OK big game vs x factor

I don't do it 'cuz I have to; I do it 'cuz I want to. Try scooting towards the forward hatch with your feet in the boat. MUCH easier with them over the sides.

Word

Hey Eugene:

I have a couple Big Games at my house in Santa Cruz.  you are welcome to borrow/demo anytime.

Allen

thanks Allen,

I went by Kayak Connection today and tested out a Big Game.  Looks like your clan is spreading the madness beyond even your services!  Was helped out by a lovely young lady, Emma, your daughter I believe.

I have yet to test out the xfactor but the big game is STABLE, really stable.  To be honest I think I would have to work hard to flip it.  Went side saddle and rocked it with no issues.  I also have fairly short legs and it is a bit hard to get them to the water, but if stability is the reason you do it, dont worry, you dont need it.  To scoot foward, your legs tend to be more straight down, and then had no problems moving around.

OK so the trade off is that compared to the 160, its heavy to paddle.  I realize comparing a roadster to my truck is not a fair comparison but now I face a dilemma.  Do I sacrifice speed and distance for stability and capacity?  I need to really think about it.

Doctors are always telling guy like me to loose weight; heart, disease, death, destruction yadda yadda.  But now if affects my kayak fishing?  That gets my attention!

Eugene:

That is so cool!  Ema is just 12 yrs old, and had her very 1st day of work today, as "Dock Rat" at Kayak Connection.  Pretty amazing that she had one of club to assist on her 1st day!

Glad you had a chance to try the Big Game.  I agree with you assessment totally.  Most stable yak I've paddled, but the trade off is loss of speed.  I have fished a few times with the big game and had no problems sitting sideways on the drift, or throwing my legs outboard when moving around the yak.  I'm 5'9" and a bit short in the legs myself.

Good boat for lakes and slower streams/rivers, and very ocean worthy as well. the additional fishing features from th factory are pretty slick, too, with the transducer mount and battery shelf built in.

The offer is still open to you, or any NCKA member to use my big game for a day of fishing.  Rod holders, seat and fish finder included.

Allen

Hey Joel,
Just came into some money and I'm looking into upgrading my drifter and my fish finder. Look for it in the classifieds soon. Question is big game vs prowler 13. I'm a bigger guy and getting bigger every day so that might be a factor. I also noticed a earlier posting talking about your Matrix 17, I could not find it in hummingbirds web site. I did find the 383c w/color and the 343c, it looks like the only 2 differences are color vs grey screen and GPS. I was told that the Hummingbirds are submersible. Drop me a line if you ave any insight ( and I know you do).

Hey Quiettime - I have not paddled the Big Game yet. But I'm sure the P13 will paddle faster then the Big Game - and it's pretty stable as well. But by the looks of the Big Game, there is enought deck space to mount stuff. I also like the battery compartment of the Big Game. I would also try a few other "big guy" kayaks like the Malibu Extreme, Malibu X-Factor and the Cobra Fish & Dive. I know Kayak Connection in Santa Cruz and Aquan Sports in San Carlos both have the big game and the Prowler 13's in stock. Give 'em a call and see if you can demo each one. I have an X-Factor, Prowler 15  and a Tarpon 160 for demo - feel free to PM me if you want to meet at a nearby lake for some test paddling.

I've been using the Matrix 17 for 2 years now and I'm quite happy with it. Never dunked it in the water but it has survived 2 rainny sturgeon seasons. The dual beam is good to have and the option of a GPS is also available. Don't know much about the color screen but I did get a chance to see one at Kevin / Reelfish's kayak. Looks really interesting and I may get one for my newly aquired Tarpon 160.

Thanks Mooch, I think I'm going to drop off my drifter angler for some minor work at Santa Cruz kayak connection this week and demo the Big game to find out exactly how much slower it is than mine. Couldn't find any info on the Matrix 17 on the website, maybe it has changed model #'s

I dumped my Matrix 17 the first time out and it works fine.  They are in fact water proof.

Humminbird has discontinued most of the Matix  "fishing systems". They are down to the 12, 47 3D and the 97.

I use the 383C combo, and really like it a lot. The display is nice and bright, and it's very convenient to be able to watch your depth and position at the same time. Especially when trying to cover the same drift.

Scott

I sell the Big Game and the X-Factor at Outback Adventures (San Jose and Marin) and I can honestly say the X-Factor is a better paddling boat, a lot faster, and has about the same stability as the Big Game. 

They both carry plenty of weight so that's not an issue.  The Big Game is a bit of a slug, but if you want the width it's there.  Thing is, when you are in the big bad ocean it pays to have a longer boat (except sometimes in the surf). 

I see the X-Factor as having a better performing design and being a lot better for the ocean. To answer the question about the rear hatch... it's definitely useful when you stick the optional live bait well perfectly inside of it.

Come by and demo them at Stevens Creek Reservoir in Cupertino or up in Larkspur, North Bay.  I almost forgot to mention the easiest way to check them out side by side:
Demo Day in Larkspur June 17th.  http://www.outbackadventures.com/sales_service/sales/demo_days.htm

it's definitely useful when you stick the optional live bait well perfectly inside of it.

This setup is expensive and doesn't seal worth a damn.  It is useful however for stashing rods from your seat.

Giving up speed when selecting a new boat proved to be a bad choice for us a few years back.  We don't do that anymore.  Kayaks have limited range to begin with.  It's important to find it comfortable to go to the place you want to fish and not settle for a closer location because it just ain't worth the extra time it takes to paddle to it and back and therefore the less time you get to fish.........y'know?

This setup is expensive and doesn't seal worth a damn.  It is useful however for stashing rods from your seat.

It seemed like it would have it's problems holding a bait tank being a diagonal hatch. Musta' done better when it used to be flat. then again I think your bait tank is THE setup for the X-Factor. It's easy to get to, simply set up, and obviously works... all those days on Mendo tell the tale.

But for storage I don't think there's a better hatch setup out there. Having it diagonal makes it really tres easy to stash rods.

Z

Giving up speed when selecting a new boat proved to be a bad choice for us a few years back.  We don't do that anymore.  Kayaks have limited range to begin with.  It's important to find it comfortable to go to the place you want to fish and not settle for a closer location because it just ain't worth the extra time it takes to paddle to it and back and therefore the less time you get to fish.........y'know?

By "comfortable", I presume you meant the least amount of effort to get where you're going because I consider the Big Game "comfortable" in terms of stability but definitely more effort to paddle.