I am seeing over & over in this section, & have personally wondered, "Who makes a good Kayak?"

Before Thanksgiving, My wife & I took a 7 day trip to Maui, Hawaii. While there I consistently saw the same brands of Yaks for Rent & Sale. For those who are still wondering here is a random list of those brands:

Ocean Kayaks
Hobie
Pelican
Perception
(All were sit on top style, remember to consider their weight limits)

My Point is if they work in Maui in surf & big waves, they are probably going to work well in Texas salt & fresh waters too. I believe looking at what these manufacturers have to offer would be a good starting point & hope this helps you make a better purchase.

Cobra not on the list?
I really like my Cobra Navigator XF

Hurricane - they are fasssssssssssssssssssssssT !!

malibu and wilderness systems are quality too

Good observation. Keep an eye on what the folks use who are out there making a living with kayaks.

That being said, I can't say enough about my plastic aramada of Ocean Kayaks.

Did I mention, we catch fish out of them too?

Would have to echo's Yaknyota's sentiment. I haven't paddled very many different kayaks, but of the one's I have, the OK Scambler XT is the best fit for me. I've fish rivers and lakes in it and can tell you it's one very stable fishing platform. I haven't yet used it to fish in the surf, but I have read that the Scamblers do well there too.

any opinion on Native kayaks ?

Some popular brands that are great for coastal areas are

Hobie
Wilderness Systems
Native
Perception
Malibu Kayaks
Ocean Kayaks

Austin Canoe and Kayaks, located in San Marcos, Austin, and Houston (www.austinkayak.com) have all of these brands to check out.

We also have a rental program if you wanted to try them out.

Dave
Austin Canoe and Kayak
512-396-2386

folks,

there are some nice kayaks coming on the market. went to Cabelas recently & looked around a bit. If you want to learn about some different styles & gather some good info before you purchase one ask for Emmanual. he is very knowledgable & if i understood him correctly if your not sold on what they have in stock, he can order one for you. also he mentioned a good place in grapevine. does anyone know the name of this place?

Heart of Texas Kayaks
701 East Dallas Road
Grapevine, TX

If you're interested, Austin Canoe and Kayak ships kayaks to residential homes (for a cheap shipping fee for freight) and many kayaks we sell are also in a kayak package deal.

www.austinkayak.com

Dave
ACK

thanks.

Bass Bug. I paddle a Native Manta Ray 14 and love it. I really like the speed and tracking, and has good stability. The ergoonomics/lay-out of the the yak is a big plus and most other yak owners who have looked at it or paddled it always have positive commnets. Lots of flat spaces for mounting, good access, and it is an extremely dry ride. This is supported by the the fairly hight gunwails so sitting sideways can be a little uncomfortable if you ever fish this way. As always, paddle as many as you can (I think someone mentioned HOT kayaks which we have rented , very reasonable price and great folks) before you make your decision. I would stay away from the Pelicans etc.