Kayak Selection

Question
QUESTION: I am looking to get into kayak fishing and live on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Oh.  My issue however is that my range of interests/usage of the boat may be so broad that the boat is not right for any of it and I end up not enjoying the sport(plus waste$$).  In addition to Lake Erie I wanted to drag the boat with me to the East Coast (Jersy Shore and North Carolina)annually for a 2 week trip trying to hook some large stripers and Blues.  Is their a boat that can fulfill this range of needs.

ANSWER: I must say that I have no experience fishing in you area but I assume that both of those places may be occasionally plagued by windy conditions. If that is the case and you feel you may chose to venture out in those conditions, I would at least consider going with a 搒it-in?sea kayak (minimum 16feet long). This will allow you to feel more comfortable and dry while breaking through waves.  But with 搒it-ins?you have to try before you buy. I have been in 24?wide kayaks that felt much less stable than the 22.5?wide kayak that I use now. And how stable you 揻eel?is the key to getting the most out of your kayaking experience. (Please note that you can only feel stable while sitting in a 搒it-in? not while reading the specifications.)

揝it-on-tops?are usually wider and have a certain 搒urfboard stability?compared to the 搑ounded log?stability of a 搒it-in? Using is analogy most people would opt for the 搒it-on-top? However, in rougher conditions the narrower 搒it-in? will actually be more adept at handling the waves since you can use your hips to control the listing of the boat on the side of a wave. I firmly believe that a 搒it-in?kayak is the only all-terrain water vessel ever made. And since I do own both a 搒it-in?and a 搒it-on-top, I can say the following with 100% certainty:

Sit-on-top ?Great fishing platform for calmer situations

Sit-in         ?Great kayak that you can fish from.

What I am trying to say from the above is that while it is considerably easier to fish from a 搒it-on-top? you can handle a wider variety of conditions with a 搒it-in?and usually go faster too.

A plus of a 搒it-on-top?is that you can easily boat large fish (some people catch thresher sharks from them in Cali). With a 搒it-in?you typically have to keep fish 15lbs and bigger in the water and haul them to shore.

I do have 3 recommendations for you that should lead you to the right boat for any condition that you may choose to head out in.

1.   Try before you buy ?a must for 搒it-ins?br> 2.   Get the longest boat you can ?my Ocean Kayak 揚rowler 13?is a little too short for me to consider it an open water  boat (2.5ft waves or more)
3.   Get a foot controlled rudder ?this is a necessity for fishing ?you cannot fish from a 搒it-in?or 搒it-on-top?without one. Do not let anyone else tell you any different. And get the rudder from the start or you will have a miserable beginning to your kayak fishing experience.

Write me back if you have any more questions.

Matt


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Two part question - What do you know about Current Designs Kayaks? And part 2 - I have someone from my local Kayak dealer suggesting the Current Design Vision 130 or 140 for the same uses I described to you.  These two boats are well short of the 16' you recommend.  The only difference in my priorities for the boat that I told him vs you is that I may wish to do some touring with the boat in addition to fishing.  With that said, my understanding is that the longer the boat the less stable.  Why do you think the difference is recommendations?

Answer
The sales man seems to be steering you to a 搑ec?boat. These boats are usually geared toward the casual user interested in just paddling around a local lake for some exercise. With a rudder they can be utilized for fishing in many conditions but not all. But I am impressed that you are considering a composite boat. I have to admit that my boats have all been plastic, though I have drooled over the QCC boats online.

Long distance paddling (or just easier/faster paddling) is typically seen as requiring a boat from 15.5??18.5?long. Any longer and the wetted surface drag becomes a problem. Any shorter and the width required to produce enough volume (to make the boat float) can lead to inefficient hydrodynamics.

And now for my disclaimer -The technical gibberish I just fed you is not based on my own expertise, but rather on many a day/night reading on the internet and a bit of personal experience. The QCC kayaks website has the best explanation of these concepts that I have ever read. The 搒hort and wide?concept is some what familiar to me, though I will not claim to be an expert on it. I have experienced this first hand in the 搒hort?boats that I have paddled and in my Ocean Kayak 揚rowler 13?sit-on-top that I own. You really notice that you begin to 揾it a wall?or 損ull a wake?before you really think you are at top speed in a short boat. Though not the most scientific explanation, it feels like you have just started to tow half filled 55gallon drum behind you. In a longer boat that 搘all?and 搘ake?will come at a much faster speed that seems to be around the fastest (frequency of strokes) that you can paddle.

As far as Current Designs goes, I have only paddled their boats a few times many years ago. So I cannot comment on the company. I can say that the boat make is not just 搒econd?but more 揹ead last?in importance to design and how that design feels to you. The only boats that I can say were pieces of junk, were the Necky 揕ookshaw?and 揕ookshaw II抯?that I paddled. They had hard corners below the water line and even with more width, they felt as though they were much less stable than many narrower boats that I paddled.

Now to back up again and throw you another curve ball! I may seem to be steering you toward the most high performance boat possible, but that is not entirely the case. Some of those narrow sleek boats are just not going to work for you in a fishing situation. They will be fast but the will most assuredly lack that feeling of stability that you need in a narrow kayak. Don抰 believe the 搃nitial?and 搒econdary?stability that is often touted as something that will actually be written in the specs. Your size, proportions, sense of balance, and gear stored on the boat (usually not too much compared to touring) will determine how stable YOU feel in a particular boat while fishing.

And let me make an addition  to what I have said before:

1.   Try before you buy ?a must for 搒it-ins?br> 2.   Get the longest boat you can ?my Ocean Kayak 揚rowler 13?is a little too short for me to consider it an open water  boat (2.5ft waves or more)
3.   Get a foot controlled rudder ?this is a necessity for fishing ?you cannot fish from a 搒it-in?or 搒it-on-top?without one. Do not let anyone else tell you any different. And get the rudder from the start or you will have a miserable start to your kayak fishing experience.
4.   A 搒it-on-top?is easier to fish from, while a 搒it-in?is more versatile, faster, and handles rougher weather.

Sorry to ramble but all in all, a kayak is like a pair of shoes ?I could pick your size out for you but you would have to tell me how they feel to you.

If I was unclear on anything, just let me know!

Matt