Tandem yak?

[jhoss]

I'm interested in getting a tandem kayak to go out fishing with my kid. Any suggestions? When it's just me I am currently in an ocean kayak trident which is very happy in any water, and it tracks well. I've been in the Jackson big tuna, and while it is super comfy from the fishing and seating two people end, it was a bit less efficient than I'd want in a boat. Bottom line is my passenger likes me to do pretty much all the paddling so it's gotta move easily. Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your input-

[kevinfry]

As a bit of a tandem kayak aficionado, I doubt there is anything much faster than the Tuna out there that is still conducive to fishing.Plenty of guys fish the Tuna as a solo and I fished beside a snaggedline member "monocacykayak" who fished and paddled as efficiently as any of the non-hobie boats at the fall PLO meet and greet. The other supposedly speedy tandem is the Tarpon 130t. There are plenty of tandems that paddle fine and are plenty fishable (Malibu2xl has an angler model). If money is no object Hobie has a tandem too....I am not sure how it fishes as a single though.

[wfauby]

Watch this video i made last year of me fishing with my daughter out of my Big Tuna...it may change your mind. Slow down, enjoy the day...enjoy time with your kids, while they are still kids. Speed isnt everything. Good luck with your search. Wayne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlGVA5pwVL8

[Nitefly]

The NuCanoe Frontier is not speedy, but its very comfortable when set up tandem. Its hard to beat a bass boat seat It does track well and does well on non-windy days, river floats, places like Mattawoman. I'm pretty sure the Big Tuna is faster though.

[J.A. Veil]

Here is another perspective -- for what it is worth. I bought my first kayak in 2001. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted my wife and daughter (then middle school age) to come along for some trips. I bought an Ocean Kayak tandem so all three of us could go at one time. We all went out one time (my wife and me in the tandem, and my daughter in the single). They never went again. I ended up selling the barely used tandem.

If you can afford two singles (and assuming your child is old enough to manage a kayak by him/herself) you have much more flexibility that way.

[Runnin]

Here is another perspective -- for what it is worth. I bought my first kayak in 2001. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted my wife and daughter (then middle school age) to come along for some trips. I bought an Ocean Kayak tandem so all three of us could go at one time. We all went out one time (my wife and me in the tandem, and my daughter in the single). They never went again. I ended up selling the barely used tandem.

If you can afford two singles (and assuming your child is old enough to manage a kayak by him/herself) you have much more flexibility that way.

I have two singles, and my kids , once they learned to paddle really liked the independence of having their own.

[Pinch]

Hobie outfitter or Oasis?

[kuljc]

Here is another perspective -- for what it is worth. I bought my first kayak in 2001. I enjoyed it so much that I wanted my wife and daughter (then middle school age) to come along for some trips. I bought an Ocean Kayak tandem so all three of us could go at one time. We all went out one time (my wife and me in the tandem, and my daughter in the single). They never went again. I ended up selling the barely used tandem.

If you can afford two singles (and assuming your child is old enough to manage a kayak by him/herself) you have much more flexibility that way.

This is true (I hope my wife never sees this post). Anyways, she's gone out maybe 3 times. She doesn't care much for it. I bought a Hobie paddle tandem (Odyssey), and it has a middle seat setting so you can paddle solo. It works well, but it sits high off the water if I'm by myself (I assume because it's supposed to handle a lot more weight) so the wind blows me around. But all in all, I really enjoy it. A tadem yak as a LOT of room, the hobie yaks have cup holders and pockets on the sides, those little things help a lot. As a suggestion if you're going to get a tadem yak, use the yakattack rails (or similar) for rigging.

The only thing I do not like about this yak, and most tadem kayaks, is that it doesn't support a rudder. I believe the big tuna does, which is one huge selling point.

[DanMarino]

Two singles > one tandem

Your kid will want to be in their own kayak paddling and fishing as soon as possible.

[Capt C-Hawk]

just watching wfauby's video would make me opt for 2 singles. Good God, all he did was take off his daughter's fish the whole day.

[jhoss]

John, smart thinking. A smaller single might be the best solution. I actually took her out last spring with my boat and a small sit inside that I have, tethered to the back with a short rope. It worked pretty well and seemed to be fun for her, I just thought a 2 person might be even better. Plus putting 2 boats on top of my little subaru is a little sketchy.

Any suggestions for a smallish SOT a kid can paddle?

[wfauby]

just watching wfauby's video would make me opt for 2 singles. Good God, all he did was take off his daughter's fish the whole day.

Now thats funny!! I cant wait to do it this summer!!

[J.A. Veil]

Any suggestions for a smallish SOT a kid can paddle?

The Malibu Mini-X is 9'3" long and weighs about 40 lbs. It is stable and easy to paddle for a beginner. I have one that I use a few times each year. I particularly like it for overnight driving trips because it fits inside my minivan with the hatch closed. Since I am now on the Native Watercraft Pro Staff team, I feel a bit funny using a different brand of kayak and may sell the Mini-X in the next few months. My major consideration is finding a product in the Native line that also fits inside the minivan. I am looking seriously at the Manta Ray 11, which has an extremely comfortable seat and is laid out well for a small kayak.

Several other companies make 10' kayaks.

By the way, you can catch plenty of fish from a little kayak. Here is my buddy with a 27" rockfish that he caught using my Mini-X. I told him what lure to use, where to troll, and loaned him my boat. He had the first run through that spot and Voila! -- he caught the largest fish that day (and he claims it was skill, not my guiding intelligence).

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[Birddog]

wfauby looks like a great time I cant wait to take my 7 year old daughter out this summer.

I have been looking at the Big Tuna and like it a lot if the check book can handle it I might get her in one this summer.

[canoe515]

If you are mostly doing smaller waters (not the Chesapeake with wind and waves) and you want to keep a kid happy - I cannot recommend the Versa Board enough. It is slow and fairly heavy for a paddle board, but it is like a floating dock. My 7 year old can run from bow to stern, pee off the side, it is close to the water, he can, and I expect it to be the base for a lot of swimming this summer. It tows like a dream too- I towed him in Florida for many miles in Suwanee NWR, which is how I know it works great for peeing off the side).