Kayak and Canoe Thread

Dr.Retarded

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Foler said:
Thanks. Went to local outdoor store a few days ago. Only thing they had in stock were hobies and hurricanes. I just need single sit on top kayaks for river kayaking so im hesitant to drop big $ on hobie even tho pedal system seems solid.

Wilderness systems seems solid but also sold out everywhere. I'll research your advice once i get more free time next week. Hoping kayak suppliers can catch up with demand in the coming months 😑
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Wilderness Systems have a lot of really nice boats. Another brand of take a look at is Bonafide Kayaks. Very stable platforms and they offer a lot of features for the money. I think they're based out of Greenville South Carolina, and they've really made a name for themselves over the past few years with offering a lot more boat for you buck. I'd probably have one of their boats but they really hit the market a couple of years after I purchased both of mine.

Bonafide Kayaks - Fishing Kayaks (Sit On Top) Made in the USA
 
Foler

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Dr.Retarded said:
Wilderness Systems have a lot of really nice boats. Another brand of take a look at is Bonafide Kayaks. Very stable platforms and they offer a lot of features for the money. I think they're based out of Greenville South Carolina, and I've really made a name for themselves over the past few years with offering a lot more boat for you buck. I'd probably have one of their boats but they really hit the market a couple of years after I purchased both of mine.

Bonafide Kayaks - Fishing Kayaks (Sit On Top) Made in the USA
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Ya, heard bonafide was good. Have any input on hurricane yaks? Guy seemed to rave about their seating.
 
Dr.Retarded

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Foler Foler

I've not ever paddled one but if I'm not mistaken it's the really low seating. I think those boats are meant for moving fast and traveling long distances. Standing up in them is not an option. Yeah maybe they're comfortable, but I really like a nice stadium sort of seat. My priority is stability and the ability to stand easily for fishing purposes.

Here's a review on one of the boats from 30 miles out. That channel does a lot of salt fishing and he's paddled a number of different boats over the years:
 
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Borzak

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Foler said:
Also you've restored my faith that transporting a 12 ft yak in a 6 ft truck bed is possible. 🤣
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I haul a 13' with a 6.5' bed truck that has a toolbox in it. Not my pic but same thing. I tie a red flag on the ass end of it while doing it.

NEW-Truck-bed-extender-extension-kayak-canoe-lumber1-windsor-s1rxh.jpg
 
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Foler

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Borzak said:
I haul a 13' with a 6.5' bed truck that has a toolbox in it. Not my pic but same thing. I tie a red flag on the ass end of it while doing it.

NEW-Truck-bed-extender-extension-kayak-canoe-lumber1-windsor-s1rxh.jpg
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That hitch attachment is baller. You have the same setup?
 
Borzak

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That hitch attachment is baller. You have the same setup?
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Yeah it's made so you can use it like pictured, or switch the two pieces and it will line up kinda with the roof so you can put lighter ones on the roof. So one way it's like the pic long and low, or flip them and it's short and tall. I got mine I think from harbor freight. I split a pool noodle for padding on it.
 
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Araysar

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I thought this one was kind of cool for someone who just wants a kayak to fuck around with for an afternoon at the local lake or river, but doesnt want to get into the whole Kayak lifestyle. Also doubles a SUP



1598105356271.png
 
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Dr.Retarded

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Foler Foler as someone else previously mentioned, a lot of kayak shops do demo days, but they'll also rent you a boat for 24 hours. I know AustinKayak does this, but last I heard rentals we're off the table due to KungFlu bullshit, and that might be the same with demo days.

But if you can find a place to rent one, it's a good opportunity to actually paddle the boat and see if it fits you.
 
Dr.Retarded

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Araysar said:
I thought this one was kind of cool for someone who just wants a kayak to fuck around with for an afternoon at the local lake or river, but doesnt want to get into the whole Kayak lifestyle. Also doubles a SUP



View attachment 295545
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It seems that there are a lot of innovative watercraft like that coming out now. I was out paddling the other weekend and saw a family with two inflatable paddle boards. I think they may have been Hobies, but I wasn't able to get a good look. But both the parents were standing up on them, and each had a small child running around with them.

When they wrapped up all they did was wash them off, deflate, roll 'em up, and toss them in the trunk.
 
Araysar

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Dr.Retarded said:
It seems that there are a lot of innovative watercraft like that coming out now. I was out paddling the other weekend and saw a family with two inflatable paddle boards. I think they may have been Hobies, but I wasn't able to get a good look. But both the parents were standing up on them, and each had a small child running around with them.

When they wrapped up all they did was wash them off, deflate, roll 'em up, and toss them in the trunk.
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Speaking of which...

Anyone tried water bicycles? Ive seen people here in California use them in the harbors.

1598106142290.png


 
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Furry

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Araysar said:
I thought this one was kind of cool for someone who just wants a kayak to fuck around with for an afternoon at the local lake or river, but doesnt want to get into the whole Kayak lifestyle. Also doubles a SUP
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There's much better foldable kayaks. I think they are intended for the wandering lifestyle sort of person, where the thought "How much space and weight does everything I got with me take up". Unless you have a tight weight and space budget, I'd pass for something solid even as a beginner. If you are an RV'r or boater with limited resources, great option!

Araysar said:
Speaking of which...

Anyone tried water bicycles? Ive seen people here in California use them in the harbors.

View attachment 295547

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If you want some exercise on relatively calm water, sure. Why not get you a fucking paddle and use a real, more practical and more stable boat, though? It's mostly a gimmick.
 
Araysar

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There's much better foldable kayaks. I think they are intended for the wandering lifestyle sort of person, where the thought "How much space and weight does everything I got with me take up". Unless you have a tight weight and space budget, I'd pass for something solid even as a beginner. If you are an RV'r or boater with limited resources, great option!



If you want some exercise on relatively calm water, sure. Why not get you a fucking paddle and use a real, more practical and more stable boat, though? It's mostly a gimmick.
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Because its fun
 
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Dr.Retarded

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I've not ever seen one of those, but there's similar concepts out there. There's the BlueSky 360, a catamaran hull with a peddle drive system. I think they are partnered with Jackson for the peddle system. Shit starts getting into boat territory, and just seems impractical.

25573_25573_1~2.jpeg


 
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Because its fun
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If that's your goal, go for it. About the only real reason to have one.

Because a lot of people don't understand how boats work, thought I'd drop this here. There's a very important mathematical breaking point in boat speed. If you take the length of a boats waterline, take its root, and then multiply it by 1.34, you can calculate the maximum 'hull speed' of a boat. You can go above this speed on any boat, but it starts requiring exponential increases in power, risks to stability, or very precise engineering in specific situations. The average dude in a boat wont cross this line without a big motor.

The big takeaway is that the longer a boat is, the faster it naturally goes. A short boat will naturally be slow as fuck, and a long sleek boat like a canoe or kayak will be much faster more easily. So a longer, narrower kayak will be naturally faster, and a shorter beamier (wider) one will be naturally more stable.
 
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Foler

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Update. Yeah the hurricane doesn't look stable enough. So apparently miragedrive is amazing. I now have no budget for my yak, ideally under 3.2k a piece.

I'd like two kayaks that are single sit on top, ideally with some storage. One tandem kayak that can ideally keep up.

Environmental will be florida river kayaking. Some parts of river get kinda narrow so big hobie fishing barges wont work. Bonus points if I can also use it for fishing but NOT the primary purpose. I need yaks for myself and guests to enjoy kayaking down river and ideally do camping along the way. Stability would be nice.

Checked out local dealers. Stocks are thin but here are some brands they sell - Hobie, wilderness systems, hurricane, bonafide, eddyline, old town canoe.

Never heard of old town. Looks like they have a pedal drive as well.

Any thoughts? Any hobies that'll fit my requirements?
 
TheBeagle

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Foler said:
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Update. Yeah the hurricane doesn't look stable enough. So apparently miragedrive is amazing. I now have no budget for my yak, ideally under 3.2k a piece.

I'd like two kayaks that are single sit on top, ideally with some storage. One tandem kayak that can ideally keep up.

Environmental will be florida river kayaking. Some parts of river get kinda narrow so big hobie fishing barges wont work. Bonus points if I can also use it for fishing but NOT the primary purpose. I need yaks for myself and guests to enjoy kayaking down river and ideally do camping along the way. Stability would be nice.

Checked out local dealers. Stocks are thin but here are some brands they sell - Hobie, wilderness systems, hurricane, bonafide, eddyline, old town canoe.

Never heard of old town. Looks like they have a pedal drive as well.

Any thoughts? Any hobies that'll fit my requirements?
Click to expand...
Old Town has really been stepping up their game and making some top of the line yaks. This new one with GPS autopilot looks amazing.
 
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Dr.Retarded

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Foler Foler all the bigger brands are sporting some form of pedal drive now. The big difference between the bicycle style and mirage drive is the ability to go in reverse. Older mirage drives are stuck in forward only, but they've got a new version that flips the orientation of the fins. It looks a little clunky compared to just peddling backwards, but it's still reverse. Think that version of the mirage drive is more expensive, too.

As TheBeagle TheBeagle posted, there's lots of motorized boats in the market, but then you're dicking around with battery, registration, etc.

You really can't go wrong with any boat from Hobie, Native Watercraft, Jackson, Bonafide, etc. Just really comes down to features, weight, stability vs speed, and price. I guess overall availability is probably a killer right now, too.

Here are some Hobies that might be up your alley:
Mirage Outback - Fishing Kayak | Kayaks | Hobie

Mirage Compass - Fishing Kayak | Kayaks | Hobie

Mirage Compass Duo | Kayaks | Hobie
(Tandem boat)

Other Brands that offer pedal systems worth looking at:
Old Town Canoe
Jackson Kayak
Native Watercraft
Wilderness Systems
 
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