I am soooo torn about a boat, float, yak, canoe or WHATEVER!

Tried the motor boat route.....launch fees, backing down ramp woes, balky motors, difficult launching alone, trailering, among others.

I just sold my sweet looking '56 14 ft. aluminum Crestliner with 5 hp Mercury motor. That little sucker left me stranded at the far end of Lake Randell in Denison. I was beat after paddling for 2 hours against a stiff breeze!

Before this episode, I had many not-so-good experiences with a 12 foot Jon boat and the same Mercury motor.

Right now I am looking at SIMPLE! I have a short bed full size GMC pickup that will haul a boat up to 12 ft. without need of a trailer.

Academy has an Alumacraft 10 ft. Jon boat that seems to fit the bill. I have a new trolling motor and new deep cycle battery.

However.......even more simple seems the KAYAK! I know I can't do the "sit in" type because I am "over 40" and don't need the confinement.

The sit on top kayak looks "WET" from the git-go! It looks like you are sitting on a surfboard and not a type of boat. I also have the feeling that if I "leaned" one way or the other, I would either fall off or the kayak would roll over. Maybe this is just my conception.

I guess I will just have to make a decision before the 1300 dollars from the sale of my Crestliner is dwindled away on snowcones and blowpops for the grandkids.

Thanks for listening.

Chuckwagon

Hey CW! Take Flow-reen over to heart of texas kayak or another outfitter close to you and try some out. That is the only way you are ever gonna know if one would be right for you or not. I can tell you this much tho. They are definately not just for the under 40 folks. My fil uses one of mine all the time and he is in his 50s. I know lots of guys over on Tx Kayak Fisherman . com that are over 40.

There are plenty of over 60 people in kayaks. I am recently 63 and I fish kayaks and nothing else. I like not having to pay any additional fees. I pay no ramp fees, I just launch where it is free. I pay no use fees, license fees, trailer fees.
The kayak that I recently built can cruise at 4 knots or better, not fast by PB standards but it puts me on the fish. Get skunked pretty rarely, and I have filled the cooler lots of times.

I have never had an engine quit on me and I never run out of gas.

I'm 55 and I love my yak. I also enjoy my float tube. If you want to stay dry (most of the time) I recommend a SOT yak. PM me and I'll bring my yaks and let you take a test drive.

I'm 65 and have fished a sit-in kayak exclusively for two years and it is very dry, paddle drip being the only water that gets in. Wind is more of a show-stopper than with a power boat. There is no room to carry stuff so it takes more planning. It is hard to tow a 30 pound stringer of fish.
Exercise is good for old guys.

If you're regularly hauling in 30lbs of fish, jorne, then I have two things to say to you:
A)you need to invest in a fish bag.

and

2)when are we going fishing man!?!

lol

Don'tchah have to sign up or something at one of them fancy places? I went to a "free" place one time on a time-share and was talked to death every minute! And the dinner they served had pie....with NO BOTTOM CRUST!

And where is this place anyway?....this heart of Texas place. Can I get to it pretty easy from Sherman? Gas is over 2.50 a gallon now and I ain't no BILL GATES ya know!!

and........thanks for the info!

Hey Real Big......this 4 knots you are doing......is this with a trolling motor or Scene-Yhorre-Citizen power??

Thanks for the offer Rev, but I don't like to put nobody out. We are like that.....down to Shady Palms.

A kayak/canoe will limit you to certain types of fishable waters, and you're more limited weatherwise.

Check out the Hobie Mirage Pro Angler, that's what I would get if I wanted a fishing kayak that could cover some ground.

I think there is a certain requirement for fitness. Lifting the kayak onto and off of the top of an SUV is more demanding than it might seem. I could see someone approaching 70 having trouble with that. I suppose tho, you could get a trailer. They also sell those little 2 wheel carts to get you from your vehicle to the water.

Paddling is low effort, and they're very stable in relatively smooth water -- you won't be accidentally flipping it in those conditions. There *is* room for storage, but it is behind the seat so you have to be somewhat flexible to get to it! It's easy to carry a bunch of rods. I have 3 in front and another 3 stored behind me.

There's also a new "hybrid" type you might want to look at. Here's a link:

http://www.nativewatercraft.com/ult_12.cfm

I'm 63 and I just got into kayaking a couple years ago, and to me it more laid back and relaxing type of fishing.

For one you have to cut down on the junk you take along and that makes the overall effort a lot more fun in my opinion.

No bulky gear and ice chest to have to load and unload, and then you don't have to deal with the ramps and parking.

My problem was I've got a couple bad shoulders and a back that isn't nice to me when I strain it so I had to look for something light weight I could load on top of the Jeep and still be big enough to handle 6' and 226# of lard.

I settled on an Ocean Kayak Caper which weighs only 45# and it's 31" wide makes it stable and at 11' it is large enough to handle my gear and still have room to move around.

I can sit side saddle and fish and move around and it's not the least bit tippy and I've never felt that I would flip.

I've been in a couple others and they were not for me, so you do have to try some out to get one that works for you.

What is important is to get one wide enough that it's not a chore to get in and out of, and don't worry about when someone says you'll lose speed because unless you are thinking about entering a few races it doesn't matter.

When your 63, slow is good!

+1 on the cart, and here is my home made PVC cart!

It won't be putting me out. It will be an opportunity for me to fish!!!

No question the pro anglers are awesome, but at 2500 bucks for a new one and the fact that they weigh a ton (which almost certainly means you'll need a trailer, so add a grand to that), you're really talking about a whole different kind of watercraft. Also, weatherwise, I'd much rather be in an SOT with scuppers if I were on a large lake and a squall came up. Sure, I'll be wet but my SOT ain't sinking....

Incidentally CW, HOTKayaks just announced that they're closing their Grapevine store. I'll bet you there will be some awesome deals going down there real soon, so don't wait too long if you're looking to get into a new yak.

Quote: "The sit on top kayak looks "WET" from the git-go! It looks like you are sitting on a surfboard and not a type of boat. I also have the feeling that if I "leaned" one way or the other, I would either fall off or the kayak would roll over. Maybe this is just my conception."

Kayaking is classified as a watersport, and you will get wet!

How wet is usually up to you and your abilities and the type of kayak you get, but either way you have to get into the water with your feet to get in or get out of the kayak and then you have some paddle splash, so getting wet is all part of the game.

In the winter you wear waders and you can wear neoprene shoes if you don't like getting your feet wet in the summer, but it's inevitable that you will get wet!