Fishgr:
The time has come for me to adopt the ways of the pedal power. Over the years I have really enjoyed my OK Trident 13 and my beloved Jackson Cuda 12. But as the years pile on and my back and joints age, I'm having issues on the water reaching things from a seated position.
I've found that my preference is cruising local, Gold Country and mountain lakes, trolling for trouts. A side passion is bass fishing. I have no desire to venture out into the salt - my fear of that big ass body of unrelenting salted water freaks me out, and I know better than to tempt fate - and mostly I just really enjoy inland lakes. My dream boat appears to be a Hobie PA 12, but that price tag,...I'm not really sure I can get that past the household budget commander, even with selling off my current fleet. Other contenders from my research appear to be the Native Titan 12 and Wilderness System Recon 120 HD. I'm looking for stability, comfort and a good reliable drive system.
I'll be taking a trip up to Kayak City sometime soon to see a bunch of these boats (after watching a video posted by Headwaters,...hella bummed that shop is no longer,...it's where I got my Cuda way back in the days). I was hoping some of you pedal power folks might have some input regarding these 3 boats, or others that I've not keyed in on yet. I know there's a huge demand for new boats now, so time isn't really an issue.
Whatever advice y'all have is greatly appreciated.
Cheers
bryan:
Coming from a trident 13 myself to a pedal drive i would say the biggest thing for me was the difference in weight. I switched to an outback which is a great boat and i enjoy it without question for stability. On lakes and the sloughs im comfortable standing and stretching and im a fairly large guy. 5'-10" 265 lbs so stability isnt an issue on it. However the boat itself is heavy as shit. I can car top it and its fine but i do find myself going out substantially less since i switched due to the weight of the boat and the hassle of getting it ready. I have loaded a pro angler once and that shit was to heavy to want to use for me. If you are going to trailer it then that alleviates the issue entirely. But i think the outback probably has the stability your looking for and is cheaper than the pro angler. Im located in vacaville and your more than welcome to try mine out some time if you want to. I can meet you on a weekend for some fishing if you bring your boat and we can swap or you can try it out in the pool for self rescue etc. let me know if you want to test it.
WillFo:
My tendonitis and CTS have flared up recently, and paddling a kayak is not consistent with recovery. I lucked out on a great deal on the used 2015 Hobie Revo 13, and I love it. Everything about it is so functional and well-designed, the weight is similar to my Trident 13, and the ability to cruise around at a good clip all day is fantastic. Obviously it's great for trolling, in fact the previous owner set up a cool track-mounted downrigger mount, and another benefit of the pedals is it makes windier days much more fishable for jigging because you can pedal against the drift and keep your line vertical. I've added a sail and the ama kit, which makes getting around fast and fun when there's a little breeze. At first I thought I would go back to "real" kayaking with a paddle when my tendonitis and CTS get better, but now I'm not so sure.
TLDR: I love my Revo.
PorkchopXpress:
Not sure if you've looked into the Oldtown lineup. I don't have any experience with them, but people say good things about them
pmmpete:
Pro Anglers are a lot heavier than a Trident. Before you buy a Pro Angler, try lifting one, moving one around, and getting one on top of a vehicle. If you have already decided to transport your Pro Angler on a trailer, and to launch it only from developed boat ramps, that's fine. But if you want to be able to carry your kayak on top of your vehicle, and you want to be able to launch it on undeveloped launch sites, a more kayak-sized kayak such as the Outback would be a better choice.