Kayak dilemma

[TonynswAR]

Ok kayakers, old guy needs some suggestions. I’ll be 65 in less than a month. I have been fishing out of a yak, a 12’ Heritage Red Fish for 3 years. I’m 6’3” at 270#. Getting out of the redfish is getting harder to do. Stumbled on a used Jackson Coosa HD at a good price. Have had my heart set on a Bonafide 127. I fish small lakes with day trips on small creeks and rivers. $ is not the issue, wanting stable and comfort. What Say You? TIA

[Dens228]

I have an SS127, had a Ghost 130 and an Atak 120 before that.   I'm not up there with you but I'm 57, 5-09 235 and absolutely love the SS.   Most stable of the three but also I always have the seat in the high position.  At first I thought it was too high but after the first trip out realized the SS was so stable it didn't matter.   In the high position it is extremely easy to stand up and sit down both on the water and when getting in and out. 

[Darth-Baiter]

Money not a problem.   Can’t imagine a kayak more stable than the Pro Angler from Hobie.  I took my friend’s  out during a fishing break and it was wild.  I felt like I could step over the seat and fish from the back.   You just put the seat in the high position and good to go. It’s like standing up while sitting in a lowish camp chair.  You just stand up.  
 

The bad thing?  It’s heavy.  Not sure my future mid 60’s self is gonna want to haul that around. 
 

I got back in my own wobbly kayak crestfallen.  I can stand up, but it’s an advanced yoga move. 
 

nameste!

[CountryboyinDC]

The Heritage you have is pretty well where SOT fishing kayaks stood maybe 15 years ago, and so most of the newer models except maybe the Wilderness System Tarpons or Ocean Kayak Tridents will seem more stable.  I have a Coosa HD, and it's more stable than a Tarpon, and likely yours.  The downside is that it's a pig to paddle.  Unless you're doing a lot of shallow river fishing, there are better boats out there that paddle as well (or poorly, depending on how you look at it).  What kind of water do you fish, and have you considered a pedal drive?

[Allen Der]

I would take Jackson all day over bonafide.  I've heard so many negative things about how bonafides paddle and track.  they were designed purely for stability and looks.  I would also check out nucanoe kayaks, you can paddle, pedal or power them.  Since money isn't an issue and you want more stability, you are going to want a pedal or power yak

[michaelb]

Both are nice kayaks, and you should get what you really want since this is an upgrade for you. I agree that the higher seats can make standing easier (and so look at the various heights). I can step off my boat while standing up, but you have to be nimble enough to pull that off. So a high seat, and clean foot area to step in and out of can make that access easier.

 

To me though, the real question is how twisty are your "creeks" and how many obstacles are you weaving around? The bonafide and in part the coosa are big 12' boats, and the bonafide isn't really designed to quickly turn on a dime. Is the current really slow, so you could use a push pole or stand up and paddle, or are you sitting the whole time? For creeks and small rivers, the nucanoe f10 or frontier 12 would be worth a look. They are very wide and would be stable, and offer an adjustable seat (and maybe with an option to have the seat rotate 360). The ATAK 120 could also be worth a look.

[bulldog1935]

12 hours ago, TonynswAR said:

Ok kayakers, old guy needs some suggestions. I’ll be 65 in less than a month. I have been fishing out of a yak, a 12’ Heritage Red Fish for 3 years. I’m 6’3” at 270#. Getting out of the redfish is getting harder to do. Stumbled on a used Jackson Coosa HD at a good price. Have had my heart set on a Bonafide 127. I fish small lakes with day trips on small creeks and rivers. $ is not the issue, wanting stable and comfort. What Say You? TIA

My buddy has the Coosa - tall freeboard, good storage, and the best-handling river SOT I have ever seen.  

(he's also boat-rich, with the Redfish, Kahuna, Revo 16, Outback, sold an X-Factor, and gave away an Emotion Fisherman to our buddy Lou)

 

Right now, you have one of the most wind-slick boats ever made (also a good pedigree, designed by the same naval architect who designed Wilderness boats).  Just above, you may notice my daughter in an orange Redfish 10, and my buddy's daughter in a red one.  My daughter has beat me up at the coast chasing her Redfish up to 6 mi (at least until I got my Werner paddle)

.  

My buddy made the mistake of taking his Coosa to the coast once, and the wind beat him to death.  

However, I think you might find the Coosa FD drive to move you more efficiently than paddling, and help you overcome wind issues with the tall freeboard and sit-high position.  

It doubles up with the same good river handling and a paddle.  

If pedal drive sounds inviting, I'd also recommend you compare the Coosa FD to the Hobie Compass, and decide which pedal drive fits your seating comfort better.  

The shorter Revo 13 isn't terribly stable, but has a big fan club for Mirage drive on salt and lake, combined with good river handling and paddle.  

[TonynswAR]

2 hours ago, michaelb said:

Both are nice kayaks, and you should get what you really want since this is an upgrade for you. I agree that the higher seats can make standing easier (and so look at the various heights). I can step off my boat while standing up, but you have to be nimble enough to pull that off. So a high seat, and clean foot area to step in and out of can make that access easier.

 

To me though, the real question is how twisty are your "creeks" and how many obstacles are you weaving around? The bonafide and in part the coosa are big 12' boats, and the bonafide isn't really designed to quickly turn on a dime. Is the current really slow, so you could use a push pole or stand up and paddle, or are you sitting the whole time? For creeks and small rivers, the nucanoe f10 or frontier 12 would be worth a look. They are very wide and would be stable, and offer an adjustable seat (and maybe with an option to have the seat rotate 360). The ATAK 120 could also be worth a look.

The creek that I fish the most isn’t twisty at all, average width of creek is 50 yrds mostly. The lakes I’ll probably fish are not big, 50 to 100 acres, no motors allowed on most, with weed and pad growth. The rivers are the Juniata and Susky, when the levels are not high, with that, I don’t think a pedal drive would be beneficial?? If I were to fish bigger water as some point, could always upgrade to electric.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Any and all thoughts appreciated.
 

[bulldog1935]

Fair enough.  

Probably the best standing boat is Diablo Adios, and the smaller Chupacabra, both offered in ABS, which makes them light to single-hand.  They paddle well, and also offer a skeg, which helps offset windcock.  

There was a very good episode of KT Diaries where they floated the Devils River on these boats, and fly fished standing for bass.  

 

Another really nice river boat I demo'd with Steve when he bought his Coosa was the KC-12, which is now the Kysek 12 (the cooler manufacturer bought the boat company).  Also ABS, pretty versatile set-up, but the price has gone through the roof.  

 

Here's the photo I was looking for earlier with my buddy in the Coosa - you can see why it spins so well.  

[haggard]

20 hours ago, They call me “Gaiter Salad” said:

Money not a problem.   Can’t imagine a kayak more stable than the Pro Angler from Hobie

 

I'm not getting any younger and I just sold my Pro Angler 12 for a Passport 10.5, primarily due to the weight of the PA and looking ahead to what I can manage as I get older.

 

The PA is incredibly stable! But it's a heavyweight beast. I'm not saying the Passport 10.5 would be a good fit for someone 270 lb, but just unless you have a way to easily launch and load the PA, you might consider other options. I had Boonedox wheels on the PA and can't imagine lugging the PA around without them. Even then, it was a lot of boat to lug. 

 

In my opinion keeping the boat weight down is key. A lighter boat with some stability, maybe a 12 footer at 34 inches wide, plus some sort of wheels/cart, might work well for you.

 

 

[vaparrothead]

I'm 67 and have Hobie 12 Angler.  Use Rhino Loader to get on and off the van easily.  It is a heavy beast but incredible stable.  With a set of wheels it's easy to move around.  I used to haul/pull it about 1/2 mile to a fishing lake.  Not doing that any more; just too far to pull a 110+lb boat.  But if you can park "close" to whatever water you want to fish you won't regret a Hobie.  

[Darth-Baiter]

Man I wear a PFD full time. 

[Dens228]

4 minutes ago, They call me “Gaiter Salad” said:

Man I wear a PFD full time. 

Me too.  Had a friend recently get fouled up in a blowdown in heavy current and flip his Hobie. He fought like hell to keep his head above water while he unhooked his rainsuit hood from the tree branch.  He WAS wearing a PFD and told me it saved his life for sure.   I already always wore a PFD but this made me switch back to a regular one from the auto inflate I wore all last year. 

14 hours ago, Allen Der said:

I would take Jackson all day over bonafide.  I've heard so many negative things about how bonafides paddle and track.  they were designed purely for stability and looks.  I would also check out nucanoe kayaks, you can paddle, pedal or power them.  Since money isn't an issue and you want more stability, you are going to want a pedal or power yak

I've never been in a Jackson but every kayak has it's pluses and minuses.  My SS is a bit of a twister in the wind when I'm trying to stay in one spot in winds over 10 mph but I will never understand how people have the issues with paddling and tracking.  Does is paddle and track like an Atak, no.  But I have no issue getting it cruising right along quickly and in a straight line. If you think the SS is a barge try one of those 40" wide Nucanoe's. 

 

[CountryboyinDC]

13 hours ago, TonynswAR said:

The rivers are the Juniata and Susky,

The Coosa. HD may be a good boat for you, then.  I guess it depends on where you paddle.  If you were around, say Maryville, the maneuverability might come in handy.  And since you're on smaller lakes the lack of glide that you might find in a sleeker boat might not be missed.  Another benefit of the Coosa HD on these shallow, rocky rivers is the relatively flat bottom.  The Bonafides, Old Towns, and others I've tried have some form of pontoon built into the hull design.  This gives them superior primary stability over the Coosa HD.  But especially with the Bonafides, they have some relatively sharp angles built into those 'pontoons'.  I'm sure that over time (maybe a lot of time) this would be an unintentional wear point.  

A pedal drive may not be all that beneficial, but if you were thinking of one, the Coosa FD that @bulldog1935mentioned might be interesting, as would an Old Town Topwater.  The Coosa FD has a pedal drive that allows it to be used in relatively shallow water, and the Old Towns' pedal drives can be taken out and replaced with a 'plug'.  I rarely do that with my OT Predator PDL, but if someone wants to hit the river and doesn't have a kayak, it's an option for me.

If that Coosa HD is still available, better get to it soon.  It looks like a repeat of next year.  No inventory anywhere.

[Allen Der]

5 hours ago, Dens228 said:

I've never been in a Jackson but every kayak has it's pluses and minuses.  My SS is a bit of a twister in the wind when I'm trying to stay in one spot in winds over 10 mph but I will never understand how people have the issues with paddling and tracking.  Does is paddle and track like an Atak, no.  But I have no issue getting it cruising right along quickly and in a straight line. If you think the SS is a barge try one of those 40" wide Nucanoe's. 

 

 

Don't you have a bixpy motor on yours?  Do you have those wings or whatever they call them to fix the tracking issue?

[Dens228]

4 hours ago, Allen Der said:

 

Don't you have a bixpy motor on yours?  Do you have those wings or whatever they call them to fix the tracking issue?

I have a Bixby but paddle quite a bit too.  I do not have the wings. 

[HookInMouth]

What the Bonafide has going for it above all other boats IMHO is comfort and stability. I don't think it paddles the best or is the most nimble (but it does pretty good at both considering the size). But it's laid out for fishing, is rock solid, and the seat... honestly, it's nicer than what I have in my living room. It's a dream spending 8 hours in it. 

 

I mostly fish shallow rivers (like the Susky and Juniata). The SS127 does fine in those environments. 

[michaelb]

One spec that is almost never listed and hard to figure out is the height of the seat. So for the OP here, the height at the elevated position on these various boats. I will go out and measure my kaku, but it is pretty low, so 4" or so. The bonafide at its top position looks really high. Since the coosa is designed for river running, my guess is that it is lower (even the replacement seats don't list this spec in the info). The higher the seat, the higher your center of gravity, but on these big boats they are stable enough to handle that. But every inch makes a big big difference in the ease of standing up. I have more trouble actually sitting back down carefully, so doing that gracefully is harder for me than the standing up part (particularly when I have a fish on).

 

edit: the kaku wahoo seat height is 6.5”. So sweet spot maybe something like 8-11” or so. 

[Dens228]

4 minutes ago, michaelb said:

I have more trouble actually sitting back down carefully, so doing that gracefully is harder for me than the standing up part (particularly when I have a fish on).

Same here, I usually get almost all the way down to the seat and the last few inches is a plop......lol

[TonynswAR]

Thanks for info guys. The Coosa I had my eye on has sold. Snooze ya loose, oh well. Thanks again.

[HookInMouth]

I believe in the high position the Bonafide seat is about 15". I'm 5-7" and I'm flat foot on the deck, it's perfect. If you're taller it wouldn't be as perfect but still... I mean it's a kayak.  

 

2 hours ago, TonynswAR said:

Thanks for info guys. The Coosa I had my eye on has sold. Snooze ya loose, oh well. Thanks again.

 

The yak-gods are telling you to go get a Bonafide haha. South-Central PA I would check with Shanksmare. Bought a Kaku Voodoo from them and they are awesome people. They carry Bonafide. According to their online list they have the SS127 in Venom and Hondo Orange. 

 

Shanksmare Inventory

[TonynswAR]

Well the end to my saga took place yesterday. I ended it with the purchase of the 127. Got a madien voyage done today. No fishing, jus paddling in a small stream nearby. Holy Cow! What a difference! Stability is unbelievable. Hope to get sum fish smell on it soon. 
Thanks for all the responces. You guys rock.

[michaelb]

good choice, awesome boat, looking forward to some fishing pictures.