So I am interested in everybody's 2-cents-worth, and I will be giving change.
What is the best Texas Gulf Coast Beyond The Breakers kayak - off the shelf? Classic power, no pedals no motors ... you know, a real kayak ... like under 100-pounds ... not a tiny boat!

Cobra Fish n Dive. Handles the surf, very stable lots of room and below deck storage for most all your gear.

Ok, I will take a look!

Whoa. I have never seen anything quite like these! It looks like San Antonio is the only place that carries them? Great BTB option!

They don't make them like they used to for offshore fishing in my opinion. When Wilderness Systems came out with the Tarpon 160, many years ago, it was the most popular choice for anglers from Texas to Florida and on up the eastern seaboard..the west coast seemed to prefer the Ocean Kayak Big Game or Tridents as California was where those boats originated. I've never owned one but have paddled it and have had many friends who had them. With a rudder, it is a winner. The downside to it was its weight, about 85 lbs. They aren't made any more but you can probably find a good used one along the Texas gulf coast for around $700, a bargain if that's what you plan to use it for. Guys in the 240 to 280 lb range loved them. I see used ones for sale in Miami and Galveston Craiglist from time to time.

https://paddling.com/gear/wilderness-systems-tarpon-160-kayak

I'm a lightweight, 165 lbs and prefer the Tarpon 140 over the 160 and still being made by Wilderness Systems.

https://www.wildernesssystems.com/us/kayaks/tarpon-140

What I like even better than the Tarpon 140 is the Native Manta Ray 14... I have two of them. Very comfortable seating, most comfortable foot braces, and a big bow for busting through the surf.. 14 feet in length and 28 inch beam, water tight front hatch.. No longer made but you can find them used.. Lots of them in south Florida and I forgot to check one out I'd seen for sale cheap the last time I was in Florida or I'd have bought it too.

Now the best of all for me is the Kaskazi Dorado II that I bought from a friend a few years ago.. just under 16 feet and about 24.5 inch beam and weighs about 55 lbs... carbon fiber and glass, imported from South Africa... but no longer made. . Expedition kayak designed for offshore fishing in the roughest conditions, bulkhead, can store up to 100 lbs of fish inside hull, and paddles like a dream, center hatch that I can put my 7' rods in to keep them safe when coming back in though surf.


center hatch


the most water tight hatches I've ever seen

Check out Stealth Profisha kayaks. They are similar to the Kaskazi Dorado.
https://stealthkayaks.com/product-category/kayak-range/profisha/

that would definitely be a good one as well.. and its still being made!

I'm never going BTB, but if I was, my affordable kayak pick would be a Viking Profish Reload, 15 ft, 68 pounds. The Stealth yaks are awesome, but way out of my price range. IslandJim

I tend to prefer the "offshore" type kayaks. I've had viking profits 400, 440 and the reload, actually several of each. I had a trident 15 and still have a stealth fisha 500. I always thought the reload was over hyped. I preferred the 440 or the 400 over the reload. I just never thought the reload tracked very well. It was fast and did cut through the water well I just felt it needed a rudder or skeg. I have had the 440 and the 400 in a storm that was producing 25+ft waves and never had a doubt i was getting back home. The trident is a great kayak, I could easily stand in it, the cockpit is flat which makes it easy. It was heavy. It also performed better with a rudder. Now the crown jewel is my fisha 500. I have sat sideways in the surf with ease, it's super light, super fast and turns on a dime witch is strange for a 16ft 3in kayak. The down side is going pee. It has to be in a bottle. Super stable sitting but I sure wouldn't try to get on my knees and pee over the side. They now make a roto molded version of the stealths and that would be a little more universal for rougher ground etc.

I’m happy with my Viking Profish Reload. For me it’s really comfortable with the sloped cockpit but that also makes it tough to stand in. Not a concern for me. Christian is right it needs a rudder for sure. Tracks worse than a Hobie without one. Not super fast but fast enough. Handles waves and surf well. Tackle storage with the removable tackle pod is the biggest advantage to the Reload. No issues storing all your tackle in that one pod along with your fish finder. Down side is there’s no hull access to store rods for surf landing like the Stealth kayaks have. Still a nice rear tank well for a long fish bag and or cooler.

The Reload can drift the flats in 6” of water loaded down or can go offshore in choppy waters and does both well. Works great for me.

Okay, ya'll know I'm going to have to chime in on this one. lol

It sounds like you are on a budget which I'm guessing is why you don't want peddle. With that being said, I normally would recommend the Stealth Kayaks but the best bang for your money is the Viking Reload. You can find a nice one for a decent price as compared to the Stealth Kayaks. I do agree in regards to what they are saying without a rudder but nevertheless, still a great kayak!

Some other options if you find it, and depending on your weight, are the Wilderness Tarpon 160 and the Ocean Kayak Ultra 4.7.

All I do during the summer is go BTB. I also run a BTB outing for new people that is absolutely free that has anywhere between 100 - 200 people that participate. I'll be posting up the details for that in February. I have done this outing for over 10 years. When you call, remind me of this and I will give you the rundown. This outing caters to new people going out BTB. I would love to chat more with you on this so hit me up anytime. 832-588-7091

this is great

I felt like after bill stopped importing viking the service has gone way down hill. They stopped bringing in the 440, now lost forever because of the factory fire, they stopped bringing in the 400 that was imo, the best all around kayak they made and super light weight simply to push the reload and the gt. Don't get me wrong the products are solid the issues I have are the people around the products. That ultra 4.7 is a sexy kayak but old, I haven't seen that yak in years.

Not sure if you have tried visiting https://texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/index.php yet. It is a popular site for BTB. Lots of good info from other experienced guys.

christian: I once told Ryan Ford that if Viking would put some type of pedal drive in the Profish 400, they could have the best-selling kayak on the planet. He said that Viking didn't want pedal drives, and that they hitched their wagon to the Bixpy star. The Kiwis don't understand that the US kayak market isn't made up of he-men like them. We're on average, overweight flabby, but don't want to admit it. Hobie gets it. And sells the most(expensive) kayaks. I'm glad I got a 400. IslandJim