Favorite / Best "Big Guy" Bass Fishing Non - Inflatable Kayak ?

[ChrisD46]

Perhaps the best "Big Guy" bass fishing kayaks I have found so far with peddle drive or electric motor option are : Jackson Big Rig and Hobie Pro Angler 14 . Although not a true Kayak per se , the Jackson subsidiary Blue Sky Boat Works has their 360 Angler which is an interesting , ultra stable concept ...  *I'll take stability over speed - especially for standing , so I can flip , pitch , drop shot and fan cast . So ,  with the above said what are your favorite / best picks for a stable Big Guy , non - inflatable , bass fishing  Kayak with peddle drive or electric motor option  ? ... Thanks in advance !

[CountryboyinDC]

It sounds as though by 'big guy's you may be implying that you want a motorized/pedal drive with a lot of primary stability.  The Big Rig certainly fits the bill (haven't tried the Big Rig HD), as does the 14' Hobie Pro Angler.  The kayak that one-ups even the Big Rig in this area is the Native Titan.  They come in 3 sizes, and I've only tried the 13' model, but the stability is massive.  Performance, well, not so great, but you can still maintain a pretty good speed.  Steering with the Titan is among the worst I've experienced amongst pedal drives, but Jackson shares this design.  You'll definitely want the Boonedox rudder upgrade and the BerleyPro rudder lines to go with it.  If primary stability is not what's most important to you, holler back and I'll try to let you know anything I've found with some alternatives.

[ChrisD46]

35 minutes ago, CountryboyinDC said:

It sounds as though by 'big guy's you may be implying that you want a motorized/pedal drive with a lot of primary stability.  The Big Rig certainly fits the bill (haven't tried the Big Rig HD), as does the 14' Hobie Pro Angler.  The kayak that one-ups even the Big Rig in this area is the Native Titan.  They come in 3 sizes, and I've only tried the 13' model, but the stability is massive.  Performance, well, not so great, but you can still maintain a pretty good speed.  Steering with the Titan is among the worst I've experienced amongst pedal drives, but Jackson shares this design.  You'll definitely want the Boonedox rudder upgrade and the BerleyPro rudder lines to go with it.  If primary stability is not what's most important to you, holler back and I'll try to let you know anything I've found with some alternatives.

Good comments - yes , motorized / pedal drive with good stability . I'm 6'1" 300 lbs. so weight capacity (i.e. 450 lbs.  - 600 lbs. ) versus being a real tall guy are requirements . I believe there are two types of stability : Primary and Secondary ? I believe secondary stability refers to resistance to tipping over after reaching a certain angle ? Any way , yes - a stable platform for a high seat position as well as stability fishing while  standing . The ability to add a stand assist rope / bar would be great as well . Just sort of sounding like I want a "floating dock with a rudder attached" (lol !) bass fishing while seated in a low seat position in a SOT bass kayak is just not real appealing to me versus a high seat position or standing while bass fishing . Lastly , Old Town and Wilderness Systems are good name brands but I did not see anything that appeared to be better than suggestions already made in this thread . 

[HookInMouth]

The Bonafide SS127 works well for bigger guys. My son is taller and heavier than you and stands in the SS127. You would have the option of motorizing it as well. 

 

Primary and secondary stability. A lot of people think the SS127 is a little tippy at first (I didn't) because of this. It will rock some side to side but it reaches a point where it just stops. The high seat is very comfortable and I believe is the highest seat on the market still. If comfort is important, add the SS127 to your list. 

[CountryboyinDC]

2 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

? I believe secondary stability refers to resistance to tipping over after reaching a certain angle ?

That is right, but when we're talking about a 3 1/2' wide kayak, the secondary stability will be all but impossible to realize.  Try to put a Big Rig on edge, and you're either falling out of it or capsizing.

https://paddling.com/learn/primary-secondary-stability/

Primary stability sounds as though it will be the most important thing to you.  And it's not unimportant to me either; I have to adjust my posture and thought process to even kneel in a whitewater canoe I have if I've been in my fishing kayaks.  The tradeoffs to primary stability will be maneuverability, efficiency,  and weight.  But they're well worth it if your goal is to fish and not swim (I've swum a lot).  

I have a Old Town Predator PDL and love it.  I stand easily in it, and it definitely won't be near it's capacity with you and 100 lbs of gear.  But it's no Native Titan or Big Rig.

They used to make a pretty neat standing platform for the Big Rig, and I think Yak Attack still does that is more adaptable.  A strap is hard with a pedal drive, it just gets in the way.  A standing platform does likewise if you're sitting and fishing, but you can put on paddle clips.

If you're thinking of getting one of these, shop early.  I think we're in for another summer where you can't find anything in stock.  If you can wait a year, there might be a lot of deals to be had.

[Darth-Baiter]

That Hobie 14 360 is expensive , but really cool.  
 

I would get the 12. 
 

having said that; look at the Native Watercraft Titan 13.5.  I saw a guy walking around on top like it was a boat. He could stand facing the side of the bait casting out.  I’d would be wet. And treading water. 
 

 

[Fishingmickey]

You might also check out the NuCanoe models. It's supposed to be easy to transom mount a trolling motor. They also have a 360° swivel seat accessory available. 

 

https://www.nucanoe.com/nucanoe-frontier/

 

Good luck in your search!

FM

[ChrisD46]

Thanks for the replies - all of these suggestions have merit !

[ChrisD46]

On 1/15/2021 at 7:40 AM, CountryboyinDC said:

It sounds as though by 'big guy's you may be implying that you want a motorized/pedal drive with a lot of primary stability.  The Big Rig certainly fits the bill (haven't tried the Big Rig HD), as does the 14' Hobie Pro Angler.  The kayak that one-ups even the Big Rig in this area is the Native Titan.  They come in 3 sizes, and I've only tried the 13' model, but the stability is massive.  Performance, well, not so great, but you can still maintain a pretty good speed.  Steering with the Titan is among the worst I've experienced amongst pedal drives, but Jackson shares this design.  You'll definitely want the Boonedox rudder upgrade and the BerleyPro rudder lines to go with it.  If primary stability is not what's most important to you, holler back and I'll try to let you know anything I've found with some alternatives.

*Please explain the need for the "Boonedox Rudder Upgrade" and the "Burley Pro Rudder Lines" to go with it ?

[CountryboyinDC]

4 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

Please explain the need for the "Boonedox Rudder Upgrade" and the "Burley Pro Rudder Lines" to go with it ?

These are relatively simple DIY upgrades.  There may be others, and usually the best place to do a little research is a FB user community or kayak fishing forum.  So this may not be the very best solution as of right now, since the development of kayaks and accessories is on a crazy fast bent.

The rudder itself is https://www.boonedoxusa.com/product-page/n-rudder.  It is considerably larger than the stock rotomolded one.  Unfortunately, that stresses the stock rudder cables to the point that some fail.  This is a kit that certainly has more than just the cables, but the ones that I've checked out with the cable upgrade didn't have all the components that are listed here https://www.berleypro.com/product/native-watercraft-titan-steering-upgrade/.  This is obviously a further upgrade increasing the allowed rudder swing angle, but at more than 3X the cost.  You may be able to buy just the rudder cables if you call BerleyPro directly, but they're not listed on their website.