fisrt kayak purchase

[Darryl330]

Let me thorw this out there for some opinions.
My seven day a week gig is coming to an end and I'm going to by my fisrt yak this week.

It will either be the eagle talon 12 from Dicks, which is pretty well set up already or there is a used native manta ray 11 for sale pretty close to where I live for 500. It is not set up for fishing, however it does have the tack system already installed, so it would take much to rig it up with rod holders, fish finder mount etc., although that'll be more $$.

So, will I be really disappointed in the yak from Dicks??
Should I go ahead with the Manta, which I'm guessing is a much better kayak?

[ronaultmtd]

In fishing I always get the best tackle I can afford as in the long run is the least expensive- this is just me, but I would go with the Manta- better quality product, very good reputation-

[Darryl330]

Thanks for the imput. I'm leaning that way. It just seem like it will be much more stable.

[Strummerfan]

The cost of rigging is really up to you. If you're content with a milk crate and a few feet of pvc for rod holders then it would only cost maybe $20. Or you could go with a fish finder, a couple rocket tubes for trolling, camera.... and spend hundreds. You really don't need anything other than a kayak.

[rob-kayak]

Well... I am quite a newbie to this sport... had my kayak a year now.. it is a Perception Pescadora 10' .
It came with a rod holder and that's about it as far as fishing. I am extremely happy with it except
it's not really a fishing kayak. I've only been in river "sit-in" kayaks before, but I think most fishing
kayaks are more stable than my Perception.
It does seem to paddle fairly well... I actually bought it to go in the ocean to have fun in waves.
But now I mostly fish.

The one thing I'd do if I were to start over is get a longer kayak that would paddle really well...
at least longer than 10 feet.

As far as rigging a kayak... it's almost endless There are tons of vids on YouTube...
This guy has just about everything on his kayak.. I think it's only 9 foot... and he makes a a couple of
nice vids.... he's a "MacGuyver" at putting stuff together and you can get some good ideas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OnxG...1&feature=fvwp

A good place for hardware, bits and pieces, I've been using topkayker.com I am sure other people will chime in with their fav's .
I've been using rivets to attach my hardware... at first I used screws on some applications just in case the placement was not good,
but then replaced with rivets.

Make sure you at least have a whistle... I also have one of these horns...
It goes for about $10 bucks I got mine at Dick's but it is not on their website.
Click the pic for larger size.. Shoreline Marine Horn (120 dbl)



Avoid at all cost anything that will catch hold of your shorts, wetsuit, etc in your cockpit area... I replaced the paddle holder that came with
the kayak with a loop tie down... it came with a Tarpon deck fitting. One of the first days out in the ocean I rolled out in a wave and caught my
bathing suit bottom on the Tarpon fitting... and ripped off the complete backside of my suit . Luckily it was early in the morning and nobody around to catch my vertical smiling backside.

Another thing... at least in my opinion, must have is some sort of a dolly for portages... I made mine exactly as this fellow instructs..
http://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot...art-build.html
It cost me about $35 including the straps at REI for $15..
the only tricky bit making the dolly and saving money, is drilling the hole out for the axle. My first dolly build I ground the hole bigger because the standard drill kit doesn't come with a bit large enough.. and buying a bit 5/8" bit is like $20 bucks... I bought a masonry bit for my second build for $8 that did the trick. Wheels for the dolly are the most expensive part... but if you take the suggestion from Palmetto (in his instructions) you can get them from Harbor Freight for about $5 each.

You'll probably want an anchor... I'd suggest the heavier 3lb anchor.. some places sell a kit with a 1.5 pound anchor but I'd go bigger.
I sure other people will have the favorites.

You may want to get scupper plugs... what I have found works are those foam practice golf balls. I had to cut mine down
a little, run a cord through them.. they work great.

R.

[ronaultmtd]

Stability wise...knock on wood, I have yet to turtle a kayak, but I am very cautious and mindful of a Jim Sammons video I watched early on in my kayaking experiences on You Tube that explains...where the head goes, the body will follow- keep your head always in the centerline of your kayak and the odds are favorable you won't turtle- sit sidesaddle in the yak when you turn to get anything out of your rear tankwell- when big boat wakes (or big breakers) are headed your way, put your legs overboard straddling your kayak and lean forward holding on to the kayak carrying handles- lowers the center of gravity for increased stability- never lean out of the kayak to grab anything- bring it to you or move the kayak closer- pretty common sense things if you just think about what causes "turtles." I keep a rod's length of line on my rod when landing fish and point the rod vertical to pull the fish to the kayak- I don't reel the line up close to the end of the rod- that way you don't lean the same direction the fish is pulling that could have a quick change of the center of gravity and flip you- but above all WEAR your pfd all the time- I got a Hobie inflatable pfd for comfortable wear in hot weather- my Stolquist PDF is great but hot in the summer- I use several different brands of mounts- Scotty, Ram and YakAttack mighty mounts- all have plus and minus, but Scotty is pretty nice- Ram ball mounts are the most versatile and offer the most adjustments, but even with the mounts tighten, they will move when a big fish hits, so you have to keep your reflexes sharp- my advice is take it slow and make mods after you fish from your kayak a few times- you can't go wrong with two upfront rod holders-

[kevinfry]

Rob my only comment is to look at your build and decide if an 11 ft manta ray will work (check specs). 11ft is big eough for the bay if your a smaller framed guy or if it was a less slender boat than the Manta Ray...in your case it could be fine or to small. The Talon would certainly be more stable, but likely slower, and accommodate a larger guy. the longer Manta Rays are awesome

[J.A. Veil]

I have owned two Manta Ray 14 kayaks and love them. I paddled a Manta Ray 12 in Florida and caught plenty of trout from it. It would be fine too. I have never used a Manta Ray 11. I suggest that you take a test ride before buying. That is a good price for a high quality kayak.

P.S. It is easy to add some Scotty rod holders to the Manta Ray.

[SpacePeas]

Hey Pal,
I was looking hard at that yak last year(Talon 12), I didn't pull the trigger on I ended up seeing a post in the forum for a Ride 135. I wasn't looking for a Ride I had looked at a new Tarpon 120 but it was just out of my budget. The deal I found had a better seat and a paddle, after getting out on the water I knew the difference between the 2 yaks, not saying the Talon is a bad yak.
The other thing to take into consideration is the type of fishing you will be doing the Bay waters, open deep water like Kayaking Kevin in Norfolk or the local small protected waters. The smaller yak should do you fine in the protected water and in certain areas around the bay. If your plan to take on any deep water or main channel crossing I would look for a longer yak that has a haul built for cutting water and tracks well.

Take your time try to test several yaks, I rented a few yaks to get a feel of what I liked and didn't like. I came away knowing I wanted something around 12 feet and 28-30 inches wide, then I saw the Talon looked at it several times read several reviews but most of the guys stuck to protected water didn't have any data for the waters we see on the Bay. I ended up with a 13.5 foot boat that is about 29 inches wide. I spent most of my time last summer getting to know the yak and how I wanted to set things up. While in dry dock over the winter I started to play with the set up, I am still messing around with things but that is the best part of this hobby you can add and take away when ever you feel like it.

I spend a lot of time reading what the other forum folks post, there is a TON of knowledge on this forum and the other kayaking forums. Just take your time and make the best buy you can for your budget and the type of fishing you want to do.

My schedule is going to change soon and I hope to get more time on the water and maybe get to one of the M&G to fish with these great folks.

Maybe I will catch you on the water, Best of Luck with your search....

[Darryl330]

Thank you everyone for the input. Snaggedline is great! Probably going with the manta, and I'm sure after a season on that, I'll be getting into something bigger and better. Thanks again. Hopefully I'll get to meet some of you on the water soon.