Choosing a fishing kayak....

http://207.99.85.28/drupal/content/choosing-fishing-kayak

Just buy a Hobie

http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com/choosing_a_fishing_kayak.asp

Hi Joel,

Tried the link several times but got error message: "The page you are looking for might have been removed, had its name changed, or is temporarily unavailable. ".  Can you double check?

Sonny

I updated the link. Try it again.

Thanks Brian.  Lots of good information in choosing a "right" yak!

!!!Administrators!!!: you should know that a lot of the links in the article are now dead and diminish the usefulness of the article since it mostly points to various brands and models.

I'd say that's a decent article if taken as general, at face value. I just bought my first yak for fishing after pouring through the web researching all the boats. It took a long time to get true specifics on boat specifications.

I'm 6' tall, 180lbs, my build is thin and I wanted the boat to fast even if it meant compromising stability slightly. So I bought a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 ('90 model). I'm reall happy with this boat.

I don't fully agree with the article stating that only the 15' or greater length boats are required for "big waters". I think 14' boats are totally sufficient for big waters.

I do like long boats too, but I felt that only being able to afford one boat a 16' tarpon would have been too big in some river and lake applications. I take the 14' boat on big water and it performs. It would also be well suited for smaller water.

OK that's my 2 cents.

Oh man .. I'm trying to get a yak for fishing, too ..
and this article shoots me down big time on what I was gonna
get this week ..

I have a line on a used "OUTBACK" by Hobie - says it's only been
in the water about 5 times, because, they want a double.

I have a double, an Oasis .. by Hobie .. but it's not looking like it would
be a very good fishing Kayak after reading what you guys do.

So, being 6'2" .. about 220 .. I need to start looking for a 15' yak ?
I really like the hands free stuff.

So, am I reading this stuff right ?  The Outback is no good ?
No good for me at 12'1"  and a 33" beam .. I thought this would be
very stable and with a cargo rating of 400 pounds could carry me
and a big sturgeon .. or .. the tail of a whale in that one pic ..
which was awesome.

So, I should be looking at what ?

It's a give and take issue--stability versus speed and handling and a lot more. How much is stability worth when you need speed to escape a Boomer on a reef but how much is speed worth when you gaffed that big fish and you are trying to get it on board in chop and swell? Bottom line: there is no _right_ answer for anyone. Try all you can, in real condition you expect to fish in before you buy--and when you are forced to buy, go with your gut and any experienced fisher you trust. It's not even close to a science--its mostly an art. Good luck.