Best Fishing Kayak for Tall Men

Cobra Fish & Dive or Malibu X-Factor is where I would start for demos

Hi

I'm new to kayaking and new here

I'm 6' 4'' 230 pounds a larger man, any suggestions from the members. I live in Sebastopol, looking for an all around kayak, ocean, bay, lake and river.

Thank you in advance

I would say at your size you are not "super large". There are a lot of kayaks out there that you will be comfortable in.

For sure dude...I'm like 6'4" and between 230 and 250 and have enjoyed paddling an OK T15, JK Cuda 14, SC Raptor and several other yaks.

FWIW though I was in an OK T13 the other day and it was riding noticeably low with an inch or two of water in the footwell area...but I did have all my dive gear and a limit of meaty abs so...

Like everyone has said...Demo, demo, demo and find what works best for YOU!

Good luck!!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I'm 6'3" and around 220#.  There are not very many kayaks that feel small to me.  Ok the OK Scupper Pro is a tad small to me.  But what I'm really trying to say is that I don't feel the need to specifically identify a tall man's kayak (or even a big mans kayak) for me.

-Allen

This too. ^^^^^^^^

Also, my buddy is 5'10" or so and weighs 250ish and has no problem in my 160 Tarpon. Everyone says the 160's are tippy. Most of the good boats out there have great secondary stability and only feel tippy at the initial lean, but the "grab" the water and stop the tip. It's  all just learning to use ANY boat you are in, not just how big of a payload it can carry. Learn to kayak first and get comfortable in any boat. Then fish from it. As a great man once said " be a kayaker first, and a fisherman second".

Being a larger angler myself, I have to admit that I almost gave up on kayaking mainly because I could mot get comfortable. Many days I would have a sore rump or my legs would fall asleep. Finally got the new predator with the new seat and all is right in the universe again.
Obviously you need to demo as many as you can, but be sure to include as many with the newer "suspension" type seat as you can, you won't regret it.
Oh yah, I'm 6'2" and weigh in at a modest 250lbs.
Hope this helps.

See Ya Soon,
Eric / Yakhopper

When I was younger I canoed quite a bit. I just gotten into kayaking. I recently took a couple of trips down the upper Russian River in the cheap rental kayaks. In the summer a friend let me try out her Hobie revolution on Spring Lake, a small lake in Santa Rosa. I'm not sure if I prefer paddle or peddle.

I'm your size and I have both the Hobie Revo and the Cobra Maruader. Both are fine legroom wise. Load weight limit is important because riding lower is slower and less stable. Despite it's high weight limit the Cobra F&D is, IMO, not a good choice because it's too slow. As a beginner you also need to consider deck space for playing with tackle or handling fish. Lack of space is one of the biggest adjustments we face when taking up kayak fishing. The lack of space on pedal Hobies can be frustrating.

I agree with Yak Hopper. To me the Old Town Predator is the most modern big guy kayak out right now. My suggestion would be take a drive to Headwaters in Lodi and demo a few boats. We will take the time to get on the water with you and help get started. Demos are good, but we take it a step further and give a little instruction while on the water. This gives a beginner a much better idea of what the kayak is capable of and what you want to loo for in a kayak. We stock, Jackson Cuda, tuna (Big Rig in Dec), Malibu X factor and stealth 12, Oldtown Predator 13. All of which would be great choices for you to get started. I agree with what others have said, your not that big compared to some of our paddlers, so don't be afraid of a T-140 or a Ocean Kayak. Everyone has a different comfort level when they start out. Demo out some boats and see what best suits your needs.

If you are in the market and not exclusively a beach launch kelp hanger, then I strongly recommend pedal yaks. Hands free is the way to go. Big guy? Adventure Island!

All good advise here. The longer kayaks are great for open water: lakes, ocean etc.. . For river kayaking you should be thinking of a shorter kayak for maneuverability. Just my 2c

Ben

All good advise here. The longer kayaks are great for open water: lakes, ocean etc.. . For river kayaking you should be thinking of a shorter kayak for maneuverability. Just my 2c

Ben

I've run my 160 in some pretty good rapids. Not ideal, but it was fine. Learn how to paddle first though.