First kayak

[.zoso]

I’m looking to buy a kayak finally and was wondering if anyone knows of some affordable kayaks. I check Craigslist but not much pops up where I live so I plan to buy it new

[Hook2Jaw]

As far as an affordable paddle kayak, you'll be hard pressed to beat the Feelfree Moken 12.5 V2 at 800.

 

Affordable pedal, the new Old Town Sportsman Salty PDL 120.  They're 1900.

 

Premium pedal, Old Town Predator PDL 2020.  They're like 2350 on sale right now.

 

Premium motor, Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 120 or 136.  3800 and 4000.

 

My advice is to buy once, cry once, and buy your second kayak first.  If you're considering kayak fishing, you'll probably enjoy it and stick with it.  Welcome to the fold!

[.zoso]

2 hours ago, Hook2Jaw said:

As far as an affordable paddle kayak, you'll be hard pressed to beat the Feelfree Moken 12.5 V2 at 800.

 

Affordable pedal, the new Old Town Sportsman Salty PDL 120.  They're 1900.

 

Premium pedal, Old Town Predator PDL 2020.  They're like 2350 on sale right now.

 

Premium motor, Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 120 or 136.  3800 and 4000.

 

My advice is to buy once, cry once, and buy your second kayak first.  If you're considering kayak fishing, you'll probably enjoy it and stick with it.  Welcome to the fold!

Appreciate it brother. Interested in the feel free. Hopefully I can pick one up soon and get on some big ones

[Bird]

The Moken is a VERY good recommendation, well built kayaks as is all of Feel Free boats......own 2.

[Bankc]

I recently purchased a Lifetime Yukon.  At around $500, it was the cheapest I could find that allowed me to stand up.  I'm really impressed with it.  It has an excellent seat, pretty stable, and tracks well.  It's not super fast, but it's not slow either.  So far, it seems solidly built.  I haven't had any problems with it.

Now, keep in mind this is the only Kayak I've ever owned, so I don't have much to compare it to.  But I'm quite pleased with it, and the only think I feel it's missing is a cupholder and peddles. 

 

Also, remember that you're going to want a lot of accessories to go with whatever you choose.  So budget for that.  You'll probably want an anchor (or stake out pole), anchor trolley, kayak cart, some way to store the kayak, some what to transport the kayak, a paddle, and a PFD.  Plus, there may be permits and such that you have to purchase.  And there may be a few more accessories that you desire, like a fish finder, battery, rod holders, etc.  My $500 kayak wound up running me over $1,200 all said and done.

[Smalls]

You have to really be on top of the Craigslist/marketplace deal, and check em throughout the day. If a deal pops up, you don't have much time to act. 

 

If it helps, lots of dealers offer Affirm or other short term financing, if you're buying new. I paid for most of mine up front, but financed the last little bit of it. It let me spend a little more on a nicer kayak, get a PFD, paddle, etc. 

[dickenscpa]

1 hour ago, Bird said:

The Moken is a VERY good recommendation, well built kayaks as is all of Feel Free boats......own 2.

I agree. I'm in the same boat, no pun intended. I have a FeelFree Lure that I LOVE everything about it. I'm going tomorrow to pick up my new pedal kayak. I luckily have a Hook1 28 miles north of my house and one 32 miles south of my house. They let me try anything in there. At one of the locations me and the manager have gotten real tight and he just shoots me straight and I respect that.

 

I fell in love with the Big Fish 108. It's 10'10" and I prefer the 10' of my lure but can live with the extra 10". One of the reasons I've ditched my boat is I got tired of fooling with it, not maintenance but it was big and cumbersome. A 10'er I can throw around, put it in the bed of the truck if by myself, or on my trailer if the wife and kids go with me.

 

This is what I narrowed down to:

Big Fish 108 - $1799 (Already have a Lure and everything I've done to it fits the Big Fish)

Hobie Passport - $1599 (would have to do way too much to it to get it like I wanted plus no reverse)

Wilderness Radar 115 w/Helix PD - $2200 (Absolutely hate the layout of that boat)

Pescador Pilot 12 - $1799 (seemed cheap after being in a Feelfree and lots of problems on YT plus useless rod holders)

 

One thing I decided quickly is if I was gonna get a pedal drive it would have instant reverse. I'm not pulling levers. It may be better in every way and I'd get used to pulling a lever but it was not for me and my style. I want to hold position and anchor/stake less hands free. I'm also in TN with no coastal waters whatsoever. If I fished coastal waters at all I would definitely be in a Hobie with mirage drive and pull for reverse. If I was on the ocean I wouldn't be sitting in 6' of water trying to pick apart a laydown I would be concerned more with the power the mirage provides.

 

I'd also ask myself if pedal was really necessary. I had a surgery where they damaged a nerve on my left side (I'm left handed) and the more correct I paddle the more it aggravates that nerve. Once it gets aggravated it's a 3 mo process to cool down. If you think you'll cover more water with a pedal, think hard. Those legs will fill with lactic acid quick and wear you out. I've cycled with a club since 1999 and bike about 130-150 miles/week and do two centuries a year. I'm not that concerned with my legs. I do think a Hobie drive would be less fatiguing than a prop style.

 

I do feel for people that don't have a good shop locally or the chance to test drive. I'd hate to lay down that kind of money blindly. Sorry so long winded just trying to give as much info as possible.

[Bird]

1 hour ago, dickenscpa said:

I agree. I'm in the same boat, no pun intended. I have a FeelFree Lure that I LOVE everything about it. I'm going tomorrow to pick up my new pedal kayak. I luckily have a Hook1 28 miles north of my house and one 32 miles south of my house. They let me try anything in there. At one of the locations me and the manager have gotten real tight and he just shoots me straight and I respect that.

 

I fell in love with the Big Fish 108. It's 10'10" and I prefer the 10' of my lure but can live with the extra 10". One of the reasons I've ditched my boat is I got tired of fooling with it, not maintenance but it was big and cumbersome. A 10'er I can throw around, put it in the bed of the truck if by myself, or on my trailer if the wife and kids go with me.

 

This is what I narrowed down to:

Big Fish 108 - $1799 (Already have a Lure and everything I've done to it fits the Big Fish)

Hobie Passport - $1599 (would have to do way too much to it to get it like I wanted plus no reverse)

Wilderness Radar 115 w/Helix PD - $2200 (Absolutely hate the layout of that boat)

Pescador Pilot 12 - $1799 (seemed cheap after being in a Feelfree and lots of problems on YT plus useless rod holders)

 

One thing I decided quickly is if I was gonna get a pedal drive it would have instant reverse. I'm not pulling levers. It may be better in every way and I'd get used to pulling a lever but it was not for me and my style. I want to hold position and anchor/stake less hands free. I'm also in TN with no coastal waters whatsoever. If I fished coastal waters at all I would definitely be in a Hobie with mirage drive and pull for reverse. If I was on the ocean I wouldn't be sitting in 6' of water trying to pick apart a laydown I would be concerned more with the power the mirage provides.

 

I'd also ask myself if pedal was really necessary. I had a surgery where they damaged a nerve on my left side (I'm left handed) and the more correct I paddle the more it aggravates that nerve. Once it gets aggravated it's a 3 mo process to cool down. If you think you'll cover more water with a pedal, think hard. Those legs will fill with lactic acid quick and wear you out. I've cycled with a club since 1999 and bike about 130-150 miles/week and do two centuries a year. I'm not that concerned with my legs. I do think a Hobie drive would be less fatiguing than a prop style.

 

I do feel for people that don't have a good shop locally or the chance to test drive. I'd hate to lay down that kind of money blindly. Sorry so long winded just trying to give as much info as possible.

I use the Moken for fishing rivers and the Bass 100 for lakes, it's got the motor pod and a blast to fish from. 

[Hook2Jaw]

@dickenscpa, I switched from a Hobie Mirage Drive 180 to the Old Town PDL Drive.  The pull cords on the Hobie drives suck.  Bent masts on Hobie drives suck.  My PDL Drive is faster than the MD180 I had.

 

It also costs 6 dollars to replace the pin and prop versus about 50 bucks for a mast and fin.

 

Hobie owners constantly parroted the ease of pedaling of their drives versus the propeller style, but I prefer the full circular motion.  Hobie owners constantly touted their boats as the end all be all of kayaks.  Everything else was trash.

 

I prefer my 2020 Old Town Predator PDL to the 2017 Hobie PA14 I had, and only a little bit of the new preference for it is because of an obnoxious group of owners.

 

The only thing the Hobie drive does better than a good propeller drives is operate in 20" to 15" of water or so.  The whole flutter fin thing has huge diminishing returns and the positional control of forward to reverse and back with just legs beats the ever loving crap out of it for fishing.  It also does a tad better in grass, but eventually any drive needs clearing of debris.

 

Hobies are good boats.  That's about it, in my often not humble opinion.

[Tizi]

Might take a look at the Old Town Top Water PDL 106 or 120.  The 106 is on sale at ACK for $1,699.  I love mine.  Upgraded to Predator PDL seat.  Adding Boonedox landing gear next.
 

 

[ApacheGuns515]

15 hours ago, .zoso said:

I’m looking to buy a kayak finally and was wondering if anyone knows of some affordable kayaks. I check Craigslist but not much pops up where I live so I plan to buy it new

I'll echo what the others have said regarding the Feelfree series of kayaks with a bit of a caveat. They are great rigs and well built, however, know what you are getting yourself in to with the Feelfree yaks. 

 

Where do you plan to fish most of the time? Lakes or ponds? Perfect. Rivers? Depends on the current. Most fishing kayaks are heavier and wider than traditional recreational kayaks but Feelfree makes some absolute tanks that will give you one heck of a workout trying to paddle against a current or a decent wind. You may see some recreational kayak folks venturing into places you think you can follow because you have a "kayak" also, be careful with that. FeelFree yaks are closer to small jon boats than they are to recreational kayaks as far as maneuverability is concerned. 

 

You can load tons of gear on all of the Feelfree series yaks with storage space rivaling that of a canoe if you pack correctly. However, a canoe it is not so don't get into the mindset of trying to portage a fishing kayak like this. 

 

How will you transport to and from the water? Truck bed? Roof rack? trailer? Realistically assess your physical capabilities when thinking about this. Yes you "can" car top a quality fishing yak but they weigh much more than the 20-30lb sit in recreational kayaks. If you visit some Feelfree forums you'll see that a good chunk of the community invests in trailers for these things because they are heavy. I personally use my truck bed with a strap on kayak cart. I figure I could lug it to the roof rack if I had to but that's not something I would enjoy very much. 

 

Just some things I wish I would have known prior to purchasing mine years ago. In saying that, I absolutely love mine. Stability is second to none, you'll seriously fall out of it before you manage to flip it over. But I'm noticing more and more of the Feelfree community are putting trolling motors on them and after paddling one for years I certainly understand why. 

[camman]

IMO you need to demo a kayak before you buy it.  Everyone has their favorites and they may or may not be to your liking.  Any good kayak shop should have demo days or opportunities to try the kayak before you buy it.  I would just ask and see what they have.  I know a few shops by me have them every few months and you can literally try a couple brands and yaks.  Also you need to figure out what kind of fishing and paddling you plan on doing.  This will help determine your kayak needs in terms or width/length/paddle/pedal and may help you narrow down your search.

[Hook2Jaw]

6 hours ago, ApacheGuns515 said:

I'll echo what the others have said regarding the Feelfree series of kayaks with a bit of a caveat. They are great rigs and well built, however, know what you are getting yourself in to with the Feelfree yaks. 

 

Where do you plan to fish most of the time? Lakes or ponds? Perfect. Rivers? Depends on the current. Most fishing kayaks are heavier and wider than traditional recreational kayaks but Feelfree makes some absolute tanks that will give you one heck of a workout trying to paddle against a current or a decent wind. You may see some recreational kayak folks venturing into places you think you can follow because you have a "kayak" also, be careful with that. FeelFree yaks are closer to small jon boats than they are to recreational kayaks as far as maneuverability is concerned. 

 

You can load tons of gear on all of the Feelfree series yaks with storage space rivaling that of a canoe if you pack correctly. However, a canoe it is not so don't get into the mindset of trying to portage a fishing kayak like this. 

 

How will you transport to and from the water? Truck bed? Roof rack? trailer? Realistically assess your physical capabilities when thinking about this. Yes you "can" car top a quality fishing yak but they weigh much more than the 20-30lb sit in recreational kayaks. If you visit some Feelfree forums you'll see that a good chunk of the community invests in trailers for these things because they are heavy. I personally use my truck bed with a strap on kayak cart. I figure I could lug it to the roof rack if I had to but that's not something I would enjoy very much. 

 

Just some things I wish I would have known prior to purchasing mine years ago. In saying that, I absolutely love mine. Stability is second to none, you'll seriously fall out of it before you manage to flip it over. But I'm noticing more and more of the Feelfree community are putting trolling motors on them and after paddling one for years I certainly understand why. 

I've seen the original Feelfree Moken blast through surf and then handle the ocean all day.  They're a pretty nimble boat.

[ApacheGuns515]

14 hours ago, Hook2Jaw said:

I've seen the original Feelfree Moken blast through surf and then handle the ocean all day.  They're a pretty nimble boat.

They certainly are. I've taken my Feelfree Lure out in the Gulf of Mexico before but it depends on the conditions. I've also had it caught out in the middle of a massive mountain lake where the weather turned foul in a matter of minutes. Went from glass to white caps and 30mph winds in about 5 minutes. That was the day I really appreciated the stability of my kayak with waves crashing over the bow and slamming into me from all angles as I made my way to shore. 

 

The only real downside to them is their width which makes them a pain to paddle long distances, but there is a certain comfort in knowing that even in inclement weather with my yak fully loaded with fishing and camping gear I'm still not in any real danger of flipping over. 

 

I'm more comfortable in my Lure if the weather turns to crap than I would be in a jon boat.

[Allen Der]

here's my list of affordable American made paddle kayaks:

Lifetime Teton - best $300 kayak. 

Lifetime Yukon - best budget kayak you can stand in

Perception Pescador Pro - good all around kayak.  some can stand in it

Native Ultimate 12 - best hybrid kayak. some can stand in it.

Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 - fastest kayak on the list. cannot stand in it.  an old standard recently updated

Nucanoe Flint - open deck for standing.  can add motor or pedal drive later on

Old Town Topwater/Sportsman 120 - most stable on the list.  set up well for fishing

[dickenscpa]

I felt obligated to update/correct myself on my above post. I made the comment the the Pescador Pilot 12 looked cheaper. Upon further inspection and demos that was not the case. As a matter of fact I added another contender to the list I made above and it was the Vibe Shearwater 125. All the kayaks I was looking at I don't think there was $100 difference in price so money never became a factor.

 

My only reason for switching to pedal was I had some nerve damage from a surgery that affected my left side of my neck, shoulder and left arm down to my last three fingers. I'm also left handed so that was an issue.

 

I spent all day this past Saturday and yesterday (Tuesday) demoing kayaks. The ONLY gripe I've ever had about the FeelFree family of kayaks are their proprietary unitracks and their weight. Things don't hook up the way I like in those $35 adapters and they get loose quickly and the 6 adapter pack for $25 deals don't lock up very well.

 

After running all those yaks thru their paces it was really a race between the Pescador Pilot and Big Fish 108. First off the BF 108 is HEAVY. I have a trailer but it was 128# off the showroom floor. I joined both of their owner FB pages and this is the first year of the BF 108 and there seems to be a LOT of first year bugs. The 8-Ball drive, oil seeping from the drive, water coming up the transducer mount/filling battery compartment no drainage and a weak spot near the sacrificial keel causing leaks. Really don't care for first year products and being a guinea pig.

 

When I made my post above it was based on going to Hook1 and visually looking them over pretty hard. I liked the look of the BF108 but when it came time to maneuver around it was rough. My cart did not work well with that hull design at all either and there's really only one that will and that's the $200 Wilderness cart. I didn't realize how much of that boat sits on top of the water. You have to put your transducer way down for it to sit in the water and at that point it's not protected by the hull.

 

The Pescador Pilot was in a similar situation back in 2017, but all the bugs seem to be worked out. The Pescador was MUCH lighter, easier to paddle if needed, faster at a easy pedal, actual yak attack tracks, caught much less wind and easier to hold your spot plus I just enjoyed it the most.

 

All the above were easy to stand and stable. But felt I needed to update my comments above. Sorry so long but looks in pics or the showroom floor are deceiving, you really have to demo these things. If that's not an option, someone you trust their opinion or long winded posts like these are all you got.

[Smalls]

On 5/18/2020 at 1:48 PM, ApacheGuns515 said:

I'll echo what the others have said regarding the Feelfree series of kayaks with a bit of a caveat.

Agree with pretty much everything you mentioned. 

 

I'm starting to look into next year's upgrade, and a lure with o/d came across my mind, because I generally like my big fish. But then I asked myself if I really want to deal with all the things I don't like again, weight being high on the list. 

[ApacheGuns515]

14 hours ago, Smalls said:

Agree with pretty much everything you mentioned. 

 

I'm starting to look into next year's upgrade, and a lure with o/d came across my mind, because I generally like my big fish. But then I asked myself if I really want to deal with all the things I don't like again, weight being high on the list. 

I've been doing some serious research into the overdrive system for mine as well and unfortunately from what I have gathered among the Feelfree community your money is better spent elsewhere. 

 

These are just the opinions of those I've spoken to with them but from what many overdrive owners are saying is that the system is pretty poorly designed. Needs a bit more maintenance than it "should" and Feelfree didn't do a very good job on the handheld steering for it. 

 

Every time I have asked for opinions regarding the overdrive from the community I've been advised to put a trolling motor on it instead or if I'm keen on pedal drive then to just sell the kayak and purchase a purpose build drive kayak like a Hobie instead. 

 

These are just the things I've been told by the community. I have no personal experience with the system to give my own opinions. 

[Hertboi]

Set your budget first brotha! I fish a Wilderness ATAK140. I love it but it’s a pain to transport. There are a lot of questions you need to ask yourself and things you need to check out. First thing is budget though, that will narrow it down quite a bit. Then go fish one if you have that option available. That way you can gauge what you want or need room for. It’s a hard choice with so many different brands now. Also factor in accessories  like I e of the boys above said. 

[Smalls]

6 hours ago, ApacheGuns515 said:

These are just the things I've been told by the community. I have no personal experience with the system to give my own opinions.

FeelFree makes a great boat. Everything else they make seems to be "great idea, poor execution". And when a design ends up being junk, they come up with a "meh" solution, but forget to include it in half the new kakayks. We're literally all on a first name basis with Joe in CS. The whole idea was gone from my mind in less than a few hours. 

[ApacheGuns515]

9 hours ago, Smalls said:

FeelFree makes a great boat. Everything else they make seems to be "great idea, poor execution". And when a design ends up being junk, they come up with a "meh" solution, but forget to include it in half the new kakayks. We're literally all on a first name basis with Joe in CS. The whole idea was gone from my mind in less than a few hours. 

Yeah it's pretty unfortunate honestly. FeelFree does indeed make a great kayak but these things are heavy and aren't pleasant to paddle. I love the stability and space of the Lure but I waited anxiously for years for them to release the pedal drive system only to find out that the overdrive costs almost as much as the kayak itself and isn't exactly designed very well. 

 

I'm pretty sure even with it's flaws it would be better than paddling but I just can't justify spending $900 on a system that has numerous reported design flaws. 

[Smalls]

Just now, ApacheGuns515 said:

 

I'm pretty sure even with it's flaws it would be better than paddling but I just can't justify spending $900 on a system that has numerous reported design flaws. 

Plus the steering (which is junk) plus a few other accessories needed to install. 

 

$1000 is about on par for a drive, but everyone else's works. 

[HookInMouth]

My sister just picked up a Perception Outlaw 11.5. It's beyond stable and it's very well made for $729. Basically the Bonafide hull but wider. I'd even say it's probably more stable than the SS127 but not as fast or maneuverable. 

[Boomstick]

I got my son an Old Town Topwater (non PDL) which was renamed the Sportsman for 2020. They run about $1000 and you may be able to find a deal for less especially if it's one with the Topwater name and it's pretty stable and rigged for fishing off the bat. It also tracks better than my Bonafide SS127 if I don't use my rudder. It comes with a paddle holder and has a spot you can lay your paddle across the sides when not using it without locking it in which is very convenient. All we did was add a BlackPak with the default 3 rod holders, an anchor wizard and an anchor trolley and it's pretty well ready to fish and can hold 6 rods, although it's near impossible to paddle while using the front rod holder which is designed to change lures. And the back is free too add a power pole or motor later if you want to.

 

The only things I would personally change is I wish they would include the premium seat as on the Predator, make the hatch a little larger so we can fit paddles in there and getting rods in there is a little easier and to add tracks to back - although it's not hard to add them later.

 

But overall, if you can swing $1000 the Topwater is going to be tough to beat. To be completely honest, I could have saved around $700 plus $120 or so in addon rod holders if I bought a Topwater and I would be largely as happy.

[schplurg]

I wouldn't buy a real expensive kayak unless you've at least tried kayak fishing. I didn't read every post so maybe you have done it already. 

 

The first reply has great advice, but you may not like kayak fishing. Try it if you haven't yet, or buy a cheap yet comfortable one (good seat) if you aren't able to try it first. Buying a more expensive one is a good idea if you KNOW you're going to like it a lot.

 

I didn't like it after a few trips, however it's partially due to tendinitis, and partly to me wanting to be able to move around in the boat more. It was fun but I got frustrated too. It's a Ride 115 with a super comfy Air Pro Max seat for $500 used. Very comfortable.

 

I'm trying it again this year though, in fact first trip is tomorrow. Very stoked, but if my elbows etc start hurting I'm gonna be looking for a small boat. I hope it goes well!