Benefits of a longer kayak.

[NateCatchesFish]

Hey everyone. I’m planning on picking up a new Kayak. I’m gonna pick up the Wilderness Systems Radar. Is there any benefits of picking the 135 over the 115. I’ll be fishing tournaments in it on small lakes most less than 1000 achers and also narrow rivers. I will be using it on bigger bodies of water in the future as I plan to have this for awhile and buy the Helix PD for it. With that being said what would you choose? I know the 135 is heavier but I’m young and in decent shape so I don’t feel that it would be too hard to paddle. The only benefit I see at the moment is more storage which is almost unnecessary. So if anyone has any advice let me know thanks. 

[Darren.]

Longer yaks will tend toward a truer tracking line, and

often a little more speed.

[Angry John]

They can carry more weight sometimes, but it's worse in the wind.

[NateCatchesFish]

46 minutes ago, Darren. said:

Longer yaks will tend toward a truer tracking line, and

often a little more speed.

I didn’t know they added more speed. I figured since it is a heavier boat than the 115 it would be slower

40 minutes ago, Angry John said:

They can carry more weight sometimes, but it's worse in the wind.

I’m not too worried about weight. I only weight like 160 and then all my gear is maybe like 100lbs. And I didn’t consider the wind 

[flyfisher]

Speed and capacity is the primary gain for a longer kayak.  I have an ATAK 140 and can easily paddle at 4mph and it tracks better than the 12' version of the same boat.  You also generally lose maneuverability in a longer boat.  I fish some smaller rivers and i miss my sub 12' boat for those conditions.  

[NateCatchesFish]

11 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

Speed and capacity is the primary gain for a longer kayak.  I have an ATAK 140 and can easily paddle at 4mph and it tracks better than the 12' version of the same boat.  You also generally lose maneuverability in a longer boat.  I fish some smaller rivers and i miss my sub 12' boat for those conditions.  

That’s the main thing I’m worried about. I really want a boat that can be good all around and not be good at one specific thing. That’s why I’m leaning towards the 115

[68camaro]

I have 12 footer and think its pretty good compromise for all around size, I would think the 115 would be good for your needs.

[flyfisher]

Personally, I'd wait until there is a demo days and paddle the boats you are looking at buying.  You will save yourself some headache in the long run.  

Also consider how you are transporting the boat as well.  Cartopping a 14' boat takes a little more technique and skill and strength than a 12', especially if the boat is over half your body weight.  

[NateCatchesFish]

11 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Personally, I'd wait until there is a demo days and paddle the boats you are looking at buying.  You will save yourself some headache in the long run.  

Also consider how you are transporting the boat as well.  Cartopping a 14' boat takes a little more technique and skill and strength than a 12', especially if the boat is over half your body weight.  

For now I’ll be transporting it in the bed of a truck but starting in March it’ll be put on top of a car. That’s another concern is I feel like having a 14 foot kayak on a car is a little much

[J Francho]

13 hours ago, NateCatchesFish said:

I’ll be fishing tournaments in it on small lakes most less than 1000 achers and also narrow rivers.

The 115 would suite you well.  I have a 14' and it's not always great in small creeks.  It's a trade off, though.  I greatly appreciate the speed and tracking when making 2-3 mile run on larger lakes.

[Choporoz]

I paddle a 10' Wildy.  I made the short choice purely because of weight/handling out of the water.  I'm neither 'young', nor in 'decent shape'..

 

I'm very happy with my choice...nearly all the time.  But, I will say that when I'm on the water with others in 12 to 14 foot boats, I cannot keep up on long stretches.  Vast majority of the time it doesn't make any difference.  But we get on some big water and a one mile paddle is a lot different in a short yak than it is in a longer one.

[NateCatchesFish]

20 minutes ago, J Francho said:

The 115 would suite you well.  I have a 14' and it's not always great in small creeks.  It's a trade off, though.  I greatly appreciate the speed and tracking when making 2-3 mile run on larger lakes.

I fish in mostly small lakes that have motor restrictions or trolling motor only lakes and some narrow rivers that big boats can’t be on. As far as speed and making long paddles there is quite a few places I would be making these long paddles. I currently plan on buying the Helix PD for it in a year or two so I think I can sacrifice a little bit of speed for the time being 

14 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I paddle a 10' Wildy.  I made the short choice purely because of weight/handling out of the water.  I'm neither 'young', nor in 'decent shape'..

 

I'm very happy with my choice...nearly all the time.  But, I will say that when I'm on the water with others in 12 to 14 foot boats, I cannot keep up on long stretches.  Vast majority of the time it doesn't make any difference.  But we get on some big water and a one mile paddle is a lot different in a short yak than it is in a longer one.

I am leaning towards the 115. It seems like it would be a better boat all around for everything I need it for. I’m mainly looking for a boat that is good in almost every aspect and not something that strives at one specific aspect. As mentioned before I plan on buying the Helix PD within the next two years so I’m not too worried about speed. 

[NYWayfarer]

1 hour ago, NateCatchesFish said:

For now I’ll be transporting it in the bed of a truck but starting in March it’ll be put on top of a car. That’s another concern is I feel like having a 14 foot kayak on a car is a little much

I feel the same way.

 

Others in my area do not. Someone transported their snowmobile on top of their Ford Focus

 

http://poststar.com/news/local/snowmobile-on-car-draws-internet-fame/article_6ad53200-3208-5d4e-a5c2-638b6afd6d57.html

[RPreeb]

There will always be trade offs.  A longer boat will usually track better when traveling in a more or less straight line, but will not be as handy for maneuvering as a shorter boat.  Those issues can be somewhat alleviated in the short boat with design features like a more pronounced keel (if a kayak even has a keel), and the longer boat will be more maneuverable if it has more rocker (that is more curve to the hull from bow to stern, but then it won't track as well for cruising.  As a former whitewater kayaker, I can tell you that a boat designed for maneuverability is a royal pain to paddle for any distance in a straight line.  

 

Also, it seems to me that the pedal system would not be as easy to maneuver in tight spaces as with a conventional paddle.  I can literally turn a 16' canoe on its own axis with successive forward and backward strokes on opposite sides, which doesn't seem possible with a pedal system.

 

By the way, I've carried a 14 foot canoe on top of a '78 Toyota Corolla station wagon with no issues.  

[NateCatchesFish]

48 minutes ago, RPreeb said:

There will always be trade offs.  A longer boat will usually track better when traveling in a more or less straight line, but will not be as handy for maneuvering as a shorter boat.  Those issues can be somewhat alleviated in the short boat with design features like a more pronounced keel (if a kayak even has a keel), and the longer boat will be more maneuverable if it has more rocker (that is more curve to the hull from bow to stern, but then it won't track as well for cruising.  As a former whitewater kayaker, I can tell you that a boat designed for maneuverability is a royal pain to paddle for any distance in a straight line.  

 

Also, it seems to me that the pedal system would not be as easy to maneuver in tight spaces as with a conventional paddle.  I can literally turn a 16' canoe on its own axis with successive forward and backward strokes on opposite sides, which doesn't seem possible with a pedal system.

 

By the way, I've carried a 14 foot canoe on top of a '78 Toyota Corolla station wagon with no issues.  

I see what you’re saying. And you’re correct. Pedal systems are not the best for turning due to the fact it takes the momentum of moving forward before you can turn. It does have reverse and with technique can be turned relatively easy. I will be paddling long distances sometimes up to a mile or longer. I’ve paddled two miles up river into current with my 10ft kayak I own now with little issues. It did take quite some time but it wasn’t even close to impossible. Being that I fish lots of narrow rivers and smaller bodies of water I feel that even making longer runs in a shorter kayak would be fine due to the fact it’s shallow narrow water in places that I would struggle to maneuver a 13.5ft kayak. And I know someone that puts a 14ft on the same type of car as mine and he has little problems but I feel 11.5 would be much easier. 

[IgotWood]

For most of the lakes and rivers in our area, I'd say you're better off with a 12' or less. The extra speed (1 mph...maybe) is not worth it to me. I would definitely want a longer boat for saltwater fishing, where I'm fighting tides, wind, maybe big seas than what I'd typically see on a small lake. I'd go with the shorter boat for sure.