new yak

Hello everyone. I have been voraciously reading the posts here and love what I read.
I am new to the sport, at least from a yak. I have been fidhing the monterey bay waters for a year now sunce moving from the midwest.

I am now commited (some say it is about time) to buying a kayak. I live in Aptos near New Brighton Beach and intend to learn the surf and launching and landing there. At first, I will probably launch from Santa Cruz Harbor which is about a mile away.

The research I have done into yaks has led me to three, maybe four, choices. Not necessarily in this order.

1. OK Trident because of the size, and the new rod pod.
2. WS 160i, cause it looks like a fast surf yak.
3. Kasakzi Dorado, because of the surf capabilities and speed and storage.
4. Macski Kingfisher, because of the storage and surf capabilities.

I have test driven the OK Prowler 13 and the trident.
This experience tells me that I need a long and slimmer yak (14'-15' and less than 30" wide)
I know that at first the slimmer yaks will be harder to learn on, but I have confidence that I can learn quickly. and want a yak that will work in the future, I can grow into it.

I am 6' tall and weigh 185.

Let me know your opinions please.
There is a Macski Kingfisher on Craigslist for $850 which is a good price.


Glad to be here
Stoggie

Welcome to the Madness stoggie

I'd get hold of Kayak Fishing Guide Allen Bushnell in Santa Cruz (he goes by scallen on this site). He is super cool and armed with a wealth of knowledge on kayak fishing - especially in the Santa Cruz and Monterey area. He's got a Prowler 15 that might just fit you well - it's one of the more popular kayaks in Nor Cal. (my personal favorite I'm 5'11" & 240 lbs) Besides that, a Tarpon 160 would be another "go to" kayak. Another favorite is the Cobra Marauder. I'm almost sure that Kayak Connection in SC have all these kayaks for demo.

Anyway, those are the top 3 kayaks that I can think of (IMO) Good luck and take your time on deciding. Take a saftey class if you haven't already.

See you on the water soon!

Thanks for the great info people.

I certainly intend to contact Allen Bushnell for a trip.

I have looked at the marauder, am a little concerned about the weight, but it is a great looking boat.
The P15 is also impressive, I have paddled it a little. The T160i looks like a fast machine.

I will probably not look any further regarding the KasKazi Durado, too expensive and ordering them direct is a nightmare based on what I have read about packaging and shipping damage.

I am still looking hard at the Macski Kingfisher, it has the storage for rods etc. looks good on the surf in and out.

there is one in Oakland used for $825 might be a way to get a top of the line for a dam good price. Whatever I choose, my WAF isn't high enough to think about owning more than one, so  iwant a top of the line from day one. Hoping that my experience level will improve after playing a dozen times in the surf at New Brighton.

Once I get what I want, and before going on a fish trip, I am going to spend a lot of time playing in the surf, and hook up with Allen Bushnell.

I will be putting out a call for some surf play someday, hope someone can join me for the fun and practice.

Stay Tuned for these important messages.

Stoggie (cestockton)

  Hi Stoggie,

Those Macskis from South Africa look really interesting, especially for the surf, seeing as how they evolved from surfboards instead of from the Inuit and other traditional yaks.  I'd never heard of them before.  Are they poly or fiberglass?  It will be interesting to hear a report if you can try one and compare it to the more conventional sit-on-tops.

Wellsir, cheers, and welcome aboard.    -Matt

These are a fiberglass yak, very strong and good reviews.
I have seen one at Kayak Connection in Moss Landing. I am going to try it this weekend for sure.

There is a possible surf day brewing at Doran beach 3/22 or 3/23 ,maybe both, and depending on weather/conditions. Ill post a hook up if it comes together and ill try to bring as many boats as I can get on the rack.

I'm gonna stick to light surf until I learn and get some experience.
I expect the weekend following the purchase of the new yak, I will sneak down to New Brighton and spend an afternoon launching and landing and seeing what this baby will do.

The beach is pretty deserted on a chilly day, that is when I will get the most practice, and the least amount of laughter.

Stoggie