The perfect kayak....

Just kidding. I know it’s preference. But for me, the perfect kayak is pedal powered, sleek, fast, with lots of below deck storage for camping gear. I used to have that kayak and sold it stupidly. The Hobie Adventure (Not island) which looks like it’s now the Revolution 16. The only downside was relatively low carrying capacity of 350 lbs.

Anyways, I’m looking again and the market appears to be saturated with new brands, new models etc.
So my question... is there anything else out there that fits the bill that I should look at? Or is the Revo 16 It?

PS I’ve had the Trident 15 before and loved it. Just prefer pedal. Also think the outback looks to have one of the best fishing layouts, but not sure it has enough storage for camping.

Well from the sound of it you like some speed. Speed and pedals is kinda like fire and ice, oil and water etc. Many will say they can go faster than anyone in their turbo model outbacks but they just dont fish with strong paddlers. I think the pedal companys are targeting bass guys. So i said what i said about the outback,i will also say i was in a bad storm with george young, he was in an outback, he powered through huge waves....15- 20+ ft waves, strong current and wind. They are great yaks just not as fast as some of their owners think.

Yeah the outback looks like a barge to me. Wouldn’t consider that a fast yak. Ex-wife had the Viking profish when we were together and I had the Trident. I thought both were fast. Fished 5 miles offshore in Florida in the Trident and got caught in some serious current and it did great.
I could definitely fish longer in my Adventure without fatiguing though.
If the Trident 15 had pedals that would be perfect. I like how it was cheaper but already came with rails and stuff for mounting. I had to add a bunch to my adventure.

My bucket list trip is kayaking the overseas paddling trail in Florida which is about 100 miles. That’s another reason for my criteria.

I have an Outback and really like the hands free fishing. It is not a barge, but it is not a 16' Tarpon either. I have had both. My Tarpon was a very old one and I liked fishing out of it but sold it because it was such a PITA to haul.

I also had a Feel Free Lure 11.5, now THAT is a barge. Can stand and fish very easily but paddling it is way too much work.

Wayne

Have you tried the stealth models of kayak? I had the trident 15 also, it did great with the rudder but i hated paddling with a sideways wind. Same with the reload. I had that too. Dont get me wrong i love both kayaks but now i use the better tracking viking 440, a little shorter mabey 3 or so inches than the reload but i can stand to throw the cast net from it. The reload as nice as it was seated i hated standing in it because i felt like i was slipping down the hill. The stealth, i have the fisha 500. Its thin, no pedals, its glass and now i believe they even offer carbon fiber. Not so much for weight but hull regidity. Being fiberglass it cuts the water like butter. Its like 16' 4" i think, mabey 50 lbs. Faster than anything else but seated its super stable. I took it last july 4th weekend to p.i.n.s. and paddled all weekend in 6-8 ft surf. It was crazy how waves would not affect it. I took a ton of waves from the side and never once had a fear. I know you said pedals but if i had distance to cover this is the yak id be in. Its my dedicated offshore yak.

Are you in the dfw area? Id be happy to let you paddle it. I dont work, rep or prostaff for anyone, dont have a yotube channel, just if youd like to try it in a very soft type landing spot...and i emphisize soft. Hahaha

That’s why I started this thread. I hadn’t even heard of stealth kayaks. I’ll look them up!

I agree Christain. The heavy padel kayaks are best suited for bass fishing. Fishing close to the shore with a slow crawl and casting on the move.

There is no way I would take my 150 lb PA offshore. I don't even go into the middle of a large lake if the chop is over 18". It doesn't make me feel unsafe, it just beats the tar out of me to plow through the chop. It makes for a rough and wet ride.

The top sustainable speed in my PA (and my sons Outback) is 4 to 4.5 mph. I can grind out 5+MPH but not for long. It seems like its 100% more effort to go 25% faster. Its fun to do on a whim... but not for more than a few minutes.

OP, if you are looking for speed in a pedal, you will be fairly limited on choices. I hear that the Rev is pretty fast... but I've never pedaled one to know first hand.

Stealth looks sweet. Is there a front hatch it is that just a pad? Can you mount rod holders to that middle part?

So it’s looking like my options are Revo 16 or paddle.
That’s ok. I liked my Adventure and could cover some serious ground.

I raced an adventure island stripped down to just pedals,no sail or pontoons. I was in a santa cruz g2....i got smoked.....reeeal ugly like. Whooped me worse than a red headed step child.

Check out Glenn Madden on YouTube, he fishes offshore in a Stealth.

That was impressive speed in the Revo 16,

Here is some video on breaking through the surf... brings back good memories. I started out kayak fishing in the ocean.

One guy that comes down from around San Antonio has a Revo/Adventure 16, and it's a rocket ship. One sold on TexasKayakFisherman Forum classifieds last week in about two hours, and there were two on Corpus Craigslist, one with Mirage drive and one with the Torqueedo drive. You probably won't find another pedal drive kayak nearly that fast. Wonder why guys are selling them all of a sudden? My dream kayak is a Viking Profish 440, with a pedal drive, but it doesn't exist. Good luck, IslandJim

The 440 the way it is is a darn fine boat. Top of the line paddle yak.

OP Yeah I think the Revo 16 is pretty much it unless you went back to the Trident and put a motor (like a Bixpy) on it. The thing I like about the Trident and Stealths is the big center hatch you can store fish/rods in. Pedals offshore are really handy for punching through the surf, when there's big time rollers and when the current is ripping. The Revo 13 is next on my list. I currently take my Pro Angler 14 offshore. I had it in 7' swells (yeah I know I shouldn't have been out there) and it did not feel unstable but it obviously takes a lot to push it. My last offshore trip last summer we went around 15 miles. I walked like I had polio afterwards.

Thank you sir

I tip my hat to you for taking the PA out there

Gracias amigo