What would you do in my situation(kayak)

[MDbassin]

I've been trying to get off the bank for quite sometime now and something always comes up and I have to push it back but this year is the year. 

 

I thought I knew what I wanted a while ago but with time to stew over it and new kayaks coming out I don't know anymore.

 

I'm between the Hobie PA14, Wilderness systems Atak 140, and the new Bonafide SS127.

 

What is it you look for in a kayak when looking for one? What are somethings you realized after getting out on the water you wish your kayak had? 

 

I'm 5'10" 240lbs. Fish mostly smaller lakes anywhere from a couple feet to 8ft deep with some vegetation. Would like to head out in the river from time to time and make the trek to my spot for cats when I'm in the mood for our whiskered bottom dwelling friends. Plan to start fishing KBF and local Kayak fishing tournaments (mid atlantic kayak bass fishing) likely next year after I've had time to get use to kayak fishing and set up the way I'm comfortable with.

 

I've looked at the Atak for years but then after some thought I looked at the Pro angler I thought horizontal rod storage so no chance of snagging rods on a cast sweet. Pedal system so longer treks down the river or lake won't be as tiring... awesome andi wont have to keep fighting tide changes with my paddle i could use my legs and fish... cool. But the thought of spending that much on a kayak and on top of that I would have to pay more to rig it out... geez. Then the Bonafide comes out not as long as I was looking at not as high of capacity,  new company not much known about them so who knows if they are great or will have quality control issues or not. But with all the hype around them it's hard not to pay attention.

 

If I went Bonafide or ATAK I could have the kayak and all the extras to rig it the way I want (depth finder, power pole, anchor trolley for the deeper water, etc) this year and be ready to go full steam ahead. The Hobie I would be able to get that and a way to transport it that's it.

Thanks for any and all help

 

[68camaro]

I had same decision last summer and chose the PA12 because I wanted very firm platform to stand and fish but I am much older and probably more discretionary income for toys.  If you go into bigger rivers the PA14 will be more stable but PA12 is crazy stable.

 

I will say the power pole complete is over $1000, I bought a Bernies river stick for $250 complete and love it, its similiar to power pole but mechanical, like a rolex. That $750 savings buys a lot of goodies.

 

 

[MDbassin]

I was looking at the river stick if I went hobie. Even with the discount I would get on the power pole the river stick is still much cheaper. How's you PA handle vegetation? I would assume much better then the prop style pedal drives. My thought was it would just push it aside but my assumptions have been wrong many times before

[68camaro]

I actually fish in a ton of vegetation, my main lake is lowland resevoir, shallow and choked with hydrilla. The benefit of the Hobie fins over typical prop style is you can flutter the fins when real shallow or to get thru weeds easier. When vegetation real thick I will push pedal forward and hook in place without needing to remove drive (other systems you will need to remove system I believe), this pins the fins against the hull, then I'll use oars hobie comes with or push off bottom with them. Not sure if I am describing clearly, but with Hobie it is easier to adjust to thicker vegetation, however Hobie will have hard time in super thick stuff.

 

With the Hobie its buy once cry once.....expensive but you get a lot for the money.

Bye the way I highly recommend the River Stick...works great and almost no parts to fail.

[MDbassin]

23 minutes ago, 68camaro said:

Bye the way I highly recommend the River Stick...works great and almost no parts to fail.

Yea the great thing about mechanical systems over electric.... cheaper, lighter, less chance of failure, and if something were to fail there's no circuit boards or batteries just replace the worn part.

 

I have a dealer a couple hours away that sells the river stick so it's easy to get a hold of also

[Turtle135]

As someone who has fished the MAKBF from day one, I would say, start fishing that series as soon as you can. You will learn more in a few events than you could figure out on your own over several years. The group of anglers you will meet are ready and willing to give you all the assistance you are ready for.

 

As far as pedal versus paddle. I purchased a Tarpon 130x back in the fall of 2016 because I wanted speed and a comfortable kayak over any other concern. I have also been paddling a kayak after bass since 1991 so I may be biased towards a paddle. What I have seen in our tournament series is that is not the kayak that wins, it is the angler.

[fishnkamp]

Since you live on our Eastern shore I would make plans to go kayak fishing for a half day with a guide that specializes in guided yak trips. I think I told you about him before.  The company he owns rents them, he guides out of them and he can advise you on methods to outfit them.  He also sells a brand as well.  He specializes in back river trips on the Eastern shore rivers.  He also runs some trips out to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge! Insane in my eyes but...

I believe you could get more experience in a half day with him than any other way. After that I would contact a few kayak suppliers on the Eastern Shore and see when they will be sponsoring some on water demo days. Go paddle a bunch of boats before you spend bigger money.  The one thing I have learned in owning many bass boats none play the same.  Test drive them first. Then you can decide which one suits your fancy. A yak in your area is a great boat to access some of the less pressured waters and you may find bass that never see a lure. It would fish the lakes over there, plenty of smaller ponds and rivers as well.

[MDbassin]

1 hour ago, Turtle135 said:

As someone who has fished the MAKBF from day one, I would say, start fishing that series as soon as you can. You will learn more in a few events than you could figure out on your own over several years. The group of anglers you will meet are ready and willing to give you all the assistance you are ready for.

 

As far as pedal versus paddle. I purchased a Tarpon 130x back in the fall of 2016 because I wanted speed and a comfortable kayak over any other concern. I have also been paddling a kayak after bass since 1991 so I may be biased towards a paddle. What I have seen in our tournament series is that is not the kayak that wins, it is the angler.

I wasn't saying a pedal kayak would make me a better angler I was saying it would be easier and less exerting in the currents and tide changes. As I'm sure most of us love to fish all day when I go out it's sun up to sun down whether they're biting or not. If I am to head out on the sassafras fishing for bass or cats all day fighting current and tides I would much rather do it using my legs.

[Hawkeye21]

If money is no option then probably the Hobie but I feel they are a bit too pricey for a kayak.  I've heard great things about the Atak but I've been really impressed with the new Bonafide.  I like the fact that the Bonafide is designed and made by the owner of YakAttack.  I know it's not a pedal system but it looks like it has a lot to offer for a very affordable price which allows plenty for adding accessories like fish finder, power pole and trolling motor.  A trolling motor would make up for it not being a pedal drive.

[J Francho]

13 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

I like the fact that the Bonafide is designed and made by the owner of YakAttack.

It's Luther's project, and he certainly has had a lot of input, but the boat hull was primarily designed by Hans Nutz, who also desined the ATAK, Commander, Ride, and several others for Wildy.  Some of Luther's bits are likely the trick handles.

[Hawkeye21]

1 minute ago, J Francho said:

It's Luther's project, and he certainly has had a lot of input, but the boat hull was primarily designed by Hans Nutz, who also desined the ATAK, Commander, Ride, and several others for Wildy.  Some of Luther's bits are likely the trick handles.

I just love how everything on that kayak has been designed specifically for fishermen.  So much thought went into it and you know it's meant to be customized any way you want.  I haven't seen it in person yet but have watched a lot of videos on it.  I've used YakAttack products and really like them.

 

I see Chad Hoover fishing out of one and he's a big dude which lets you know it's very stable.

[J Francho]

Yep, it's a cool boat, for sure.  If I was in the market, I'd take a long look at Bonafide. Currently, my C140 gets the job done.

[haggard]

If you can afford it, you get what you pay for with the Hobie PA. It comes at not only a dollar price but also a weight price. Other Hobie pedal drive yaks are lighter though so don't rule them out if you really want pedal drive. Given the high price of Hobie your budget really needs to be a big part of the picture because there are cheaper yaks that will get the job done well.

 

I'd also suggest first considering your needs (that's #1), and then your ability (and time and budget) to make add-ons to a cheaper yak, as opposed to buying a turnkey / read to go yak for more money.

 

For fishing, in my (brief) experience, high on the list would be (in no particular order): seating comfort; stability; pedal drive; sit on top; sufficient "working area" / deck space.

 

[YoTone]

Its 2018 and the competition has caught up with a lower price tags for pedal driven kayaks. Pedal driven units that all have hands free instant reverse.

 

Native has a wide variety of pedal driven kayaks all are priced lower than the PA 14. I believe the Titan series has horizontal rod storage.  Ive dealt with rods placed vertically behind my seat on my slayer and rarely has it been an issue with me hitting them on casts. where it would help me is when im going into crazy tight places and low tunnels. Not saying the horizontal storage isnt better but its not deal breaker in my opinion.

 

BTW my Slayer 10 weighs almost half the weight of the PA14.  Weight was one of the bigger factors in my purchase. to be able to toss my kayak on my roof by myself with ease was a must.  If I had to get trailer for a kayak i would of just gotten a boat.

 

 

Not saying the Perception Pilot is on par with the PA's fit and finish but its a $1700 pedal powered kayak! Old town has one thats around $2700 and theres a few more that im sure is already for sale or will be in the very near future.

 

Good luck whatever you choose and i hope my post helped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MDbassin]

59 minutes ago, YoTone said:

Its 2018 and the competition has caught up with a lower price tags for pedal driven kayaks. Pedal driven units that all have hands free instant reverse.

 

Native has a wide variety of pedal driven kayaks all are priced lower than the PA 14. I believe the Titan series has horizontal rod storage.  Ive dealt with rods placed vertically behind my seat on my slayer and rarely has it been an issue with me hitting them on casts. where it would help me is when im going into crazy tight places and low tunnels. Not saying the horizontal storage isnt better but its not deal breaker in my opinion.

 

BTW my Slayer 10 weighs almost half the weight of the PA14.  Weight was one of the bigger factors in my purchase. to be able to toss my kayak on my roof by myself with ease was a must.  If I had to get trailer for a kayak i would of just gotten a boat.

 

 

Not saying the Perception Pilot is on par with the PA's fit and finish but its a $1700 pedal powered kayak! Old town has one thats around $2700 and theres a few more that im sure is already for sale or will be in the very near future.

 

Good luck whatever you choose and i hope my post helped.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The propel drive will not work for 90% of the places I fish. I my self am a heavy guy plus all my gear the only native I would consider would be the titan for the capacity and width. I know width doesn't mean stable other things like hull design factor in as well but I like a wide area to work with as I'm not a fan of the more cramped feeling I get in the narrower kayaks

[YoTone]

what situation would you be in where you think a mirage drive would be that much more superior?

 

[MDbassin]

Shallower water, vegetation.... I can flutter the Mirage drive in shallow water or over top grass I'd have to pull the propel drive for that or I would be cleaning the prop all the time

[Junger]

1 hour ago, MDbassin said:

Shallower water, vegetation.... I can flutter the Mirage drive in shallow water or over top grass I'd have to pull the propel drive for that or I would be cleaning the prop all the time

Yes that is possible with fins, but you also have a slight downfall that you have to toggle the reverse pulley with the Mirage drive, vs propellers where you simply just peddle reverse. I think both methods have their pros and cons and it's really up to the user to figure out which would work best for him/her.

 

I like the Old Town Predator PDL a lot. The prop console pulls up easy and is flush on the bottom for skinny water. I don't mind having a paddle on my lap for the weeds, but having instant forward and reverse is key for me to fish those grass edges and staying stationary in wind or current.

 

I think you'll be happy with any of those yaks though, good luck!

 

[NYWayfarer]

I have checked out the Bonafide kayaks website and reviews because of this thread. I want one!

 

the 10' version weighs 60+ pounds and seems so stable for a sit on. I watched someone fishing out of one in Florida. He even loaded it solo on a truck with little effort.

[Hawkeye21]

On 2/15/2018 at 10:58 AM, NYWayfarer said:

I have checked out the Bonafide kayaks website and reviews because of this thread. I want one!

 

the 10' version weighs 60+ pounds and seems so stable for a sit on. I watched someone fishing out of one in Florida. He even loaded it solo on a truck with little effort.

 

It's at the top of my list for paddle kayaks right now.  I love everything I've seen and read about it.  The weight is fantastic too.