Need advice on a shorter yak

Hello Brothers, I have paddled the same boat for about 12 years now. It is a 14 ft 6 inch cobra touring model. Life has taken a turn and I need to swap it or  sell it and buy a shorter boat that does not exceed 10.5 feet. Any advice on a model and info about the difference in performance will be appreciated. thanks 

If you really want a short boat like that look at a Wilderness Tarpon 100. Great boat. Disclosure, I am Wildy pro staff. It has some great features for such a short boat. Tracks built in, very comfy seat, and a lot more.

Hello Brothers, I have paddled the same boat for about 12 years now. It is a 14 ft 6 inch cobra touring model. Life has taken a turn and I need to swap it or  sell it and buy a shorter boat that does not exceed 10.5 feet. Any advice on a model and info about the difference in performance will be appreciated. thanks 

I used to own the Hobie Sport (9.6') and love it for easy to transport and stability.

Malibu Mini-X is a nice shorter boat - wide and stable.
http://www.malibukayaks.com/index.php/kayaks-made-usa/fish-dive/mini-x-fish-dive.html

I haven't paddled it yet but the new Feelfree Lure 10 looks like an awesome small yak. Check it out.

Couple pics of a Tarpon.

Shorter boats always have compromises, may I ask why the change is needed?

Shorter means wider for stability= harder to paddle????
How do you use your kayak? Fresh vs salt water?
Your weight must be taken into the search
Cheers

WS Tarpon 100, Malibu Mini-X, OK Trident 11, Cobra Explorer. Those are shorter yaks that would still work in the ocean.
I assume this will be used mainly in Monterey Bay.
Ken are you looking for a shorter yak or just a lighter yak? Because there are some kayaks that are light even though they're full 12-14ft length (like the Eddyline Caribbean, Cobra Navigator, WS Tarpon Ultralight, etc)

Eddyline caribbean 12' is the lightest and best paddling 12' SOT on the market. My favorite paddling yak

a shorter boat that does not exceed 10.5 feet.

This part made me think it was more of a length constraint than a weight one.  If that were the case I was going to suggest something like this:

http://www.hobiecat.com/mirage/mirage-i12s/

a shorter boat that does not exceed 10.5 feet.

This part made me think it was more of a length constraint than a weight one. 

+1.

The Mini-X is a great boat and you can still have a ton of fun on it out in the salt...just will be slower paddling than what you are used to. I haven't paddled the WS Tarpon 100 or other short boats so can't speak to those.

I have a little stubby BigYak that I use for shorter paddles and stuff and it works great...just slower paddling.

Best of luck Ken, and if you ever need to borrow a yak just let me know.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Yeah Ken, you're always welcome to borrow one of my yaks too.

I think you'll have the opportunity to demo all these kayaks at the upcoming Kayak Fishing Festival.

-Allen

No more Wildy 120 UL.