Starting out

My girlfriend and I are thinking about taking up kayak fishing. Most would be done in saltwater. I would like to know what type I should look into as I'm a big guy at 6'4" 245 lbs and I liked the Hobie's with the peddle drive system. Any information would be very helpful.
Thank you,
Jonathan

A few folks on the board have the Hobie Mirage Outback and I think they are well recieved.  They can be a bit of a dog in terms of being heavy and not terribly efficient if you're going to be paddling them for any length of time as opposed to peddaling. 

You should definitely check out the new Hobie Mirage Adventure.  16 feet and likely the fastest boat in the fleet.  More of a touring kayak hull design... not sure how it would do in the heavy stuff... but a very sweet looking boat nonetheless.

You should also check out the Cobra Marauder XF (which is what I have), the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140 and 160, and the Malibu X-Factor for some great big-guy kayaks. 

I believe the Marauder to be the best equipped pure fishing kayak going right now.  The only down side is the footwells are a little tight, but the rest of the kayak is absolutely spot on for kayak fishing.

Check Sean White's (a.k.a. Scwafish) web page for the Cobra and Malibu kayaks at www.gwkc.com

I own an XFactor and have test driven the Maurader.  My preference is still with the XFactor.  I'm 6'3" and 215#.  Try them both out.  I'm sure you'll like one or the other.

Call Sean.  I got mine from him too.  He'll help you out in any way he can.

-Allen

My girlfriend and I are thinking about taking up kayak fishing. Most would be done in saltwater. I would like to know what type I should look into as I'm a big guy at 6'4" 245 lbs and I liked the Hobie's with the peddle drive system. Any information would be very helpful.
Thank you,
Jonathan

I still like the stability of the Fish and Dive.  a triple would work too.  for you solo or with your girlfriend.

I own an X-factor and prefer it to the Marauder.  I like the open flat dry footwells on the X-factor as well as the stability.  See Sean and try them out to see which one you like.  I also own a Malibu Pro Explorer that my girlfriend and buddies use.  I love the Pro-Explorer too for a smaller kayak but it does not perform as well as my X-Factor.

Definately check out Seans yaks...www.gwkc.com
I am 6 foot tall , 180 lbs and stood up on one of his boats at Lake Mendo. STURDY!!!!!


But definately do whatever you can to just get out on the water....

BK,
My first yak had a rudder and I returned it due to the fact that most of the fishing I do is pretty stationary..Not much drift needed for a rudder. It was excess cost for no reason.

Anyone else have any comments on that? I am a rookie and didnt see the great reason to have a rudder...

First of let me say thanks for all of the kind support.  For someone your size the boats recommended are great.  Others will work, but you will a LOT wetter.  The FND is a great newb boat, but if you stick with it its lack of speed will make you eventually look for a second yak.

Bluekayak is right on with the simplicity.  Start out super simple, and then keep it as simple as possible.  The joys of this are the mana a mano factor,and the ease of maintenance.  More stuff diminishes both. 

I'd probably get one of the cobras for a second yak but they keep making them with those footwells, anyone know why?

We tried (me and Ric) to get them to dump them for the Marauder, but the owner is dedicated to the concept.  The X-Factor and the Marauder are actually very similar conceptually (no suprise since the same guy did both), they just trade off between speed and comfort.

Jonathan - my best advise: take your time and test paddle as much kayaks as you can before making a purchase. Being comfortable on the yak is key...cause you will find yourself sitting on it for about 6-7 hours  Also, check out our "rigged kayaks" section so you have an idea on how each kayak is rigged and see if that works for you.
Good luck and welcome to the madness 

....and take a kayak safety course while your at it.

A rudder is needed more on designs with very little rocker. The "recreational" design has a lot of rocker so rudder isn't even an option. So factor in your paddle stroke skills that are your rudder if you don't pick the option. Then improve those skills and endurance instead of landing fish as a high priority in your first trips out. In a bay, not open ocean.
A kayak that weathercocks from wind needs a rudder.
The Hobie peddle-drive (I think) always comes with a rudder because maintaining course would be difficult otherwise.

I think we chased him to rollerskating.

Those hobies might be okay but for the ocean that pedal drive is going to limit the places you can launch, e.g. it could be a problem if you want to launch beaches and where you launch you also have to land

Not just that you have to hop out before you hit shallow enough water, think about what it's going to do to your head if you get tumbled, or more likely some poor kid or dog romping in the surf. You could pull the drive while you're landing but then you have to think about you're going to put it. I rode the Mirage in water that had just a little chop and some small boat wakes, I was amazed at how teetery it felt probably because you sit so high

The drive sails rest up against the hull when the pedels are kept fully-opposed. Hopping-out at the correct time takes some practice when kayak is unloaded, but you definitely want to "baby-it" on most occasions. The mechanical attachment is well-designed for a sand/pebbble landings with minor scratches on the vinyl sails to be expected. They sell replacement parts too. I don't recommend removing the unit before landing unless you stow it inside a large hatch. They cost $380 to replace if they go overboard!
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that's a nice looking kayak!  I'd prefer it without the pedals though....

Thanks for the compliments, it gets a lot of attention on the beach because it's so rare to see a wood SOT design. The jury is still out whether or not the Hobie drive is an asset or not. More time and testing needed to get final evaluation in all conditions. The rudder has taken a lot of trial and error to get just right, but 1/2 a days' more work will finally finish it. It's controlled by just a Trim Tab from SeaLine (Cascade Designs). I got the last of their rudder/trim tab accessories.
The 1st and 3rd pic are LaJolla Shores. 2nd is at a harbor launch at a CKF club event.
I'll put togther a gallery of pic's and post a link next week. I just changed pic storage websites so I need to re-create some galleries of kayak construction and trips taken so far.

Wow I am overwelmed lol. You guys are great. I am working on digesting all of your information. I will test paddle as many as I can as soon as I finish the fence in the backyard. I look forward to learning from all of you and maybe even fishing with you in the future. I was also wondering do you guys do any group trips out of the area? Northern Mexico or Big Sur?