Recreational and Fishing Kayak

[MidMO Sportsman]

Looking for recreational floating kayaks first and fishing kayaks second, dual purpose if you will.  Got a family of 4 to outfit for the rivers of southern Missouri and the occasional lake.   Looking at Vibe Yellowfin, Pescador Pro, Jackson Cruise, Feel Free Moken v2, Kaku Wahoo all in 10 footer or maybe a Cresent Ultralite or CK1 Venture.  All seem suitable.  Any recommendations for one over the others?  

[dj1975232]

I can’t speak for the others but I have been using the 12.5 Moken V2 for a season now.  Primary for fishing but have done some non fishing paddling with my wife.  It is not a fast as her sit in Kayak but keeps up and has been great for pond and river fishing.  

[Stasher1]

If your priority is recreation over fishing, why are you looking at fishing kayaks? Look at decent recreational kayaks and add some rod holders. Fishing kayaks are usually pretty slow and unnecessarily heavy for recreational use, especially in shorter lengths like 10 footers.

 

I have a Pescador 10.0 that just sits in my basement while my Riot Quest 10HV gets used on a regular basis. Much, much faster on flat water, tracks better, and is a blast in class I/II water. Came with a couple flush rod holders on the rear deck and I added a short track on the dash for a Scotty Gearhead along with a Yakattack/YakGear hybrid anchor trolley. 

[MidMO Sportsman]

Looking at fishing kayaks to get the nice detachable lawn type chair for comfort.  Most recreational kayaks have built in seats which are so-so comfortable based on the few I have rented.  Currently leaning towards the Pescador Pro based on reading reviews and watching YouTube reviews for whatever that is worth.  Hopefully later this year, the inventories get restocked and I can seek out a few to try out.  In the meantime just looking for opinions and experiences.  Thanks!

[CountryboyinDC]

I agree with @Stasher1, if you're going to be doing more recreation than fishing, a rec sit-in kayak (SINK) will stand to be more satisfactory for you.  The framed seats are more comfortable in general, but that is a very broad generalization.  A couple of SINKs with very good seats that are not framed seats are the Wilderness Systems Pungo (would be my choice) and the Old Town Loon.  They are both used by anglers quite often. 

 

If you're determined to get a framed seat there are SINKs with those too.  Bonafide makes the EX123, which I still haven't paddled, but my cousin has so I may get to before the year is out.  It is supposed to be a decent paddling kayak.  Jackson makes a couple  - the Tupelo and the Tripper, which is realistically just a Kilroy (discontinued) without all the bells and whistles.  These boats all paddle better than the boats you've mentioned.

 

If your primary focus is fishing, and not paddling around, the recommendation would change.  Some people also hate the feeling of being low to the water, or 'inside' a kayak, even with the enormous cockpit openings of all the SINKs mentioned.  In these cases, there are limited kayaks with a frame seat that paddle better than poorly.  The Crescent Litetackle is about the only one that comes to mind (there are others that paddle as well or better, but have no framed seat).  Jackson made the Cudas, Wilderness the Tarpon 130X, and Native made some in the Slayer line that were fair paddlers.  These are all discontinued, because anglers now demand more stability and use pedal drives or trolling motors to propel the latest 'floating dock' shaped kayaks.  I'm guilty of it myself.  Both my fiahing kayaks, an Old Town Predator PDL and a Jackson Coosa HD, have about as much glide as a stick of firewood.  They're also heavy.  If fishing becomes your focus, kayaks like these start to shine.  But if you're an occasional angler, there are better choices.  And the ones you've mentioned are mostly 10', which really don't paddle very well.

[Koz]

Your final choice may come down to what is available. There are still plenty of supply chain issues and you might have to wait months for your order to be fulfilled.

[Dens228]

I've only purchased kayaks for fishing but have had several.  It's not on your list and is a bit bigger than you say you want but the Atak 120 was a very nice fishing kayak that paddled and tracked unbelievably well.   

[greywalls]

22 hours ago, MidMO Sportsman said:

Looking at Vibe Yellowfin, Pescador Pro, Jackson Cruise, Feel Free Moken v2, Kaku Wahoo all in 10 footer or maybe a Cresent Ultralite or CK1 Venture.

 

I have a Bonafide SS107 and love it; however, it is definitely more of a fishing rig than a family rec rig...  Of the boats you are looking at, I'd go with the Crescent Ultralite (or the Crescent LiteTackle for any larger folks) without question.  I'm in the process of ordering Ultralites for my wife and kiddos.  The hull design on the Crescents is really well-done -- the rocker of the Ultralite makes it a super-"fun" boat, while also stable.  Every component on the Crescent is made in the USA, too...  

 

But, in any event, it comes down to personal preference, and you and your family should demo as many options as possible.  Also, check out the Headwaters Kayaks channel on YouTube for some great honest reviews...