Big man Looking for first fishing vessel

[James Long]

So recently been looking into getting some type of boat,kayak, Jon boat etc. to go fishing out of. It will be my first purchase and having concerns about my size and stability in them. I’m 6 foot 4 and weigh about 340. Been fishing for about 2 years now and just want something to get into the water with. I have no interest fishing salt water so it’s mainly rivers and lakes I will be. Any help will be appreciated 

[TOXIC]

What's your budget?  Motorized or people powered?  

[Avalonjohn44]

I'm 6'0" (6'1" right out of bed )and was 250 at my heaviest and getting in and out of my kayak was a giant PIA, as was paddling my fat rear around a lake for half the day... If you are thinking kayak, definitely go for a sit on top rather than a 'sit in'. 

[MN Fisher]

I'm not small at 6'1 and 210. I went with a canoe and am in the middle of some modifications to make it more stand-up/sit-down friendly. Total cost will be under $1000 - with another $600 for the trailer and it's one mod.

 

This is where it's at so far - just some painting, laying down traction tape and finishing up the wiring left.

 

[James Long]

I’ve looked at plenary of sit on tops and actually a couple of canoes not really needing to stand up I can fish sitting down. One of my biggest problems is finding something with high enough weight limits

7 hours ago, TOXIC said:

What's your budget?  Motorized or people powered?  

You I don’t want to spend to much seeing that it’s my first. But I know with my size it’s going to cost a bit. And people powered is fine but I’m not going to Denise motorized 

[MN Fisher]

The canoe I have is the Sun Dolphin Scout SS...14'... and rated to 765lbs (You, Trolling Motor, Battery, etc-etc-etc)

 

https://sundolphin.com/scout-ss/

[813basstard]

6’2 245 here. Fished out of a kayak once and hated it. Not for me. Could be for you. I’d suggest trying one out before you buy. 

I’d also suggest whatever you consider go 1-2 ft bigger. If you fish a lot you’ll get the “I wonder if I...” which usually ends up into stroking a check for a bigger boat, bigger motor, bigger truck etc..

Good luck

[Brad Reid]

Some good choices, already for sure.

 

I often post about my Meyer's Sportspal S-15. Two men can stand in it at the same time. An S-13, the 13 footer would work well, too. Meyers makes them out of aircraft quality aluminum and they are lined with ethafoam and ribs for noise reduction and give it some rigidity.

 

One big advantage for a big man is a low seat, certainly one in a canoe, can be pure misery on the back all day long as it isn't supported like sit-on-top kayaks. So, what I do is carry out a folding lawn chair with the blade feet, wedge it in place using a thwart bar, stand most of the time, but sit to re-tie or eat or just to take a break.

 

Paddle, trolling motor or outboard. Single, tandem with a buddy or kids. Very flexible and much lighter than similar length kayaks.

 

Photos: Me seated in the comfy chair, fishing tandem with partner, seated the other day holding a bass. Me? 6'3" 258 lbs. give or take.

 

Brad

 

 

[HenryPF]

13 hours ago, TOXIC said:

What's your budget?  Motorized or people powered?  

Best question so far - no amount of suggestions here will overcome whatever you choose unless you are comfortable in it. Can you sit down and fish? Have the stamina pedal all day? Want to load and unload a kayak/canoe when you go? Want to load a battery and trolling motor everytime? Can you trailer a boat? Worried about fiberglass boats and rocks? How and where will you store the said boat?

 

Work with your style of fishing and go from there.

[redmexican5081]

I'm 280lbs and comfortably paddle my Old Town Guide 147 all day. I use a "sit backer" attached to the molded seats for some added comfort. I built homemade outriggers for it and I can stand without any issues.

[J Francho]

A decent, wide canoe or something like a used Wilderness Systems Commander 140 (hybrid kayak/canoe) would probably suit you best for comfort and ease.  If have the budget to splurge, a Hobie Pro Angler 14 would be the nicest.  You're definitely looking for a boat that has a 450 lb. capacity or better.  What ever you decide on, get some seat time on the water.

[CaptPete]

I have a canoe and a kayak... I'd still much rather fish from a jon boat, just way more flexibility of use. 

 

a used one around 14' won't cost any more than many of the kayak/canoe options. A cheap trolling motor and a battery, and I'm way more happy than paddling.

 

I'm not as big as you, but not far off, I much prefer a jon.

[haggard]

Given weight and height, if you're going the yak route look for a sit-on-top with max stability (width of 36" is a good place to start). For a jon, lots of options, maybe a 14 x 48 or 15 x 48. I found the mod-vee hull plenty stable on a 14x48. For other boats, many more options.

 

[Bolar]

For a boat you might look at this.  Its a good first boat and you can't beat the price.  If you really are interested, I would suggest you go and look at one as soon as possible.  They stopped taking orders last year towards the end of March.   

[kenmitch]

On 3/12/2019 at 1:58 PM, James Long said:

I’ve looked at plenary of sit on tops and actually a couple of canoes not really needing to stand up I can fish sitting down. One of my biggest problems is finding something with high enough weight limits

You I don’t want to spend to much seeing that it’s my first. But I know with my size it’s going to cost a bit. And people powered is fine but I’m not going to Denise motorized 

 

Maybe I missed it, but how do you plan on getting whatever you purchase to the water?  

[Hi-Powered Red Neck]

I suggest a Pelican Bass Raider 10e Or a Pond Prowler 2. The Bass raider is rated for 600 pounds and the Prowler is rated at 535 pounds. I fish out of a Bass Raider I'm 6'3 280. Very stable and can be loaded into most pick-up beds by one person. They can be powered by a 3.5 hp gas motor and of course a electric trolling motor. Check out the thread Any Bass Raider owners out there.  

[James Long]

23 hours ago, kenmitch said:

 

Maybe I missed it, but how do you plan on getting whatever you purchase to the water?  

I have a truck so if need be I could use a trailer or a bed extender 

[Brew City Bass]

Hey bud! Fellow big guy here. 

I'm 6'3" and 360lbs on a good day. I've tried just about everything before settling on a small 16ft bass boat. 

The kyaks I tried were cool once you were in em, but getting in was a pain and if I flipped, I was screwed. No way I was climbing back in on the water. 

Canoes were too much work for what they were. Jon boats were way too unstable for what I was comfortable with. So I got on craigslist and found a nice little 16ft with 75hp outboard. Costed me around $2500 and I haven't had an issue with it minus upgrading to a bigger trolling motor. 

The boat costed more than a yak obviously, but I don't regret it one bit. I can stand on the bow, walk all over, drive 50mph, troll 5mph, I've even had 3 people in this little boat. It's the way to go. Not a big rig either so I just tow it with my little Jeep Grand Cherokee. Super easy to launch and retrieve when I'm alone. Arguably easier than loading a canoe on the roof of the Jeep. 

[kenmitch]

24 minutes ago, James Long said:

I have a truck so if need be I could use a trailer or a bed extender 

 

If I was a big guy wanting to get on the water without going the boat route I'd be looking at something like the Blue Sky Angler 360. It's up there with the Hobie pro anglers in price, but it does look like a safe to fish platform for bigger guys. I guess technically it's more of a fishing catamaran than a kayak, maybe more of a floating dock.

 

 

I look at the people powered fishing platforms as a multi tasking device. You get out on the water to fish while getting some much needed exercise while doing it. 

 

You just need to figure out how you want to fish in the end. What works best for you in the long run.

 

Good luck on your quest for the perfect for you vessel that gets you off the shoreline!