Getting ready to get my first kayak and have some questions

I have my roof rack for my car set to get here this week and then I need to decide on a kayak. I had a couple of questions for you guys before I decide on a boat.

1) I want to use J mounts for my rack, can anyone recommend a cheap set?
2) My budget for a kayak is <$500, what good fishing kayaks do you guys recommend?
3) I found a deal on a Hobie Mirage Revolution for $400, but it doesn't come with any of the accessories (no seat or mirage drive). Is this a good deal? I was thinking I could start with it and use it without the mirage drive until I'm ready to fork over the cash for the mirage drive.

That's about all I have. I look forward to you guys' responses!

Unless you're really big and strong, hull weight needs to be a consideration, since you're gonna be loading it on your car top. Mine only weighs 62 pounds, and it's about all I can lift after a four-mile paddle. But, I'm short and old(72).

IslandJim

Yeah, I'm driving a VW GTI that's pretty low to the ground, so I think I should be ok lifting it onto the rack.

Have you priced a Mirage drive?

Hi semicole,
Had a question come up from one of Readers about the kayaks we used in a video we posted on YouTube. Not experts but gave some suggestions to keep in mind when buying a kayak... here is our Blog Post that has a link to the article. Hope it helps!

Good luck in the kayak shopping!

Things to think about are
1. How you fish, dont want a revo if you need to stand...
2. Weight cap and your load. Generally speaking you want to stay about 100 lbs less than weight cap after you and your gear is loaded.
3.demo, demo, demo. Kayaks are pretty task specific. A kayak that works well for me may not be the one you like. Plenty of stores offer demos.
4. Cost. Cost is the last on the list for me simply because its affordable doesnt make it the yak you need. Lots of people buy yaks based on price and second hand advise. This is always a mistake.
5.resale. you most certainly will get one yak, sell it to upgrade. If you get a good solid name brand kayak it will sell faster and for almost what you pay for it. My father had a canoe for 30 years and sold it for 100 dollars less than he originally paid for it.
Many of us have buddy yaks, would let you try some, places to rent yaks etc. I see it all the time, people buy a kayak, hate the first experience because they weren't properly fit to the kayak.
My family likes to paddle, that will never change. We also like to cover a lot of miles. We fish both fresh and saltwater. We focus on big game species like catfish, kingfish, shark etc. We use viking kayaks. We have almost all of the models they sell in the usa. Your welcome to test them out. 500 is gonna be a tight budget for kayak, seat, paddle, pfd ......the list goes on. Pfd and paddle obviously the most important. Its tons of fun once you find what you need. Great luck enjoy.

If you want to save some money, just get the cross bars/feet and carry your kayak hull up on it. No need for J rack or saddles doing it that way. I wore out to 2 sets of J racks over a 10 year period from a combination of salt water corrosion and stress. The first time you get passed by an 18 wheeler you'll notice how much twisting occurs with cross winds.

Hey guys,

Thanks for the advice - Shannon from texasflycaster was getting rid of his Tarpon 140, so I bought it from him. I will be picking it up on Thursday.

Nice yak. Gonna be a speed deamon. I love great paddling kayaks.

Sleek.

Revos arnt rated to hold much weight. What is yours? Revos r fast. They r also narrow so u need decent balance. If the hull is in good shape(no holes cracks and doesn't leak), it's a good deal IMO. Best way to know if ur gonna like it is to demo it. Before u take it for a spin, look inside the hull. If no water take it out for approx 30 min then check the inside again. There should still b zero water inside If u can, take someone with u that is more familiar too.

THE DRIVE IS GOING TO SET U BACK!!! So until then u could just paddle it. I'd use cross bars and secure to front and rear of car very well.
Always always always wear your vest. A decent paddle and PADDLERS vest will run u $150. Out the door.

A larger kayak might be questionable on j-hooks. I've heard anything over about 10'. I know my son's 10 footer gets buffeted pretty badly when a truck passes.

The Tarpon 140 will be fine on J racks, my kayak was 14+ in length. On windy days always position your vehicle so that wind will not blow kayak out of J rack... either directly up or downwind.

Icon that's some real nice lookin water where where u at?

https://goo.gl/maps/6GhDiyctHdQ2

That is Hollywood Beach, 10 minutes south of Ft.Lauderdale Beach, 15 minutes north of Miami Beach. Spent 25 years in south florida and give it 5 stars for kayak fishing. There is a three story lookout that you could climb to check the ocean past the breakers if you had any doubts.