in that sort of consumer product.  Fact is, however, that my Thule gear (three cars worth of racks, Hulivator, cross bars, straps, etc.) has performed flawlessly.  And lasted extremely well.  Goes on easy.  Comes off easy.  The lock options add even more to the cost...but work better than I imagined.

I have zero worries about equipment loosening...or failing....The peace of mind is worth at least some of that price premium...to me, at least. 

[CrispyGlock]

I'm going through those pains now! Bought a used Subaru that someone took the crossbars off of. I also found out that "flush" style roof racks are really hard to get crossbars for. It's been a painful learning experience so far and I havent even made a purchase yet.

 

I'll also say thanks for all the information on kayaks from this post. It created some buzz around some kayak names that I was able to do my own research. I'm now ready to buy (on craigslist), but have to figure out this crossbar fiasco first. Really dont want to buy a kayak and it comes off going down the interstate.

[CybrSlydr]

15 hours ago, CrispyGlock said:

I'm going through those pains now! Bought a used Subaru that someone took the crossbars off of. I also found out that "flush" style roof racks are really hard to get crossbars for. It's been a painful learning experience so far and I havent even made a purchase yet.

 

I'll also say thanks for all the information on kayaks from this post. It created some buzz around some kayak names that I was able to do my own research. I'm now ready to buy (on craigslist), but have to figure out this crossbar fiasco first. Really dont want to buy a kayak and it comes off going down the interstate.

I'm almost to the point where I'll see if my back seats folded down offer enough room to have the thing sticking out my trunk a reasonable distance and then bungee the thing down.

[PECo]

57 minutes ago, CybrSlydr said:

I'm almost to the point where I'll see if my back seats folded down offer enough room to have the thing sticking out my trunk a reasonable distance and then bungee the thing down.

 

That's what I do. Just find out what the long load law is in your state. In Connecticut, you must put a red flag of not less than 12 square inches at the end of the load if it projects more than four feet beyond the back of the vehicle. And at night, you need a red light.

My kayak actually doesn't project more than four feet beyond the back of my Jeep, but I put a red flag on it, anyway, because I figure that most cops probably don't know the law. No offense to my cop, buddies intended.

[J Francho]

There's a Jackson Big Rig for sale, $1000.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/KayakBassFishing/

[LBASS01]

I bought the Ocean Kayak Malibu II XL Angler last year through Cabelas.  It's 13.5 feet long, and 35 inches wide.  It comes with two padded seats and two rod holders because its large enough for two, but seats can be removed to fish solo also.  Great Kayak.  Only Weighs 75 lbs.  I bought the Thule 883 Glide and Set rooftop kayak carrier for it.  Works great and no problems transporting it on my Subaru Outback.  The Glide and Set even makes it easy to load and unload on my own.

[Darren.]

39 minutes ago, J Francho said:

There's a Jackson Big Rig for sale, $1000.

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/KayakBassFishing/

 

That's a LOADED deal!

[CybrSlydr]

8 hours ago, PECo said:

 

That's what I do. Just find out what the long load law is in your state. In Connecticut, you must put a red flag of not less than 12 square inches at the end of the load if it projects more than four feet beyond the back of the vehicle. And at night, you need a red light.

My kayak actually doesn't project more than four feet beyond the back of my Jeep, but I put a red flag on it, anyway, because I figure that most cops probably don't know the law. No offense to my cop, buddies intended.

Looking at my car, I'm not sure I could do it.

 

 

Not a whole lot of distance from the trunk to the back of the front seat (and I can't put that down since my brother would be sitting in it).  I have a feeling it would be sticking out way too far.

[22hertz]

A note on the roof rack.

 

Yes its overpriced, and no its not made with top materials or design. Actually my Yakima J-cradle pads started tearing after 3 months of use and the clips on the rear didn't fit my car like they were supposed to and I had to add some leather spacers to get them to clamp down properly.

 

Having said that securing the kayak to my car is very easy and makes a big difference after a long, tiring day of fishing. You're already worn out from paddling out, fighting wind, fighting fish, casting all day, and paddling back. I tried ratchet strapping the kayak to my car a couple times and it sucks. It takes what feels like forever to get things situated and secured. Putting a kayak flat on the roof of a car by yourself is a pain. With the roof rack and J-cradle I can throw the kayak in the cradle and have it strapped in less than 5 minutes and its sitting on its side which is how you want the kayak to protect it from oil canning.

I highly discourage anyone from strapping a kayak on a roof rack without proper carriers. That can damage a kayak, especially in the heat.

To save money I bought everything online on sale except the carriers. Amazon had the bars cheaper than anywhere I could find and REI was running a sale on the Q-clips and towers. I skipped the locks which should have been included for the price. My brother has the same rack and bought the locks. The locks can be easily defeated.

[CybrSlydr]

So after all the reading, I think I've narrowed my choices to my top three.

 

In no particular order...

 

1.  FeelFree Lure 11.5 (or 13.5)

2.  Wilderness Systems Radar 115

3.  Wilderness Systems Ride 115

 

They all meet weight requirements (at least 400lb) and are appx. the same price ($1300ish).

 

I think I'm leaning towards the Radar for it's expand-ability: easy to mount fish finder (eventually), potential for a pedal or motor (doubtful due to price...), and a hand-operated rudder lever.  It's also rated at 450lbs, so plenty of room to add bits and bobs (and me).  It's also 11.5ft, so it's a bit shorter and would be easier to rack on my car.  It's also 82lb vs nearly 100 for the others.

 

I would rate the Ride higher, but it doesn't have the pre-built fish-finder spot.  It's also rated at 500lb which is even better.  If they made a Ride 115 with the pre-built electronics console, I think that would be my choice.

 

The Lure 11.5 has from what I've read, the most comfortable seat on the market.  I'm just concerned that it also has the lowest capacity rating at 425lb.  However, it does have the pre-built electronics pod the Ride doesn't - and I could go with the 13.5 since it's load capacity is higher at 500lb - but it's also 2ft longer and that much harder to rack.

[J Francho]

You pretty much hit on three great boats.  I've been in them all.  I agree, the Radar is the most feature packed.  It's a also the most recent design, released this year.  The Ride and Lure are 5+ year old designs.

[CybrSlydr]

Well, I won't be purchasing one until probably tax season next year, so everyone has time to come out with a new design for 2018.

 

Glad to see my reasoning hit on a few good boats!

[the reel ess]

I have the Perception Pescador 12'. It's a decent ride for about $550. Its major drawbacks are the seat and the stability. It's plenty stable enough to sit and fish, but you wouldn't want to stand and fish much. It has a padded seat with a back, but it's decade-old technology. There are better seats available now than there were then. I believe this model would be a decent budget-based kayak that would at least remedy the seat issues.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Ascend-12T-SitOnTop-Kayak/product/170284/

 

The Pescador pro looks like a decent tradeoff as well. This is a 10' model, but the weight capacity is pretty high.

 

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/perception-pescador-pro-100-fishing-kayak#repChildCatid=3342502

[CybrSlydr]

2 hours ago, the reel ess said:

I have the Perception Pescador 12'. It's a decent ride for about $550. Its major drawbacks are the seat and the stability. It's plenty stable enough to sit and fish, but you wouldn't want to stand and fish much. It has a padded seat with a back, but it's decade-old technology. There are better seats available now than there were then. I believe this model would be a decent budget-based kayak that would at least remedy the seat issues.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Ascend-12T-SitOnTop-Kayak/product/170284/

 

The Pescador pro looks like a decent tradeoff as well. This is a 10' model, but the weight capacity is pretty high.

 

http://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/perception-pescador-pro-100-fishing-kayak#repChildCatid=3342502

Thanks for the suggestions - though I'd have to go for something a bit bigger.  

 

I'm 6'1" and about 280lbs, so 325lb capacity just isn't enough for my big butt.  I'm looking at Kayaks with a minimum 400lb capacity just for safety sake, higher/drier ride and cargo.

[HeavyTwenty]

I just bought a Radar 135. Only complaint is that it seems to be designed for giants. No joke, even 6'4" owners have complained about the long reach to their crate/gear in the back. It might be less of an issue for the Radar 115. There's a pretty active facebook group. I watched the comments for a while before deciding to buy it myself. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1395601647122486/

[J Francho]

Just trim the seat back on the sliders.  Or do you need it forward for better weight distribution?