Bye bye boats!

[Harold Scoggins]

On 1/15/2020 at 9:27 AM, SuperDuty said:

Since you're so stealthy, you see so many more things that you just wouldn't on a boat. And the fish don't even know youre6coming.

I've glided right over bass and they either didn't see me or didn't care. 

[HookInMouth]

Also Re; Jon Boat... If you drive the price point up on a kayak adding motors, electronics, and shallow water anchors I imagine if you went the jon route you'd do the same. It's not like someone who would own a decked out kayak would just leave a jon as is.

[the reel ess]

32 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Winter is at least 5-7 days a year down there....... sometimes.,........ Haha

It's in the 60s today, but there's some winter on the way tomorrow. Here, winter gives the false impression that it's just not coming this year, then BAM! it's winter again. And these cold snaps really give the bass lockjaw.

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I wish I had more lakes and ponds local, if there was, I'd get in the yak club. But with my 2 local fishing spots being rivers, I'm stuck in the boat club. 

 

#NoYakLife

 

[Tennessee Boy]

I've been thinking I need a small craft of some sort that would allow me to fish some of the smaller streams around here.  Now @TnRiver46 has got me thinking about this.

 

 

[SuperDuty]

On 1/15/2020 at 1:08 PM, HookInMouth said:

Very good. The owners and designer Kevin Hawkins likes to over build. Just look at the seat on the Voodoo/Zulu. A 400lb man could sit on the top perch/back rest with no issue lol. Can't think of another kayak that can make that claim haha. But seriously, I think Kaku is a quality name and belong with the other quality names out there. Kaku, Hobie, Jackson, Old Town, Feel Free, Nucanoe, they all build good stuff. I just like the Kaku designs best. 

How mid-west are you? We talkin Ohio? If you can make it to Pittsburgh area one day I could hook you up on a Voodoo. Might be able to wrangle a Wahoo for you to check out too. I know a local guy. 

I wasn't even close lol. Hell, most days the wait at the boat ramp was longer than it takes to pull a yak out of the bed of my truck and push it into the water. 

@HookInMouth man I've spent hours reading and watching videos on these Kaku's and really like the quality that Kevin puts into them. How well does your vodoo do in streams? Is it difficult to paddle? One thing I've read about the wahoo is how fast it is and how well it tracks. That's what I really like about it. The two things I don't like is the seat, or should I actually say that I just pref6the seat on the vodoo or zulu MORE. I also like how on the zulu you get so many mounting options on the back for power poles, trolling motors, etc. So this is kind of making me lean towards the zulu but I don't want to give up too much speed, tracking, paddling ability that the wahoo offers. 

I'd imagine the vodoo handles much like the zulu so have you paddled a wahoo as a comparison?

[HookInMouth]

11 hours ago, SuperDuty said:

@HookInMouth man I've spent hours reading and watching videos on these Kaku's and really like the quality that Kevin puts into them. How well does your vodoo do in streams? Is it difficult to paddle? One thing I've read about the wahoo is how fast it is and how well it tracks. That's what I really like about it. The two things I don't like is the seat, or should I actually say that I just pref6the seat on the vodoo or zulu MORE. I also like how on the zulu you get so many mounting options on the back for power poles, trolling motors, etc. So this is kind of making me lean towards the zulu but I don't want to give up too much speed, tracking, paddling ability that the wahoo offers. 

I'd imagine the vodoo handles much like the zulu so have you paddled a wahoo as a comparison?

I have very little experience with other boats so it's hard to compare for me. I've never personally paddled a Wahoo but I've done A LOT of homework on them. Talked to Kevin. Talked to dealers. So take this with a grain of salt. From what I gather:

 

1. The Voodoo is more stable (but the Wahoo is a very stable boat)

2. The Wahoo is faster. It is known as one of the quickest "fishing" kayaks to paddle. 

3. The Wahoo is intended for rougher water while the Voodoo is intended for calmer water. 

 

The Voodoo handles "waves" and rough water (getting beat around in some rapids) just fine. I mainly paddle rivers and streams but they are what most would call "lazy rivers". Very little white water. I've had it in what would probably be considered class II though.

 

Where it doesn't do as well is having to change directions quickly. Rougher water I wouldn't worry too much about, but if the streams you are looking to fish have a lot of rocks sticking up out of the water (these are the enemy, if you are going to flip a Voodoo a rock is probably involved) the Wahoo might be the better choice. Other than it being harder to turn (it tracks great, wants to go straight for you) the only other issue I can think of is in really rough water when you are getting beat around side by side, sometimes it's hard staying on the seat. Unless you ride up on a rock you aren't flipping the Voodoo, but you can slide off that high seat. The seat has a very dense and thick foam. Very comfortable but under it is a sheet of aluminum. You don't "sink" into it like a conventional kayak seat. It really is comfortable. But it's reinforced so you can stand on the seat and sight fish. 

 

IMHO the Voodoo paddles great for what it is; a large ultra-stable kayak with a high seat meant for fishing. If you are paddling miles on flat water the Wahoo is going to paddle better as it's known as a fast kayak. Both kayaks track great. 

 

I think if you are picking between the two you are picking between the Voodoo's ultra-stability and high seat versus the Wahoo's quickness and ability to cut through chop (due to the aggressive bow shape). The downside of the Wahoo is just the "average" framed kayak seat which offers no height adjustments. It's I believe 5-6" off the deck. The Voodoo is 10" off the deck and 24" if you are sitting on the back perch. Big difference. 

 

Even fishing moving water primarily (small rivers and large creeks), I don't regret picking the Voodoo over the Wahoo. But my waters don't require more than the Voodoo. Yours might. 

 

I've been thinking a lot about adding two YakGadget QuickMount Shallow Water Anchors to the side power pole plates. What's crazy is if I do that I still have THREE power pole mounts left to play with lol.

 

The Zulu looks to be a cross between the Voodoo and the Wahoo. There's not a ton out there on it yet though. But it looks like you might give up a "little" stability and gain a little "speed" and "maneuverability". It's probably better suited for rougher water than the Voodoo is to be honest. If I was shopping now, knowing what waters I fish, I would probably pick the Zulu. But again, I'm not selling my Voodoo to do it. I love that boat. 

[Dens228]

19 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

That depends on the jon boat..... Unless you have two cars and two free days, you aren't getting a kayak where my boat is sitting in this picture. We did it with one vehicle in an afternoon. We used to only dream of day trips fishing there with kayak/canoe until I created that rig 

I'm sure there are plenty of places out of reach distance wise for me and my kayak.  But there are two places I fish that have back quarries connected by to the main quarry via a cut channel that are maybe 40 inches wide and a good 50 yards long. No land access to them either.  

[TnRiver46]

3 minutes ago, Dens228 said:

I'm sure there are plenty of places out of reach distance wise for me and my kayak.  But there are two places I fish that have back quarries connected by to the main quarry via a cut channel that are maybe 40 inches wide and a good 50 yards long. No land access to them either.  

I have a couple quarries near my house I need to explore. That's where the yaks and canoes are awesome, no boat ramp no problem 

[SuperDuty]

1 hour ago, HookInMouth said:

I have very little experience with other boats so it's hard to compare for me. I've never personally paddled a Wahoo but I've done A LOT of homework on them. Talked to Kevin. Talked to dealers. So take this with a grain of salt. From what I gather:

 

1. The Voodoo is more stable (but the Wahoo is a very stable boat)

2. The Wahoo is faster. It is known as one of the quickest "fishing" kayaks to paddle. 

3. The Wahoo is intended for rougher water while the Voodoo is intended for calmer water. 

 

The Voodoo handles "waves" and rough water (getting beat around in some rapids) just fine. I mainly paddle rivers and streams but they are what most would call "lazy rivers". Very little white water. I've had it in what would probably be considered class II though.

 

Where it doesn't do as well is having to change directions quickly. Rougher water I wouldn't worry too much about, but if the streams you are looking to fish have a lot of rocks sticking up out of the water (these are the enemy, if you are going to flip a Voodoo a rock is probably involved) the Wahoo might be the better choice. Other than it being harder to turn (it tracks great, wants to go straight for you) the only other issue I can think of is in really rough water when you are getting beat around side by side, sometimes it's hard staying on the seat. Unless you ride up on a rock you aren't flipping the Voodoo, but you can slide off that high seat. The seat has a very dense and thick foam. Very comfortable but under it is a sheet of aluminum. You don't "sink" into it like a conventional kayak seat. It really is comfortable. But it's reinforced so you can stand on the seat and sight fish. 

 

IMHO the Voodoo paddles great for what it is; a large ultra-stable kayak with a high seat meant for fishing. If you are paddling miles on flat water the Wahoo is going to paddle better as it's known as a fast kayak. Both kayaks track great. 

 

I think if you are picking between the two you are picking between the Voodoo's ultra-stability and high seat versus the Wahoo's quickness and ability to cut through chop (due to the aggressive bow shape). The downside of the Wahoo is just the "average" framed kayak seat which offers no height adjustments. It's I believe 5-6" off the deck. The Voodoo is 10" off the deck and 24" if you are sitting on the back perch. Big difference. 

 

Even fishing moving water primarily (small rivers and large creeks), I don't regret picking the Voodoo over the Wahoo. But my waters don't require more than the Voodoo. Yours might. 

 

I've been thinking a lot about adding two YakGadget QuickMount Shallow Water Anchors to the side power pole plates. What's crazy is if I do that I still have THREE power pole mounts left to play with lol.

 

The Zulu looks to be a cross between the Voodoo and the Wahoo. There's not a ton out there on it yet though. But it looks like you might give up a "little" stability and gain a little "speed" and "maneuverability". It's probably better suited for rougher water than the Voodoo is to be honest. If I was shopping now, knowing what waters I fish, I would probably pick the Zulu. But again, I'm not selling my Voodoo to do it. I love that boat. 

Thank you for taking the time to give me such a great review and your thoughts between them. Very much appreciated! It really does come down to the seat height and extra slots for mounting on the stern. I think the zulu would handle the waters I fish just fine. But I still like the speed agility of the wahoo. Ughh, tough decision!!  

59 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I have a couple quarries near my house I need to explore. That's where the yaks and canoes are awesome, no boat ramp no problem 

Up until 5 years ago I use to manage the IT for about 60 quarries covering a 4 state region. I had some of the best fishing holes known to man at these quarries. Man I sure do miss that access!!! 

[HookInMouth]

21 minutes ago, SuperDuty said:

Ughh, tough decision!!

Hahaha. Right. I'm a huge Kaku guy. Big fan. But there are lots of great yaks out there. Some really good companies. Compare them all. Find the one that "calls to you". And of course, demo if you can. 

[SuperDuty]

I did hear back from Kaku regarding the Zulu. He said the zulu would be an excellent fast river boat as that's what they've done most of their testing of it on. So I just may end up with it. 

[HookInMouth]

40 minutes ago, SuperDuty said:

I did hear back from Kaku regarding the Zulu. He said the zulu would be an excellent fast river boat as that's what they've done most of their testing of it on. So I just may end up with it. 

That is great info. Really. I'm gonna throw that in my back pocket and save it for when the wife isn't looking...

 

Did you talk to Kevin or Jacinda? Good people down there. My Voodoo shipped without the bolts to attach the seat. Got a personal call from Kevin apologizing and sent them out the same day. Also told me to save his cell number in case I need anything else. Told me to text/call him if I have any questions. A different kind of company. 

[SuperDuty]

3 minutes ago, HookInMouth said:

That is great info. Really. I'm gonna throw that in my back pocket and save it for when the wife isn't looking...

 

Did you talk to Kevin or Jacinda? Good people down there. My Voodoo shipped without the bolts to attach the seat. Got a personal call from Kevin apologizing and sent them out the same day. Also told me to save his cell number in case I need anything else. Told me to text/call him if I have any questions. A different kind of company. 

I don't really know. Just used the contact form and had a few different questions and they replied back to both of my emails. They didn't leave a name in their reply though.   

[jaimeastin]

23 hours ago, Harold Scoggins said:

I've glided right over bass and they either didn't see me or didn't care. 

 

Same here... In my kayaks and my float tubes, the bass did not care.  They would follow me in my tube...  Turtles follow me too, but they follow anything .

[Boomstick]

I thought this was going to be a tragic or depressing post but as it turns out, it's not. I'm glad you found what you like