Ride 135 v OKBG2

If anyone has paddled both of these yaks and has some input on them, it would be appreciated.. I am trying to decide which to purchase.. and I still have the FnD in the back of my mind somewhere also. I am 6-3 280 and I have some kayaking fishing experience on lakes and rivers in my old sit-inside yak.. the SOT is somewhat new to me. I have only paddled a fish n dive thus far in the realm of SOTs... seemed to have almost no glide, but it was stable.. I am concerned with going much narrower than the FnD though, because even at 36 inches, I dont recall it feeling super wide? The ride 135 is approx 32 inches wide, but I have heard good things about it as well as bad things.. Same goes for the OKBG...  Bottom line is, is width all that important when it comes to stability? My old Necky sky 2 I modified into a single person yak was about 29 inches wide and I never felt like I was going to tip it over that I can recall.. I surfd and skateboarded for years and I think I have fairly good balance for a 40 yo fat man 


Now do your job and convince me to purchase a certain kayak immediately!!!!

I am somewhat of a fat bastard myself and have paddled both and would buy the 135 over the big game. Although i would buy the wildy tarpon 140 over both. I believe the wilderness boats have the best hull designs of any boat on the market.

Ride 135, I paddled one before, It has waayy beter water traction than big game. Big Games are hard at turns, beast to paddle. Ride are smoother and very stable, I can stand on it on lakes for sight fishing.

Width is one part of stablility.  Hull shape is the other. 

Generally speaking, the flatter the hull, the more primary stability a kayak has. From there, hull design takes over to determine how much secondary stability a kayak has.

To be simplistic:
Primary Stability - the feel of how stable a kayak is.  The less primary stability a kayak has, the more tippy it will feel.
Secondary Stability - the ability of the kayak to capsize.  The more secondary stability a kayak has, the less likely it is to flip over.

Now generally speaking, most fishing kayaks have excellent primary stability, and the secondary stability pretty much mimics that.  However, some kayaks have a little less primary stability, but still are difficult to capsize due to secondary stability.  Although I think secondary stability is not quite as useful in sit on tops, because even if you have plenty of secondary stability, you might find yourself falling off the yak even when it doesn't capsize. 

For your size and comfort, there are plenty of kayaks that would fit from each kayak manufacturer.  The Ride 135's stability doesn't come from its width, it comes from its hull design.  As a tunnel/catamaran hull, it will have greater primary stability due to its dual hulls.  Many Native brand kayaks have the same tunnel hull shape, so even though a Native Ultimate is only 30" wide, its perfectly capable of standing up on and fishing. On the other hand, a Hobie Revolution at 29" wide is a sturdy kayak, but is not easy to stand on.  The 1" increase in width doesn't cause the stability, the hull design does.

There are tons of kayak models and manufacturers out there that might fit you.  What you should do first is figure out what type of fishing you want to do, what types of storage/fishing options you want, then narrow down the list to the brands and models of kayaks that you want, then test paddle.

Thanks for the advise Jack and Darius. Now I don't have be the one to say it. Width is not always good for stability. A lot of factors need to be looked at, mainly hull design. The Ride is almost like a pontoon oat with incredible stability with out sacrificing glide too much. It won't glide like a Tarpon, but better than the other big boy boats. I had a guy that weighed 368 in my Ride 135 and he did well in it. I would recommend the low seat and not the high one. I can stand in the tank well or on the bow of mine it is that stable. I did not look at where you live, but you are welcome to meet me sometime to try the Ride.

Thanks for the replies guys.. I am on the central coast and it the selection of demo kayaks is very limited, so I will probably have to pull the trigger somewhat blind it seems. I will mostly be fishing off of Port San luis, Shell Beach, Cayucos, Windmills, Leffingwell, and in the local bays and lakes as well.. I don't plan on going out on 10 mile excursions just yet.. I will need to get in better shape before that happens.. I just want to have a yak that will be capable of such excursions, when I am ready to do it (without having to buy another kayak).. A lot of people seem to like the Fish N Dive for paddy hopping which is what I will probably start out doing...and I can buy one locally if need be.. but I didn't like the lack of glide it had... Felt like I was paddling in mud.

Someone should sticky this thread. All great advice given here by the pros! And it's asked every few months by new members.

Thanks for the replies guys.. I am on the central coast and it the selection of demo kayaks is very limited, so I will probably have to pull the trigger somewhat blind it seems. I will mostly be fishing off of Port San luis, Shell Beach, Cayucos, Windmills, Leffingwell, and in the local bays and lakes as well.. I don't plan on going out on 10 mile excursions just yet.. I will need to get in better shape before that happens.. I just want to have a yak that will be capable of such excursions, when I am ready to do it (without having to buy another kayak).. A lot of people seem to like the Fish N Dive for paddy hopping which is what I will probably start out doing...and I can buy one locally if need be.. but I didn't like the lack of glide it had... Felt like I was paddling in mud.

Buying blind can only hurt you, it can't help you.  That's not to say that you won't end up getting a kayak that you love, but that the odds will be somewhat stacked against you.

Just get a Mailbu X-Factor and you will just fine! Best big guy dive and fish kayak out there. Just bought a new one today. Can't wait to pick up the new one this weekend!

I don't think very many people have paddled the new BG2. I had the old Big Game and it was a tank to paddle (super stable and comfortable though). It looks like the new BG2 is built on the same platform as the Predator...and if so, you could probably gauge the BG2's paddlability based on people's experience with the Predator...

EDIT: my bad, I just checked the specs and the BG2 & Predator do not seem to be built from the same platform. Specs say the BG2 is 70lbs...if so, that's a big bonus compared to 87lbs for the Ride 135 Angler....

Every time someone asks about the BG2 it seems everyone bases the opinions off  oof the original BG. Ive asked in a few threads about the BG2 and no one gives a straight answer that they have paddled it. Im intrigued by it, but no personal experience seems to be out there.

Ultimately it gets down to paddling before you buy, it may mean renting it for a day and taking it out in various conditions (local pond, versus surf, versus a creek or river).  No one boat does it all perfectly, if there was one, we would all buy it.  I have watched the trends over the last few years on this board go back and fourth over which boats seem popular.  The question for the big guy always seems to come up, and I don't think there has ever been one true consensus that one boat maker trumpos everyone else for large people.  As some one who is not small (6'2" 220)  , and hopes one day to trade up to something better than my hobbie quest, I always read these threads.  But, the universal truth is, you won't know until you try it.

ON the central coast, the hardest part is the "trying it out" aspect. The few dealers that are in the area only carry a very limited selection of kayaks. I don't think they would order a new one just so I can paddle it to see if I like it or not... The local shops seem to cater more to the tourists and rental business. The only readily available yaks in this area are Predators(on occasion) and FnDs..and maybe a Jackson or two..and of those options the FnD is the only one that has the weight capacity for me and my gear.. but i am not so sure about paddling around on a barge. I will have to make a decision pretty soon.. Worst case scenario, I will get a yak I dont like and have to sell it and lose a couple hundred dollars. 
Thanks or the reply

Don't stress too much...it's your first yak; not your only yak. You can always upgrade to a new/different yak.
I've bought plenty of yaks without having paddled it before. And not once have I regretted it! 

I have owned a Necky Sky 2 sit inside kayak for many years. I actually got it brand spankin new at a thrift store. I was able to slide the rear seat all the way back and place a cooler/rod holder on it ad I fished lakes and rivers in it quite a bit. I measured it a while back and it was 29 inches wide and about 12 1/2 feet long. I never felt like tipping over in it and I weighed about the same back then. 32 inches or even 34-36 would be a lot wider.. but this would be my first sot kayak and it just feels a lot less wide when you sit on top instead of inside.. Not sure why. I want something stable, but not a barge like everyone calls the FnD. I have paddled the FnD (older model) and the foot wells were odd and it seems to catch a rail when paddling and I found myself taking several strokes on one side of the boat at a time to keep it going straight. I am leaning toward the Ride 135, but I am not sure how well they are in the ocean. Some folks say they are real heavy.. but compared to the Hobie PA, they are much lighter. Decisions decisions...