I am flabbergasted with all the lengths and features of "yaks"!

I thought I would have one by now and be cruising the sloughs and inlets of area lakes but.......no.

What I would like to know is......can I fish from a 10 foot and be happy? The ease of transport and launch with my pickup seems a plus factor!

With the longer yaks I would have to use my trailer. Going to buy TWO yaks....including my son in this now.

I have also decided for a SIT IN yak....the sit on top is just tooooooooo precarious looking!

Question....Will the convenience of the 10 footer, not to mention the low price and ease of transport make up for the smaller size? Or will a person yearn for MORE YAK!!!

I know you can't answer this and I will get responses that say it will have to be MY decision, etc. etc. etc.

BUT! Is there ANYONE here that LOVES their 10 footer? I just came from looking at a PELICAN 10 footer that looks seaworthy and fishable. I think I could really zoom the sloughs and bayous in that thing!

Anyway, give me a holler!

Ps. I have a nice fishing boat...14 foot vintage Crestliner with 5 horse motor.

It's just that the Yak looks like so much fun and a LOT less trouble to launch and load.

Chuckwagon

I've noticed you've asked a lot of questions concerning kayaks and canoes and a lot of answers have been given.

The one main fact is a kayak is like trying to decide on what kind of shoes are the best and most comfortable.

You have to try them out first to find what is going to work for you, and that is the bottom line, because there is no such thing as a perfect yak. What works for others may not work for you!

What you are going to do is try to find one that comes as near perfect as it can get to what you are looking for, and what it's purpose is going to be, and then it will still not be 100% of what it could be.

One answer is to have multiple kayaks for different scenerios, as most who kayak a lot do, but if you can find the right compromise then you will be ahead of the game.

Jimbo, I have been in almost every size yak so far....but not in the water!

Neighbors have a big 16 foot canoe and swear by it. Another neighbor and his wife have sit on tops but they are like in their early twenties!!

I guess I am going to have to make the plunge and go with SOMETHING and then make decisions from there.

The 10 foot Pelican really looks great for now because I am tired of launch fees, ramp waits, etc. when launching a boat.

I used to have a trouble free 12 foot jon boat that was more fun than the big motor boat I have now.

Thanks for the input, I DO realize it is an individual thing. I guess I am ready to make the leap to actually buying and paddling!

I'm an older guy, 63 and I wish kayaking was as popular a few years back when I was more nimble and had reflexes like a cat.

I've got an Ocean Kayak Caper that I bought last January at the boat show that I really like. It's 11 feet long with a large storage hatch and is a fairly stable kayak that isn't too wet.

You will get wet in a kayak just because of paddle drip and getting in and out of one it's impossible not to put water in the kayak and in colder weather I use waders.

The main thing that sold me on the Caper was it's weight of 48# which because of a bad rotator cuff I can still manage to lift it onto the Jeep.

I've got a 14 ft. boat with a 15 h.p. Yamaha that I've had for years and will probably never sell unless I'm forced to, but the kayak is for those quick trips that I don't feel like messing with the boat, which is getting to be more and more these days.

Anyway I'm starting to lean toward a canoe, in one of the lighter weight versions, mainly because of the fact it's getting harder and harder (mobility) crawling in and out of the kayak, and also not being able to carry a large ice chest and other gear and being able to access that gear without chancing taking a dip, or at least having to put my legs in the water.

I'm thinking if I can find an Old Town solo pack canoe that weighs around 38 pounds I might have the best of both worlds.

Jimbo, thanks for the sharing of info! I think I might be better off in a canoe.

I don't like the idea of being in a boat with waders but I do like the idea of a dryer ride!

They have an Old Town canoe on sale several times a year for 399 dollars at several places.

I have a guy in Greenville looking for used yaks for me and could get him to look for a canoe at a reasonable price.


Thanks for the input!!

Chuckwagon

The Old Town canoes are a little better quality and from what I've found is they are better in the customer service dept. also.

Pelican is lacking in that respect, and they have been know to have a problem with the seats having the weak design of the seat bracket that tends to break, and when you can get a replacement it too tends to be weak and will break again if stressed.

Haven't heard any complaints about the Old Town product.

I chose the sit-on-top I own (Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT) because it was more stable, by far, than the sit-inside that a friend let me take for a test drive. I'm not in my sixties, but I'm not in my twenties either. It's a great ride, but it is 12 feet long and 50 lbs or so. But it rides like a well kept caddy.

A sit on top yak is more stable than a sit in yak. Also, the sit in yak during the summer can be brutally hot.

My buddy and I have both mini-xs. We can put both in the back of a suburban. I have taken mine two miles off the coast and the only time I have tipped over is coming in through the surf.

There are pros and cons to every decision, but the sooner you make it, the sooner you will be having a blast!

I think if you ever get the opportunity to go visit http://www.hotkayaks.net/ and test ride some of the Sit on Top yaks and then try a canoe, you'll seriously consider a yak. I have an Manta Ray 11 (11') and you do not get that wet at all hardly plus it tracks so straight and smooth on a lake, river or in the bay. I could take my yak a few miles out into the gulf if I wanted. Very versatile water craft. Good luck! Let us know what you decide.

i have a 9 foot 3 inc mini x. stable as can be . best boat in its size. can throw in suv . no problems with racks. just slide out the back of suv and gone in a couple of minutes. some say a little slow but i dont go but a mile at the most from launch.also look at the tarpon 12 if you want to go further. gl

http://www.kayakfishingsupplies.com/servlet/the-286/Malibu-Mini-dsh-X-Kayak/Detail

You may want to look closely at the weight cap. of some the shorter kayaks. I myself have owned 6 kayaks over the last 5 years. Each time I would increase my weight cap.

I perfer the stabilty over speed and everything else.

Your length of the kayak should not cause you to get a trailer. I can fit a 16ft kayak on the top of my ford taurus and I can put it in the back of truck with no problem.

Ok here is my two cents worth. I have the Old Town Vapor 10 Angler and I love it. Very stable and makes a great little yak. There are a lot of advantages to a SinK and being dry is one of them. For me that is why I bought it. I like the feeling of being surrounded by a shell. I have only had it for about 3 months, so not long. It is my first yak and I bought it to see if this was what I wanted to do more than a couple of times a year. I want to live in my yak.....lol I love it!! Now the sit on top style. Although I have not been on one as of yet I want one for sure. I don't mind wearing waders on one as long as you do it right they are safe. There are so many more options with a sit on than a SinK I think. More room, more storage, and more everything. They just seem better built for fishing than SinKs. I am looking at the Ocean Kayak Trident 15 for my next yak and letting my daughter have the SinK. As many of us say I should have or would have done this, I should have bought a sit on top first. Just my 2 cents.

I had a SINK for 7 years before getting a SOT. I fished all over and did a lot of paddling and catching in it. Loved it. If you don't paddle much, it's not a big deal. Big waves are though. I swamped my SINK twice and had to swim for shore. Not fun. Big waves from big boats can do that because you are sitting below the water line rather than on top of it. It is also very difficult without proper training and good upper body strength to re-enter a SINK. Find a demo day. AND always wear a pfd.

Reading all this about sinking, big waves, swimming for shore

I'm gettin' SKEERED!!

Get a decent kayak, use your head as in common sense, and all that won't be a problem!