Which Kayak?

[DoubleShotDamo]

Hi,

What kayak would you say was a good value for money, sturdy kayak?

How much do they cost? And how much do you reckon to kit one out?

Thanks for your help.

[digit]

depends what you want to use it for, freshwater (lakes etc) or sea.
then what type of fishing, close in shore bass, macky bashing or bigger stuff like conger and tope.
don't forget the yak is just the start, all the rest of the kit can take you to double what you pay for it.
one of the most popular and good allrounder is the ocean kayak prowler 13, fast enough for most things and plenty of room for all your gear and catch.
Cheers,
Chaz

[TIM.T]

[QUOTE=digit;1046288]depends what you want to use it for, freshwater (lakes etc) or sea.
then what type of fishing, close in shore bass, macky bashing or bigger stuff like conger and tope.
don't forget the yak is just the start, all the rest of the kit can take you to double what you pay for it.
one of the most popular and good allrounder is the ocean kayak prowler 13, fast enough for most things and plenty of room for all your gear and catch.
Cheers,
Chaz[/QUO


im thinking of getting the prowler big game.Any views on them?

[digit]

MD, not tried one myself but go to anglersafloat, plenty of advice and info on there, it does get good reviews.
Cheers,
Chaz

[TIM.T]

MD, not tried one myself but go to anglersafloat, plenty of advice and info on there, it does get good reviews.
Cheers,
Chaz

thanx m8.I'll look there.

[DoubleShotDamo]

depends what you want to use it for, freshwater (lakes etc) or sea.
then what type of fishing, close in shore bass, macky bashing or bigger stuff like conger and tope.
don't forget the yak is just the start, all the rest of the kit can take you to double what you pay for it.
one of the most popular and good allrounder is the ocean kayak prowler 13, fast enough for most things and plenty of room for all your gear and catch.
Cheers,
Chaz

Thanks. Someone had already mentioned the Prowler 13.

Cheers for the advice.

[Steinbeisser]

[/QUO


im thinking of getting the prowler big game.Any views on them?

I am looking at buying a kayak shortly.

It depends on your weight, but the Big Game is really for heavy paddlers (greater than 220lb/15.5 stone) or those who want a lot of initial stability and load capacity. The problem is that the Big Game is quite wide and that means that you have to shift a lot of water out of the way to move, so will take more effort to paddle at any speed compared to a narrower kayak.

The narrower kayaks like the Prowler Elite 4.5 or Prowler 13 will be easier, or in the extreme, the Scupper Pro, which has a loyal fan base - also made by Ocean Kayak. The Trident 15 is one I am looking at and is 1" wider in the beam than the Elite 4.5 and is slightly longer with more load capacity and fish box/rod pod, etc.

If you are on fresh water then speed is not going to bother you too much, but if on the sea and in strong head winds and/or current, then you may be glad of a faster/easier to paddle kayak as your net speed may be quite low in such circumstances.

(But I have seen one Big Game rigged with a small electric outboard!!)

The normal advice is to Try before you Buy. There are many friendly kayakers on the various forums who are willing to let others try their kayak in the sea before they buy.

Most novices seem to find that the kayak is not as stable (initial stability) as they had been led to believe, but after 1-2 hours are quite used to it. The secondary stability is more important and in rough conditions a kayak with good secondary stability is less likely to unceremoniously dump you out of it unexpectedly.

Steinbeisser

[TIM.T]

I am looking at buying a kayak shortly.

It depends on your weight, but the Big Game is really for heavy paddlers (greater than 220lb/15.5 stone) or those who want a lot of initial stability and load capacity. The problem is that the Big Game is quite wide and that means that you have to shift a lot of water out of the way to move, so will take more effort to paddle at any speed compared to a narrower kayak.

The narrower kayaks like the Prowler Elite 4.5 or Prowler 13 will be easier, or in the extreme, the Scupper Pro, which has a loyal fan base - also made by Ocean Kayak. The Trident 15 is one I am looking at and is 1" wider in the beam than the Elite 4.5 and is slightly longer with more load capacity and fish box/rod pod, etc.

If you are on fresh water then speed is not going to bother you too much, but if on the sea and in strong head winds and/or current, then you may be glad of a faster/easier to paddle kayak as your net speed may be quite low in such circumstances.

(But I have seen one Big Game rigged with a small electric outboard!!)

The normal advice is to Try before you Buy. There are many friendly kayakers on the various forums who are willing to let others try their kayak in the sea before they buy.

Most novices seem to find that the kayak is not as stable (initial stability) as they had been led to believe, but after 1-2 hours are quite used to it. The secondary stability is more important and in rough conditions a kayak with good secondary stability is less likely to unceremoniously dump you out of it unexpectedly.

Steinbeisser

thanx for that m8 i'll have a look at them.At 16 stone thought the big game would do but think the jim is calling

[zirg]

The kayak cab be brought for around £450 but then you need wheels, paddle, wetsuit, life jacket, compass, flares, anchor cain rope the extras are where the money goes but you need to cover the safy aspect and confort can make or break a day

[Angling]

Also consider a good mobile phone in a water proof case. It's basic but they can help you out of alsorts of occasions.

Re a life jacket what you really need is a BA (bouyancy aid) rated to your body weight in Newtons.

The other really important piece of kit is a good quality knife with a surrated edge to cut rope and lines.

To be honest the sky is the limit when it comes to saftey gear and the better you can afford the better off you will be (generally).

Make sure you carefully take note of the weather and the forecast. Get a tidal atlas if possible for oyur area and learn where the strong currents are. Learn how to get back into your boat should you fall out. Play in the surf/waves and try and get a buddy to go with you if possible.

Most of all best of luck and enjoy kayak fishing!!

[lin]

Hi

Mike and I both have a Prowler 13 each, bought from Bournemouth canoes and think they cos £520 each and we got the standard ocean kayak sea and paddle with it. We havnt used them much as yet but both find them very good and easy to manoevre considering we are novices.
As for the rest of the bits (we havnt finished getting all we need as yet), they are :-
boyancy aid bout £60
radio bout £90
gps/fishfinder bout £260
fish finder only bout £180
knife bout £40
flares think bout £60 although got these on a special offer
wheels £60
rod holders bout £30 each
nav light bout £50 (got these from someone on anglersafloat fantastic lights can be seen very well and would recommend these particular ones if going out at night )
anchor and accessories estimated bout £40 altogether for each one

Then there other bits like battery for fishfinders etc but we still havnt got our dry suits yet which we are goona need

havnt counted the new rods we have had to get as well or box for storage

Have to say though is an expense but such great fun.

Lin

[pinkfoot]

Hi

Mike and I both have a Prowler 13 each, bought from Bournemouth canoes and think they cos £520 each and we got the standard ocean kayak sea and paddle with it. We havnt used them much as yet but both find them very good and easy to manoevre considering we are novices.
As for the rest of the bits (we havnt finished getting all we need as yet), they are :-
boyancy aid bout £60
radio bout £90
gps/fishfinder bout £260
fish finder only bout £180
knife bout £40
flares think bout £60 although got these on a special offer
wheels £60
rod holders bout £30 each
nav light bout £50 (got these from someone on anglersafloat fantastic lights can be seen very well and would recommend these particular ones if going out at night )
anchor and accessories estimated bout £40 altogether for each one

Then there other bits like battery for fishfinders etc but we still havnt got our dry suits yet which we are goona need

havnt counted the new rods we have had to get as well or box for storage

Have to say though is an expense but such great fun.

Lin

40 quid for a knife! You can get a good canteen of cutlery for that.

[codhead]

40 quid for a knife! You can get a good canteen of cutlery for that.
You're basically looking at a diver's knife in 420 stainless steel, with a straight, honed blade (that keeps an edge), a serrated blade, net cutter etc.

That's why you pay the dosh for them

[Davie L]

The kayak cab be brought for around £450 but then you need wheels, paddle, wetsuit, life jacket, compass, flares, anchor cain rope the extras are where the money goes but you need to cover the safy aspect and confort can make or break a day



Totally true!! Safety aspect should always be number 1 priority when fishing and even more when fishing from a kayak. For instance if you were to spend £480 on the yak u could end up paying another £480 kitting it and and buying the required saety equipment for example a drysuit, life jacket, gps e.t.c

Davie

[carpyknight]

Hi,

What kayak would you say was a good value for money, sturdy kayak?

How much do they cost? And how much do you reckon to kit one out?

Thanks for your help.

hi try ocean kayaks been useing them for years now no problems at all with them remember saftey first ,good luck

[ccltcdrgn69]

:wiggle:just bought a prowler trident,find its excellent allrounder.longer narrower yays are fasteron the water but are not as stable as the wider craft.most of my fishing is either at anchor or drifting casting plugs and flies.what ever you choose you wont regret it it is an awesome feeling having the yak spinning around as a good fish gives you some stick.
chris

[Simon Everett]

I would take issue with the statement that narrower kayaks are less stable - that sweeping statement is simply NOT TRUE.

Itiis actually the reverse when you get in a big sea - the narrower kayaks are just as stable in calm conditions, in that they don't tip you out, move from side to side - yes, but that isn't instability.

Wider, slower kayaks actually compromise safety on the sea - look at the piece Ihave done on kayak speed and safety and you will then realise how this is true.