Newbie to NCKA and Kayak

Hi everyone,

My name is Tong, and I live in Cupertino. I only have a inflatable kayak right now and never used it in seawater. I am very interested in buying a sea fishing kayak like Hobie Pro Angler or Old Town Predator, and learn to kayak fishing/crabbing in saltwater. I don't know anybody around me into this, and am really glad to find this site. Hope you guys don't mind teaching a newbie here, and I would appreciate it if you can tell me if I am looking in the right direction for the fishing kayak.

Thanks,
Tong

Keep trying different boats as you can, Tong.  The inflatable will only get you so far into the Madness, IMO.  You gotta get on a rigid platform sooner or later.

Welcome.   

Welcome Tong! I'm with Eric on trying out several kayaks before purchasing. Be sure to check out the Raptor from Santa Cruz Kayaks. Solid platform, very stable and definitely seaworthy. You can check them out on YouTube... Good luck and looking forward to seeing you on the big blue soon...

Ben

Welcome Brother
This site is great and the members very helpful , I am new also,they have answered a ton of my questions and the search window helps me a lot also to locate and read stuff- super detailed write ups with tips that i had not thought of that help me be safer and more organized on the water.
You can also google any kayak name brand and the exact model with the word review added and read a lot of pretty accurate write ups from new buyers- and  experienced kayakers -about each model...this may help...a lot of kayak places have demo models i hear...spend a tiny bit to try it out for hours and see if it right for you...
welcome
Craig

Welcome Tong. This is a great site with a lot of good people on it.

Welcome Tong.  You have definitely come to the right place.  There's a lot of useful information here and a lot of us in the south bay that have hook ups regularly nearby.

As people have mentioned, try out several kayaks before purchasing.  Good luck and see you around!

Thank you Eric, Ben, Craig, Talib, and SmokeOnTheWater for the warm welcomes and great advice! Even though this is only the second day I am on the forum, I already feel that this is a great place to make friends, getting great advice, and share my experience in the future (once I get some good experience to share ).

I definitely will follow your advice trying out a few before deciding, unless I run into one that I just know is right for me. Do you know where I can go to try the demos around Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay that is not too far away from San Jose area? I am about 5'11" and 175lbs, and I was thinking about bigger kayak like Pro Angler and Predator because they seem to be very stable and there are plenty of room to mount gadgets later. But I am also concerned about the weight as I like to haul it on top of my SUV. It's a tough decision.

Welcome Tong!

A Pro-Angler is a beast, hauling that on top of an SUV is going to get old pretty quick.  I haul my Outback on top of my 4Runner and that's about as much as I care to deal with.  I'm a Hobie guy so that's the direction I lean towards, but the Predator and the Jackson Cuda are also really nice boats you might want to look at.  Like others have said, try out as many different yaks as possible, keep it safe, and have fun! 

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=50794.0

here is a good deal 

Welcome Tong!

A Pro-Angler is a beast, hauling that on top of an SUV is going to get old pretty quick.  I haul my Outback on top of my 4Runner and that's about as much as I care to deal with.  I'm a Hobie guy so that's the direction I lean towards, but the Predator and the Jackson Cuda are also really nice boats you might want to look at.  Like others have said, try out as many different yaks as possible, keep it safe, and have fun! 

Thanks you beenfishin for the welcome and great advice, you just confirmed my biggest concern about Pro-Angler. I guess I should cross it out for now. I never tried the Hobie pedals, but imagine it would be really handy during fishing.

I have been doing a lot of research on Predator online, but never looked into Jackson Cuda yet. More research to do.

http://www.norcalkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=50794.0

here is a good deal 

Sorry being a newbie, I do not have enough posts to see contents of above link. I hope it is not against forum policy, could you paste the content here?

Thanks,
Tong

sellers handle is toygota

OK Trident Prowler15 $750
Used but never abused
Comes with
-Standard OK seat
-Hummingbird FishFinder PirahnaMAX153
-Scupper Transducer
-Upgraded to new Rod Pod
-Quick Release part to the QRAnchorSystem
-Harmony Seat Pad
-Scotty mounts next to FF
-Scotty Rod Holders and mini riser
-2 Additional Scotty flush mounts

PM me for phone# so we can meet up. Im in Marin County close to 101

That Prowler is a great deal, just add water and you're fishin!

Welcome to the Madness Tong!  I caught my first salmon limit this season with a Prowler 15 I borrowed from Rockhopper.  It did a great job...

WTTM DooD!  Prowlers make great salt and all around boats, What ever you decide you will love