Malibu Stealth 12? New to fishing kayaks

[Greg728]

I'm meeting someone this weekend to look at his kayak he has for sale. It's the Malibu stealth 12 and comes with a Minn kota 45lb riptide saltwater motor, Yak attack steering system, Garmin depthfinder with battery and charger,Reese hitch loader for car thule roof system, transport wheels, 1 deep cycle battery and
storage system for garage ceiling. All of this for $1200. 

 

A few things...

 

First, is this a good kayak? I'm looking for something that isn't so heavy I don't want to take it out. Ideally I'd like to keep it under 75 pounds. Second, is this a good deal? Any tips would be helpful. If anyone else has any suggestions for something in this price range (that isn't back ordered until fall) please let me know.

 

Thanks.

[TnRiver46]

I know nothing of this model kayak but all the add ons that he’s throwing in cost quite a bit so it sounds like a good price. It all sounds Very heavy though 

[Greg728]

22 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I know nothing of this model kayak but all the add ons that he’s throwing in cost quite a bit so it sounds like a good price. It all sounds Very heavy though 

Yea, that's my dilemma. It sounds sweet on the water but it sounds like it could be a pain to have to lug around. I may pass on this. Do you have any recommendations for a decent fishing kayak in the $800-1200 range? Looking for 10-12 ft. Saw a few that were 11'5" that seemed perfect for me. Just not familiar with good names and models. 

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, Greg728 said:

Yea, that's my dilemma. It sounds sweet on the water but it sounds like it could be a pain to have to lug around. I may pass on this. Do you have any recommendations for a decent fishing kayak in the $800-1200 range? Looking for 10-12 ft. Saw a few that were 11'5" that seemed perfect for me. Just not familiar with good names and models. 

There’s folks out there a lot better than me to help with that question but we just got a Jackson liska for my fiancé for 30% off which put it right in your price range. It’s heavy though, I think just under 90 lbs. The Malibu stealth looked like a prettt sweet boat when I googled and it and I think it was under 70 lbs 

[CountryboyinDC]

I also have no firsthand knowledge, or even secondhand, of the kayak itself. If you want all the stuff that comes with it (I'm assuming that the graph is not a real high end model), that's a pretty good deal.  If everything is installed and working well, namely the foot controls for the trolling motor, it would be hard to pass up.  Right now, deals and even inventory are hard to come by. 

If light weight is your thing, alternatives are usually a hybrid kayak/canoe or a sit-in kayak (SINK).  This allows you to sit closer to the waterline with equal stability to a wider and therefore heavier sit on top (SOT) kayak like the Malibu.  For hybrids, I know that Ascend makes one (I've never seen it), Native Ultimates are nice, and the 12' Old Town Discovery would fit the bill.  For SINKs, the Bonafide SINK should be at the top of the list, although I haven't paddled one, and if you can find a old stock Jackson Kilroy, that would be my pick.  It's under 70 lbs. with the seat, has a great seat, is stable enough that I can stand, and is pretty efficient.  The new Kilroy HD looks totally different, and I'm not sure why anyone would want one.

The other way to get light if you like light is to go with thermoformed polyethylene as opposed to rotomolded polyethylene.  Hurricane and Eddyline make fishing-biased SOTs, as did Wilderness Systems, Native, and Jackson.  I'm not sure which models are still manufactured.  Thes are more expensive, and don't do well with sharp rock strikes, so if shallow, fast,-moving rivers are in your future, avoid these.