Wide or Narrow? Long or Short?

Where is Claveys?

yakman,

I'm on the process of deciding a Outback and Revo too.  I like the OB stability but am concerned that I will outgrow this issue with experience and wish I had the Revo tracking, speed/efficiency, and storage.  I want to fish more ocean than freshwater so (as of right now [7:30PM PST on 1/17/09]), I'm leaning toward the Revo but have changed my mind like a girl on this topic!  (I have demo'ed them).

yakman,

I'm on the process of deciding a Outback and Revo too.  I like the OB stability but am concerned that I will outgrow this issue with experience and wish I had the Revo tracking, speed/efficiency, and storage.  I want to fish more ocean than freshwater so (as of right now [7:30PM PST on 1/17/09]), I'm leaning toward the Revo but have changed my mind like a girl on this topic!  (I have demo'ed them).

I already mentioned this in your other post  but don't get caught up in the "stability" perk of the Outback.  Don't get me wrong - it's great...but after you gain some experience you won't need the stability so much and may wish you'd gone with something skinnier/faster.  If you're only going to fish freshwater either the OB or Revo will suit your needs, and then some.  In the ocean it's another story.

Speaking as a Hobie guy with 2.5 years on my Outback who fishes primarily in the ocean, I can say this for sure:

The OB, while stable on those big swell days, is slow and an absolute pig in the surf.

The Mirage drive is awesome when trolling, making way in a headwind, or while eating lunch while on your way to the fishing spot. 

The Mirage drive sucks when you have to deal with kelp.  I remember one time at Stillwater when the kelp beds looked thick enough to walk on...I was following scallen and a couple of his clients out toward the Pinnacles, and watched helplessly as they glided over the kelp while I either 1) made my way through the patches like a rat in a maze, or 2) stopped, pulled the drive and paddled...put it back in and peddled...repeated 4-5 more times before clearing the kelp. <sigh>  On the open water I kept up fine, but the kelp is another story.

Having an Outback is the one reason why I've avoided Big Sur  , da Bean and anywhere one might expect a larger surf to appear.  I prefer my landings to be hull-down, not rolling like a log. 

As much as I still love my OB I'm looking for a 2nd yak for the ocean.

All the above comments IMHO.

Kayaks are like women/men some like them long and skinny some like them short and stout, I like both I've never peddled a Hobie So that's Greek to me 

So what does that say about the men with 6-7 different yaks in their garage? 

I have a Hobbie Quest which is very wide and stable but in rougher water it doesn't track well without the rudder.  I don't have the peddle drive.  I like my hobbie as it will carry a large cooler, or a double milk crate, with room to spare.  Speed wise, I have measured with GPS at an average of 4mph, to 8.2mph ( I had to see how  fast I could go in a short distance 100-200 meters, I also was on a river so got an automatic assist on that as I was paddling with the current).  But on average it seems most other kayaks are faster if speed is what your looking for.  As for storage, I have seen few that will carry more than this, to be honest I haven't seen another Kayak in a 12-13 foot model that does carry more (doesn't mean there isn't one out there).  Stability, I have only flipped this when I was screwing off and getting towed behind a boat (One of those "hmm, let's see if this works thing"), and decided to go some where I shouldn't of have and caught on a strainer in Texas, I got tossed but the boat survived with out damage.  I have seen some boats that while lighter in weight would of bent and crushed in the same situation.  I guess it all gets down to what you need it for.  BTW I am 6'2" and weigh 220.

I just added another Prowler 15 to my fleet for my nephew to use. After test paddling a Tarpon 14 and 16, Perception Search 15, and a 15 minute test paddle of the X-13, the P15 continues to be the best performer for speed, agility, ease of turning, and stability for me...and a little lighter than most at 59-60lbs. I have not paddled the Trident, but can see why they are popular with the RodPod storage...nice. However, I prefer the clean deck of the Prowler with the molded foot pegs. Anyway, after looking around to find a new P15, I ended up going with Sierra Trading Post who has them on closeout...in additional to their low price, I used their 15% off coupon to get me under the $600. mark...sweet! Delivered to my door (shipping ran $125.) in less than a week (Sacramento). They are listed as "2nds", but I see no imperfections and they are not stamped as 2nds like some of the other mfg's kayaks. I suspect it's simply color imperfections. If you are a decent sized guy (both nephew and I are 6-2/210 plus), the Prowler series is one sweet ride. PM me for photos of our new fish killer. View them at www.sierratradingpost.com. I went with the non-angler version (we will customize it), but they also carry the angler version.  

Dale nailed it. A fast yak means that it's an efficient hull ie. takes less energy to paddle. If it takes less energy to paddle it's more comfortable in the end. I can put out very little effort and cruise at 4 mph.

faster than me?

This I would like to see. Terry is damn fast. I only seen him playing around and it was like watching water flowing. Real, real smooth and fast. Now can we go bassin'?

I would love to race the spiderman!! For real though, the old school double hatch tarpons are the dragsters of the paddling world. For the adventure my average speed runs about 5 mph and in full sprint I can get up to 7. BTW it's Turbo Fin enhanced.

Dunno how ChuckE feels about it but he rides the same hull, w/ turbo fins, and is even an old school mountain biker. I'm sure he could throw down some wake faster than I could.

Z

Zee

I agree with you the double hatch old school Tarpons are the fastest paddling fishing yaks out there, Scupper Pro TW comes in close second.

Old school Tarpon and Scupper Pro TW are two of the best fishing yaks ever made.

If I were a smaller guy I'd pick up a ScupproTW in a heartbeat.

this one was sort of fast too

this one was sort of fast too

That one's just plain sexy! The kayak that is...   

Z