I don't mind spending decent money for something that I won't have to replace or have problems with later. I have been researching for a while and have just come to the point where I would like personal opinions. I have exlcuded all the Pelican products. Ocean Kayak has some nice models but the lowest model I like is the Drifter and it's $599 stripped. The Scrambler is a no-go. It's too tight a fit (maybe it's supposed to be that way) and there is no back support if I decide to stay out for a few hours. The new one at BPS, the Ascend FS12T, seems too good to be true so I wonder if it is. It comes with a lot of things that the others don't, even though I know they could be added without too much cost. It has two flush mount rod holders, an adjustable rod holder in front of you, a cup holder, grooves and tie downs for the paddle, side grips and plenty of space to add on not to mention the nice highback. That seems like an awful lot of stuff for $479 but the reviews seem great and BPS has never done me wrong before except on a couple house brand reels that I knew I shouldn't have bought in the first place (cheapos). There are a couple other brands, Hobie and Redfish, that seem good but the cost seems crazy for what you get. Is the Ascend that good or is it just good on paper? I am willing to spend $1000 or so total for my kayak, paddle and any accessories including electronics like fishfinder or emergency radio if they are necessary.

I've been eyeing the Native Manta Ray 14, its that or a Tarpon 160 for me. And soon if I can talk the wife into it

Don't know about the Ascend. Certainly looks solid. IMO the best bang for your buck is a Redfish 12. Solid, good resale, just plain good yak. They run about 100 cheaper than comparable yaks. You should be able to get one new with paddle, vest and flushmounts for under 1000. My favorite when I paddled them was the Native Manta Ray so I went with it for a few extra bucks. I actually bought it a few weeks before the newest models came out so it was discounted at around 20 percent. The comments I have seen on the Ascend have been very positive. They haven't been around long but I think it's a good sign that I haven't seen many up for sale on craiglist and the message boards. Maybe someone who has one can comment.

I've got the Ocean Kayak Caper and it's a slightly smaller version of the Drifter. It' basically and 11' version of the same hull design with the large hatch up front.

I'm 6' and 226# and mine has plenty of room and tracks well, and at 31" is rock solid as far as stability, and I like to move around a lot, and I've never felt like I would tip.

You aren't going to win a race if you decide to enter, but I don't plan on racing anytime soon.

It's fairly light weight for it's size at 45# which is one of the selling points as to why I chose it.

It doesn't have a wide tank well that will fit a Krate, but it's deep and I normally use a small ice chest anyway and it will fit a 17 qt. cooler nicely with room left for a tackle box.

I had a redfish 10 (flat bottom) and to me it didn't seem to have much when it came to secondary stability, and if I leaned too far it wanted to dump me or at least it felt that way. Never have had that problem with the Caper.

Is the Trident/Prowler worth the bucks? I like the rod storage being right in front of you as opposed to the other yak setups that you can never access the well while in the yak. Most of the wells seem to be just for taking gear down stream as long as you never need anything in there while you're on the water. All the pros on the kayak fishing shows seem to use a Trident/Prowler. I guess I should also mention the yak will be used in the surf/bay as well as lakes/streams.

In my opinion they are worth it if you want to access your rods while storing them below deck.

Mine I usually only take two rods and they go in my flush mount rod holders behind the seat while I'm moving. You can also put PVC pipe on your krate to hold extra rods also.

To me the big center hatch seems to invite water to enter the hull and especially if you were to use it in the surf. No hatch is completely water tight in my opinion.

They are nice yaks for sure, but a lot of that stuff is fluff that you don't really need!

Prowlers/Tridents are good yaks. I think Jimbo's right about the hatches possibly letting more water in, but also, if you're launching/landing in the surf, the chances of turtling increase exponentially, so you're much less likely to lose any gear if it's stowed there. Another big plus of the Tridents is the scupper that's designed to take a humminbird transducer. I tried a trident and found that the rod pod made the cockpit much more confining than I wanted. I just didn't see myself using the rod pod that much and it is a little in the way imo.

I can tell you all of these are nice from personal experience. Most bang for the buck IMO is the Ocean Drifter or Red Fish. Call HOT Kayaks in Grapevine & ask for Pavel. He'll hook ya up with a Redfish & give ya a good deal. Sometimes they sell there rentals & you can get SUPER deals from them that way. But they always offer us TFFers and TKfers 10% & 15% discounts.

Ride 135 - $800+
Ocean Trident $700+
Ocean Drifter $599+
Ocean Prowler $699+
Redfish 12 or more $650+
WS Tarpon $?
Manta Ray $?

Buying used is sometimes the way to go. A used kayak will have alot of scratches on the bottom but that's going to happen anyway with a brand new one, and used can be way cheaper. I got a Tarpon 140 with a rudder ,a $1300+ value, for about $500 off tkf. It's got oyster rash but thats gonna happen anyway.

I just tore apart craigslist looking for a yak. The Houston market must be different from everywhere else on the internet because nothing is a steal like that. They come right out and say, "I paid $650 and I'm giving you my paddle and PFD so I think $600 is fair." or "I paid almost $1100 for this stuff so don't offer me something like $800." Why don't these guys just return it to the store they bought it from if it's still "like new"?

Heart of Texas kayaks has deals all the time. I recently saw a redfish 12 they had for under $600. Thats abotu what I paid for mine. And seeign high prices on craigslist is a good thing. It means they hold their value!

Just save some money and spend $600-$700 on a nice kayak. Good things come to those who wait.

This is a steal of a deal.
http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=145652

On the least expensive category I'd have to rate this one as the best bang for the buck!
http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10213830____SearchResults

Appears you will be using the yak in different applications.

Generally, I like to divide SOT yaks into 2 categories...

Short wide yaks (big boy yaks)-stability over speed i.e. cobra fishndive, malibu xfactor, ocean kayak drifter, etc.
main application (short distance paddling and mainly sitting in one area...rough weather,surf. i.e. BTB)

long narrow yaks-speed over stability i.e. wilderness system tarpon 160,140's, ocean kayak trident 15's, etc.
main application (long distance paddling and covering large areas of water...calm weather, glass conditions i.e. bay fishing)

Not to say you can't use a short wide yak on lakes, rivers, creeks or a long narrow yak out in the open Gulf.

Of course the best yak is the one you feel comfortable with and can use it for different applications. I use a tarpon 140 w/rudder for all conditions. If the gulf is angry w/4' swells then most likely the tarpon stays on the trailer and I'll use the drifter.

Height and weight will also depict on which yak to go with.

That's the one I am looking at. It seems too good for the money. Maybe I'll just pick one up and call it a day.