Kayak to Stand & Fish In...West Marine Cayman 11.5, BPS Ascend FS12T/FS128T or ?

[Snakehead Hunter]

I bought my Trident 13 used. I think it was around $700, just have to keep an eye on Craigslist. I think many will agree that buying a used good kayak is better than a brand new bad kayak. It will save you the trouble trying to sell it later just my opinion

[whenican]

Have you considered a Wavewalk? It is very stable. I stand up in mine all the time.

[Financeguru]

Well, I went to Bass Pro last night in Hanover and took my first look/touch the FS12T and FS128T and have some observations that I wasn't aware of before:

- Both the FS12T & FS128T's scupper holes don't seem to align well where the top and bottom molds meet. When I ran my fingers through the scupper holes, the molds for the scuppers were not a smooth transition between the top and bottom molds but rather were misaligned and had protruding edges. I wasn't able to tell from the inside of the hull how much of a weakness or prone-to-cracks/split this makes the area of the scupper holes. It could be the scuppers are misaligned from the outside of the kayak but still robust and strong from within the inside of the hull, but it's hard to tell. Most other kayaks I own or have owned (Hobie, Perception, Wilderness) always seemed to have smooth transitions between the top and bottom mold seam within the scupper holes.

- FS128T Is huge and alot of boat...reminded me a little of a PA. I now understand the "aircraft carrier" metaphor used regarding it. It may only be 8" in length longer than the FS12T but weighs 22 lbs more, is 2" wider, has much more depth to it's draft , and is $200 more in price than the FS12T. Despite being such a bigger kayak, it sadly only has the same 350 lbs weight capacity of the FS12T.

I was very interested in the lawn chair type swivel seat and saw that you can do both horizontal (sit closer/farther from foot braces) and vertical (how high you sit on the kayak) adjustments on the FS128T but only horizontal adjustments on the FS12T. I was a little concerned that the only thing keeping the seat in place is a person's weight and some bungee cords (the FS12T has a shroud/surround that keeps it in place).

A big disappointment was the so called swivel seat...yes the seat turns but it's not a free swivel, you have to reach down and push a lever under the seat for it to turn. Also, it will only turn to the next slot/notch then and locks in place again. So if you want to turn more, you either have to keep your hand on the lever till you find the slot position you want to sit in or you have to reach down again to push the lever to turn the seat again to the next position...this is not the swivel I had imagined where I could freely turn the seat hands free while fighting a fish.

The round storage compartment lid design at the bow/stern of the kayaks are difficult and counter-intuitive to open. They also don't have a cord attached to the underside of the lids to keep them attached to the kayak. The FS128T has a stand up-assist strap while the FS12T does not. There is more flat platform room to stand in the FS128T than the FS12T but I noticed that the compartment lid on the FS128T that is in between the kayaker's legs has a slight ledge and is not flush with the slightly sloped area of the kayak around it (might make for an area of a small puddle/standing water that won't flow down to the scupper holes). I also stood on the kayak on the show floor and found some flexing on some parts of standing platform from my 200 lbs weight.

- The FS12T looked more like a typical 12' kayak though it is noticeably heavier at 77 lbs than my 12' Pompano at 60 lbs. It also has the lawn chair type seat but can only do horizontal adjustments but the seat stays in place via a metal shroud/surround. No strap for stand up assist. No difficult round hatch openings but also not as many large compartments to gain access to the hull. Also, not as much room to stand as the FS128T. The FS12T is also a much more shallower kayak in terms of draft. I also stood on this kayak on the show floor and while there wasn't as much flex as the FS128T, there is still some flexing.

As of right now and without having tried it out on the water, I'm more inclined toward the FS12T than the FS128T.

Things that concern me is the scupper hole misalignment and how much that brings weakness to the scupper hole areas and the quality and support of the plastic used in the kayak due to the slight flex I feel when I stand.

Things that remain to be seen is the tracking and speed of the FS12T, the ease & stability of standing in it, and the ease of out-of-the-water handling of the kayak due to the higher weight for a 12' kayak.

I asked about sales and if there are any demo days for the kayaks and was told that the FS12T & FS128T have not gone on sale yet this year, don't if/when they will, and BPS does not have any demo days for their kayaks. I forgot to ask about their return policy if I try out the kayak in a body of water without scratching it up and find that it's not the kayak for me.

Anyone familiar or have experience with returning a once-used kayak to BPS because they were not happy with it?

Appreciate the input.

[jsnyd86]

I have a used Malibu Stealth 12 I'm going to be selling soon. I've had it for a few years and it was my first true fishing kayak. It's incredibly stable and has a carrying capacity of 450lbs.

http://www.malibukayaks.com/kayaks/stealth-12/

[Financeguru]

Have you considered a Wavewalk? It is very stable. I stand up in mine all the time.

I have not seen or tried a Wavewalk on the water before but from what I read from one person, it was like paddling a ton of bricks and it turned like a barge but was super stable and comfortable. I remember looking up the price and it was out of my price range at the time, so I no longer pursued interest. I'm open to it but would need to try it out first, especially since it's an unconventional type of kayak that I have no experience in.

What's your experience about how it paddles and turns? What does a used one go for you think?