Ok, I finally did it and bought a Kayak. I got a Wilderness Ride I'm new at this and would welcome any and all suggestions as far as what to do and more importantly what not to do. I took it out for the first time today and did what I would consider Great! That means I got in and paddled about 200 yards up river then got out and didn't fall in. That to me is a great trip at this point.

Congrats. I use to have one but being a big guy it was too wet for me. Good kayak though.

You are required to have a lifevest and signaling device (whistle), and if you're out before sunrise or after sunset you will also need a light.

Milk crates make nice holder for your gear and attaching rod holders.

your front hatch will leak in rough water. nothing major. buy a big spounge and open your hatches up each time you store it or put it up. you can use your big sponge to help you get out the little water that gets in. the ride comes with a nice seat but on long rides 4+ hrs youll get numb cheeks. eventually youll want to get some kind of pad to add on top of your butt pads. IMO your gunna really enjoy the RIDE 135! Congrats!!! what color did you get?

Thanks, for the info, the milk crate idea is going save me $150.00. I was about to buy a box at the Kayak shop that I saw today. The milk crate will work better and be set up the way I want.

I got a Yellow one. That was the only color they had on hand. I've been wanting one for several years now and just broke down and got it.

What to do: Trick it up, i.e., customize the Ride to accomodate your needs. It's a little disconcerting when you drill your first hole in the yak, but you get past that pretty quick.

What not to do: Buy a cheap paddle. Spend some money on a quality paddle - it's worth it.

Before you start to drilling holes in the yak to mount accessories, go fishing a few times. Pay attention to where you lay rods down, your back cast, paddling stroke, etc. It sucks to find out that your scotty rod holder (for example) impedes your paddling stroke and you'll have to then drill more holes and move it.

best advice for a new kayak owner in the world. Trust this. The majority of us have learned this the hard way. You don't have to.

Thanks, I'm going to take it out in the morning and try to fish out of it. I saw on line an article about it sinking if it flips? They were selling air bags to put in it to keep it from sinking. What's your thoughts on that. is it just a marketing thing or is this something to be worried about?

No airbags required; marketing gimmick. 99.9% of the time you'll never get water in the inside of the hull of a sit-on-top kayak like the Ride. You'll be extremely hard pressed to flip the Ride, too.

Could be targeting sit-in-side kayaks, but most of those already come with positive flotation.

I always keep some noodles inside my yaks cause you never know when you might need something that floats real good.- Justin Case

Thanks ya'll.

http://www.texaskayakfisherman.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=53

this is the kayak rigging forum on TKF has a lot of answers to questions that haven't even been asked yet. There is a new to kayaking forum also.

the pool noodles are great for several reasons.

Welcome to the addiction. Phill

oops...... ..... double post