FishnBeer:
Got a wife and a 4 year old. Rented a 3 seater before and it was fun but felt slow and hard to turn and the seat was terrible. I think we can squeeze the kid onto a tandem with us. Primary use would be lakes and some spots in the Delta, possibly on SF bay to bag a halibut or stripers on a calm day. Would not always be the 3 of us, me and the kid would likely be primary users. So it would be nice to have a boat that can be easily solo paddled.
Not set on any brand or model, I figure I can screw some rod holders and my fish finder to pretty much anything. Got next weekend free, we might rent a boat from CCK out in Oakland and see how that goes. Definately going to be renting a few before we commit to buy and open to getting a used boat (or two). Looking to keep cost of boat to about a grand, we dont have any other gear so I figure 500 or so will go to paddles and other gear
Bulldog---Alex:
Here is a great priced double for you and the kid if you are considering two kayaks. Not mine.
PISCEAN:
there many variables so my advice would be to stick with your plan. Visit a prominent reliable retailer and check out whatever they have. Rent one or two, or as many as you like. Go with the one that is best suited to you, as there will always be compromises. I've not paddled many doubles, but Ocean kayak and Malibu two's were quite popular rentals when I was at CCK.
Engel:
My first kayak was a Malibu 2 and I set it up to fish with when my son was pretty young. We've trolled up a lot of kokanee and trout on that kayak. I set it up so that I could use my fish finder from the rear seat or move it to the middle seat when I was solo. The Malibu 2 is very stable but also slow. I've had it in the ocean several times but I would not venture far with it as the combination of length and width can make for a challenging paddle in deteriorating conditions. I'll try to find some pictures to give you an idea of how it's setup.
crash:
Malibu 2 is a great boat for taking a young kid out. It is not a great boat for much else.