Hoping to make the plunge! Any east bay SF members?

hi everyone! Been thinking about a kayak for a while now and recently saw a good deal so very tempted. I'm a bass man and usually fish reservoirs on rented jon boats or backseats of bass boats on the delta. Hoping with kayak i open up my options!

Two questions:
1) anyone around east bay (walnut creek way) that may want to meet up?
2) would a slightly used wilderness adventure radar 135 pedal be a good choice to start? or should i start with paddle to see if i even like it for bass? Else, there is a jackson coosa pedal in the classified. Or should i get a shorter one to start? I have a suv family car (or rent compact for fishing trips) so getting it on the roof solo would be my main concern.

thanks all!

Pro Staff alert-Yes I am a affiliated with Wilderness Systems.

The Radar 135 is a good all around pedal kayak. If you are fishing weedy areas it is a pain though. So is any prop boat. You can fish Delta, lakes, and the ocean in it. You can stand very easily in it to fish. It is a bit heavy like most kayaks today. As far as on your car. I used to put my Tarpon 160 on  a Subaru Outback. Just hangs off both ends, but who cares. The Radar won't hang off nearly as bad. Loading it just put a blanket on the back of the car and you won't damage the car putting up on racks. If you have any questions at all feel free to get in touch with me. If you don't get that used Radar let e know where it is. I know someone looking for one.

Paddle kayaks are lighter and cheaper. That is u to you. If you would like to try one out we may be able to hook up depending on where you live and if our schedules all work together. I can bring a couple different options pedal and paddle. All Wilderness of course. You should try some out for sure no matter what the brand.

if that does not work out.....Another great place to try kayaks is with Dan at Headwaters Kayak in Lodi.  I made the drive from Roseville and it was well worth it.  Great people, great variety of kayaks (paddle and peddle) and years of knowledge on the water.  They will do their best to get you into the kayak the fits your needs and skill level without any of the sales pressure.

and yes, I bought my first kayak there, so i speak from experience.  (as will most everyone else that has ever been there).  Good luck and welcome to community

@RacinRob - thanks for the offer and tips! ya, i've read up on bigger/heavier standup/pedal kayaks vs faster/narrower/less stable pedal yaks. I think given what i need and my experience, starting with a heavier/wider yak is probably a better bet.  I'm east bay SF ie. walnut creek way, are you anywhere close? Being about to try out some yaks really be awesome! assuming timing and location works.

@Dmel - thanks for the suggestion. I actually started looking at yaks from watching Greg B on youtube and he's done some partnerships with Headwaters. I guess given this is my first, I am thinking used, that way, I can figure out if i like fishing out of kayak, what i like/don't like and if i need to sell a yak, used would be less painful.  But thank you for suggestion!

Good luck with your hunt. I was in your shoes a couple of months ago. The other options are to rent for a few weekends or if you know anyone with a kayak try it out to see if you enjoy being on the water.  Any good kayak shop will also let you test a few before you have to pull the trigger. The best advice is to test as many as you want until you can narrow down what you want before buying

I'll be on route to pickup my Radar 135 this weekend...will post once she's back home safely. Have a great weekend all!

Have fun with the new ride Clington!

My Wilderness Systems Radar 135 with pedal has landed!


I got it back safely from 2 hours south but not without passing cars honking me and giving me looks of concern. I used j-bars on my factor bars but maybe i did something wrong or 60mph is too fast. I ended up removing the j-bars and just strapping the yak directly flat onto my roof bars and that was much better.

I've been watching youtube on how to tie a kayak down and there is probably tweaks i can do but not sure i was that off. Unless i just need to slow down? Or those youtube videos only apply to lighter kayaks, not these heavier fishing yaks? they even suggested i only use cam not ratchet straps.



Now i need to figure out how to install my boon docks + load it onto my SUV and get it wet!!!

Congrats on the new yak! Why were the cars honking at you? Was the kayak loose? I wouldn’t recommend transporting on its side. It will catch wind and act as a sail. 60mph is not fast at all. I’ve driven as fast as 85 with 1 or 2 kayaks strapped on the roof with no problem. I like to transport mine upside down and I make sure it doesn’t move around before I hit the road. I also anchor down the bow and stern for extra insurance and sometimes an extra strap through the scuppers/yakgina for the extra extra insurance. The last thing anyone would want is a kayak flying off their roof. It has happened before.

hi Herb Super,

I think using the J-bar/kayak at an angle was catching wind/making it wobble too much. Especially for a heavy fishing kayak (90lbs), so i will skip j-bar from now on.
I assume by upside down you mean like photo below? I end up strapping mine with bottom to bars. I will, from now on, also add a cord to bow and stern.
Do you use cam or ratchet straps? And do you loop once or twice per cable?

Upside down


How i did it in the end - without the foam...straight to bar.

That’s a bad way to transport. Unless you have a cradle to support the bottom, you shouldn’t transport like that. First, the bars will cause indentation on the bottom of your boat. Second, the bottom is not flat so stability may be a concern. Almost everyone I know uses cam buckle. They’re simple and less likely to break. Try to read up on old threads and soak as much information from them. It will save you the headaches down the road.