Stable kayaks

[Susky River Rat]

5 hours ago, biggin said:

Thinkin about PVC and a heavy pool noodle

I do not know how I’d trust PVC going down a road. I know it’s not a ton of weight but, I see PVC being problematic in the long run.

[Darth-Baiter]

walking around area?  it is RARE to walk around on a kayak.  you stand,  you may pivot, but you are not walking much.  at least i dont.  i took a PA14 out and i was please i could pivot around to cast behind me.  but i didnt step around the boat.  

[biggin]

3 hours ago, Bankc said:

Don't plug all of the scupper holes, if you plug them.  They're there for safety, to drain water.  Sometimes water splashes up from them, and that can be annoying, but if you ever get a big wave crashing over and your scupper holes are plugged, it can completely flood kayak.  And that will weigh down the kayak and make the scupper holes nearly ineffective, as the scupper hole will now be below the water line.  Trust me, I used to have mine plugged and it worked great for about a year until a wake boat buzzed me and almost sank me.  It was tough getting the plugs out of my scupper holes, as they were really jammed in there and slick from a year of mud and debris.  

 

What I do now is I made some one-way valve scupper plugs.  I used PVC pipe adapters and put some little Nerf balls (ammo for one of their guns) in there and plastic welded some thin strips of PVC across the bottom to keep the balls from falling out.  Then I used either rubber tape or glued EVA foam (depending on the hole diameter) around the edges for a friction fit in the scupper hole.  When the water comes up from under, they block the hole.  Otherwise they lay low and allow water to drain.  Sometimes if the water builds up on top, they'll want to float and block the drainage, but you can easily poke them back down and they'll go back to draining.  There are some tutorials online for ideas of how to make them if you look up "DIY valve scupper plug" or something.  You can also buy them premade for some kayaks.  

 

As for your current kayak, I'd say just keep using it for now.  They all seem pretty unstable and hard to paddle at first.  But over time, you learn and get used to them.  The more you use it, the more it'll teach you about what you want and don't want in your next kayak.  Then, when you're ready for an upgrade, you'll know exactly what you want.  

Thought about check valves. This yak isn’t very tall and the drain holes aren’t that far away from the bottom. Really didn’t think this through and should’ve waited before l bought it. The whole time l was on the water the level was at the top of the holes. If someone wakes past me that excessively will have to deal with me.

2 hours ago, Darnold335 said:

I do not know how I’d trust PVC going down a road. I know it’s not a ton of weight but, I see PVC being problematic in the long run.

You disconnect it driving, that would be the logical thing to do! ?

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

walking around area?  it is RARE to walk around on a kayak.  you stand,  you may pivot, but you are not walking much.  at least i dont.  i took a PA14 out and i was please i could pivot around to cast behind me.  but i didnt step around the boat.  

 seems restricted to me and slipping looks evident. Before l even stood up on a rubber pad on the bigfish 105 l would dry it first. I wouldn’t be walking around per-say but in the event l needing something further forward it’s nice to have the access and l feel have no possible trip hazard. I watched a guy tip his bigfish 105 retrieving his camera and walked to far causing it to tip to far and fell over board loosing some of his gear. I made a comment that kneeling and distributing his weight maybe laying on his stomach then reaching for his camera. It’s a kayak not a boat. 

[Susky River Rat]

1 hour ago, biggin said:

You disconnect it driving, that would be the logical thing to do! ?

I was talking about making a bed extender for your vehicle so you could have a longer kayak.

[biggin]

3 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

You might find that fishing from a kayak isn't for you.  

Bank fishing is limited to cast.. being on the water facing it isn’t more so.

35 minutes ago, Darnold335 said:

I was talking about making a bed extender for your vehicle so you could have a longer kayak.

Wouldn’t even consider a pvc extender to transport. I was talking about stabilizers/outriggers

[Functional]

I had a Bonafide RS117 and a Recon 120 and occasionaly (now) use my wifes 10' sit on top (not a fishing kayak).

 

The Recon 120 was the most stable but she was a PIG. Very heavy and you felt it paddling. While I could get it up to 3mph paddling it took more effort than the RS117. My wifes 10' is easiest but its not stable enough to really stand and fish and doesnt track well at all. The RS117 was the best of the 3 as it was stable enough to stand and fish but wasnt horrible to paddle. I bought the Recon 120 for the stability, storage and ability to drop a peddle drive in later on if I wanted. I never did and sold everything but my wifes kayak, personal choice but for me I dont think I'd be happy until I'm in a 10' peddle kayak like an Old Town. 

 

You really need to fish out of your kayak you have for the rest of the season and see what you really want. To me from what I'm reading I think you would almost be better off with an older small jon boat. Also in the spring around my parts there are a lot of kayak dealers that hold demo days or offer the chance to demo kayaks. I'd finish the season and go to a demo day. 

[Boomstick]

My vote for a fairly inexpensive but quite stable and well outfitted kayak is the Old Town Sportsman 120 or even its little brother, the 106 (get the 120 if you can). It's fairly well equipped, a paddle holder in the side, 3 built in rod holders (one is for rigging and you can't paddle while using it). Basically add a YakAttack BlackPak or similar crate and you can store 5 rods. Then buy an achor wizard and anchor trolley. There's a built in cupholder, and you can fit another tray underneath the seat, plus some compartments you can store tools inside. It also has a place to mount a transducer and it works well with the Garmin mount (I had to cut away a little but of the top of the mount to make it fit, no big deal). The only things I don't really like about it is there's no place to store rods by laying them out on the deck (very common with most kayaks actually) and it doesn't come with tracks in the back, although they can be added. Also there is no easy way to mount a fish finder in the center, which is another common issue.

 

The hull of this boat is great. It's stable enough for my fat ass, but I find it doesn't rock on the water, making it easy for me to stand and fish and not lose my balance.

 

I have a Bonafide SS127 myself. I have it setup near perfectly with a center mounted fish finder and I can lay up to 4 rods down on the deck, although 2 is more ideal. The things I don't like is it's slower than the Old Town (at least 1mph in top speed) and it's more stable as in harder to flip, but it rocks in waves making it hard to keep my balance when I stand. It also needs the rudder or flex wings to track straight - I have the rudder and it solves the tracking issue but without it if there is any wind or current it's near impossible to paddle straight. My other complaint is the pads are poorly glued to the floor and pull up.

 

I'm 6'3 / 300lbs for reference, so unless you're heavier than me I doubt you'd have an issue with either of the above.

 

 

On 7/3/2023 at 10:00 PM, biggin said:

Wilderness Tarpon 120 seems nice

These do look really nice. You can upgrade later on to a pedal unit if you so desire as well, offsetting the cost of the expensive pedal drive. It was on my list of pedal kayaks to look at, but at 38" wide, it won't fit on my trailer. It's also not easy to turn quickly due to its width.

I often hear a lot of complaints about the seat. On the other hand, some people love it. I'm guessing heavier people cause the bottom of the seat to hit the bar and then it becomes a problem.

 

I would suggest spending more time fishing out of your kayak (maybe travel light as needed) just to make sure that kayak fishing is right for you. But I can confidently say that the Pelican Bliz is not designed for big waters, or larger people so I am not surprised you were having issues. I would be afraid to throw down an anchor on that thing if I was half my weight on the most stable waters.

[casts_by_fly]

I agree fully on the old town recommendation. The sportsman series all have basically the same hull- it’s a tunnel hull style with a long tunnel from the drive area to the rudder. Super stable. They are wide and carry their width for a lot of the length. My 120 is at least 36” for the middle 5’ of the boat. At its widest it is 38”. Even at the rudder it’s still nearly 20”.  Primary stability is good. If you’re sitting you will barely rock. Standing, it shifts a little while you shift your weight but it’s predictable. Secondary stability is incredible. I can stand with one foot on the floor and one foot on the gunwale and it will tip about 15-20 degrees and lock up. It doesn’t tip any further unless you’re really hammering on it. I haven’t tried it, but I bet I could stand two feet on the gunwale and the boat wouldn’t tip. I might lose my balance and fall but the boat won’t. 

[Boomstick]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

I haven’t tried it, but I bet I could stand two feet on the gunwale and the boat wouldn’t tip. I might lose my balance and fall but the boat won’t. 

My 110lb kid walks on the boat from the back when he doesn't have too many rods. He's also sat on the bow and fished.

 

A few years ago, we were out paddling on the St Lawrence, ended up in a calm cove and since we had no gear, he decided to see if he could flip it. He had to get it rocking back and forth for a solid minute to get it to flip (in the seated position).

 

Not a bad kayak.

[casts_by_fly]

3 hours ago, Boomstick said:

My 110lb kid walks on the boat from the back when he doesn't have too many rods. He's also sat on the bow and fished.

 

A few years ago, we were out paddling on the St Lawrence, ended up in a calm cove and since we had no gear, he decided to see if he could flip it. He had to get it rocking back and forth for a solid minute to get it to flip (in the seated position).

 

Not a bad kayak.

I love mine. Mine is an autopilot but the hull is the same. If I am pitching cover all day I will stand all the way forward next to the motor, straddling the motor, so there is basically no boat in front of me to get in the way of pitching. I also keep my spare prop in the front hatch. I will crawl all the way up and grab the spare to swap them any day. 

[NoFroFishing]

If you want stable and affordable you wont beat the Perception Outlaw 11.5. You can find one used anywhere from 500-700. Bought mine brand new for 650 with extreme luck. 

[Crow Horse]

Just a couple of items that might prove helpful.

 

Always, Always, Always wear a GOOD PFD. No exceptions!!!!!!!!!!

 

We have several Tacomas and they work well for transporting our yaks (10'ers). I started with just strapping them inside the bed with an extender but as I acquired more gear I needed to make some changes. I then made a rack that strapped in that used J racks. Finally I made the jump and got a yak (Malone) trailer.  Best thing I ever did. Now the bed is freed up for more gear & tackle.

 

[biggin]

On 7/10/2023 at 10:12 AM, NoFroFishing said:

If you want stable and affordable you wont beat the Perception Outlaw 11.5. You can find one used anywhere from 500-700. Bought mine brand new for 650 with extreme luck. 

Can you run a rod anchor on the back?