# questions



## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

hey guys, im pretty sure im gonna dive into this whole yak fishing thing with my girlfriend, i like the idea of having something i can store on deck that we can both go fishing and not have to worry about registrations and stuff, that being said i wanna know what people think about or have experienced fishing from a native redfish 10 or the wilderness tarpon 1000, im looking to keep my ideas to something like these two because of deck space and were not looking at making long trips in the yaks in open water, mabey some river acess but mainly just fishing from the boat i.e. sail out near a location that i know is ripe and dump the yaks in the water and go get dinner/see how far a fish can drag us.


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## Seatmech86 (Mar 8, 2011)

I'll try to keep it short(ish) If you are going to do open water and that is a broad term, you will want a sit-on-top because they are self bailing. 10 footers are also not ideal because of their tracking. Tracking being the yaw that is created by paddling so esentially your ability to go in a straight line. The more you yaw, the more you fight, the slower you go, the more worn out you get. Length plays into it as much as the keel. A yak with a keel will resist yaw more than a flat bottom. The more keel, the less yaw but the greater the turning radius. 

The only thing I can really say is demo, borrow, rent until you are happy(ish) with the yak then buy. Chances are you will still upgrade if you get hooked, but you may do it less times. I have upgraded 5 times since I started. I am now in a Native Watercraft, Ultimate 14.5 Propel. A yak that normally runs $2,300. It is not sit-on-top so, not self bailing and the most I've done for "open" water is the P-cola pass from the lagoon side and back. I have spray skirts and a hand bilge, which is the only way I would even attempt that.


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

yeah, like i said im more worried about deck space and the stability of the yak when its in the water, im not going to travel in the yak for anything more than a handful of miles at the extreme, any more distance than that and we will put them back on deck and sail to the new spot. i can however see myself upgrading to the shortest model of native propel models, i just dont know how much i want to deal with the maintenance issues of the drive system lol, you dont have to lube a paddle


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## Seatmech86 (Mar 8, 2011)

Gotcha, Sit-on-top yaks also give you room that is easy to rig out the way you want it and not what the manufacturer thinks you should have it. The Mariner is self bailing, has a large amount of deck space and it has a tunnel hull design that is stable enough to stand up in. Hobie has a few, and there is a mod that I have done myself that will make any kayak stand-up-able. As far as self propered units go I think Hobie and Native both have issues with their units. I bought mine as a demo, it had a structure design flaw that they later ammended in a next gen of unit. I made a permanent repar to mine. As far as the inner workings (binding, locking,breaking), knock on drift wood, I haven't had any issues.


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

k good info, have you been on the wilderness 10 footer? it is listed as 30.5 inches wide. i didnt notice if it was tunnel hull or not, the bottom was against the wall, i really hope someone on here has fished some of these little 10 footers.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

There are quite a few reasons to go with a sit on top yak. For you, I think, getting in and out of the thing from a boat may be more difficult with a sit-inside. Keep in mind, once you flip a sit-inside, it's next to impossible to get it floating again (while still in the water).


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

thanks yakavelli, lol ive re-floated a 14foot aluminum canoe that we flipped in the pirates cove bayou while we were trying to reboard my boat at anchor after a few too many bushwhakers, it wasnt too bad so i bet i could manage it but i agree thats definitely why i want to go with a sit-on-top, just looking for some pros/cons on the two im looking at, wilderness tarpon 100 and the native redfish 10


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## Seatmech86 (Mar 8, 2011)

What I have found with yaks is different folks, different strokes. I believe that Pensacola Kayak and Sail carries both of the yaks your looking at and I pretty sure they allow you to demo them. I tried out a Mariner about a year ago just before I got my Ultimate.


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

yeah they do, i was in there yesterday poking around, i really liked the gear on the wilderness, looks like it could really be set up nicely for short range fishing trips, hopefully we can get together with some of the ppl on here and try out some different yaks, i know the girlfriend wants to go see what its like to catch fish in a yak


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## Seatmech86 (Mar 8, 2011)

Also I have not tried the Redfish 10 but it does not look like it is a tunnel hull but the design looks stable enough to be called a stable fishing kayak but not for standing. The space behind the seat does look like it would take the mod to make it stand-up-able. The link below was me outfitting my Pescador 12.

http://www.pensacolafishingforum.com/831962-post22.html


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

thats pretty sweet, looks like it would make the boat really stable.


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## grgrobards (Nov 15, 2011)

I may be reading too much into your origional post, but if you want 2 people on board at once go look at the OK Malibu 2 at Academy. Bare bones - have to buy seats and rod holders (if you want them) but Academy has them for $399. My wife has one and it is very stable and pretty much unsinkable. Two of my grandsons can climb all over the thing without flipping it. For single person fishing you can go with one seat and a milk cart. If fishing is your primary passion this may not be your best choice. Just something to think about. We keep ours outside on a rack out of the sun.

Greg


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## rufus1138 (Oct 29, 2012)

i cant store a two person yak on deck very easy, and i think we both want to have the mobility of our own yak.


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## reboot_me (Jul 8, 2011)

I hate to hear the deciding factor for a newbie to purchase a kayak for fishing is "size for storing it on a deck" (limited to 10'). From personal experiences with various kayaks, and watching the evolution of the modern fishing kayak develop into a high tech craft like the very capable Hobie PA 12, there are a lot of options you may want to consider.

From reading all of the follow up post it looks like your mind is made up. But please allow me to present some light reading on the Gulf Coast Kayak Fishing Associations web site under the topic of getting started. What ever your decision, be assured it will be your decision, we can only offer suggestions!

http://www.gulfcoastkayakfishing.com/GettingStarted.htm

Best Wishes and Tight Lines.


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## FLfishR (Oct 3, 2007)

If you need a short kayak, consider the Malibu Mini X or Stealth 9. It is 9 foot long 34 inches wide and has a capacity of 325 pounds. Hull weight is about 40 pounds. It tracks well for such a short kayak and is very stable. Don't be discouraged about not being able to get a top of the line kayak now. Get whatever you can use and get on the water. You can always move up when circumstances change.


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## D3cept1on (Apr 23, 2010)

just buy a hobie!!! no need to hand paddle


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