I am new and buying my first kayak! WOOHOO!!! I live in NY Hudson Valley and plan to relocate to Anna Maria Island (Sarasota Fla Area). I plan to do just recreational paddling around lakes, reservoirs, slow rivers, and when in Fla gentler water of bays and gulf. (There are no dog friendly beaches in our area but if you boat there are small ‘islands’ boaters pull up and hang out with dogs and picnic etc) My skill and fitness level as well as use only in summer / warm weather has me firmly decided on a sit on top, (I am 6’ tall and over 200 lbs) but when shopping I fell in love with the removable “beach chair” seat of the fishing kayak. I’d love to paddle around, find a beach spot, unload my gear (day at the beach stuff) and my dog (sometimes) 40 lb Goldendoodle. I’m also an artist and amateur photographer… The Ascend FS 12T or the Pelican Catch 120 look like the could hold a lot of beach gear, and the flat bottom would be great for my dog, I love the idea of being able to stand up in it like a paddleboard! (I haven’t fished in years, my family not interested…but when I did it was off boat or dock for fluke/flounder…no sport fishing…and I don’t know that I’d go get geared up for that again) So to my experienced paddlers (especially those on Gulf Coast Fla)_ is it silly or do people buy fishing kayaks for recreation_? Is there something I’m not considering before I make this purchase? I do realize I’d give up speed for stability, but like that old blues song goes “I’m built for comfort, not for speed!”
Yes, can be done and not a bad idea.
But, as you said fishing kayaks are often made for stability, to the point that it can negatively impact performance. There really is a large performance impact for that standing ability. Might be worth finding a demo day or dealer that has boats on a beach that you can try side by side to see how they are.
With a dog as large as yours, you will want a larger boat than 12 foot. In general, length is good on water, but challenging to transport and store off water. Often a good piece of advice is to get as long as you can deal with transporting and storing.
The lawn chair seats usually have built in positions in the center, which may not be what you want, as you are effectively paddling with another half person (the dog). The center seat doesn’t allow for balancing out weights. You might be better with a double that can be used as a single, so you can adjusts seat to offset the weight of the dog.
Have you ever taken your dog paddling? If not, go rent a boat and try it out. Some dogs are not made for it, and best to find this out before spending money on gear.
I wouldn’t go for the lawn chair seats but some of those barges could handle the high center of gravity…
You have a “40 lb Goldendoodle” as I recall that’s a strange looking dog with a good disposition. Is it a water dog that retrieves? Here is a pict of a was 75# at competition weight, now 83 pound Flat Coat retriever in a 12 ft Ocean Kayak Tetra. (discontinued) He rides well for an hour then he gets up to stretch. Then lays down again. We usually swim him first to make sure he’s cool and not worried about water coming up through the scuppers.
When Qruiser is in work out mode she can paddle the boat and dog 5 miles and average 3.0 mph. The boat has a slick hull, modest beam, moderate chine and no keel. A more average paddler would get around a 1.5 to 2 mph average.
The Hobie Quest is worth looking at. I’m told it is a quick boat for a fishing kayak.
Fun is where you find it: They were Sit-On-Top kayaks FIRST and only discovered as “fishing platforms” later. (Indeed, the whole “Kayak Fishing” craze only really came about big time in the last ten years, and manufacturers smelled money so they started gussying-up the decks with everything from rod holders to bait wells.) I had one of the very first types of “SOTs.”(a Scupper Pro, not recommending it for you/anybody else) I used it both in FL(winter visits to my brother’s place)and up here on the Hudson. Also had an RTM Disco(also not a dog-friendly SOT) Anyway, I’d go out and dog would sit on my lap! (There was no room anywhere else, though he would also balance himself on the bow.) We had piles of fun and even camped out. It sounds like you’ve already got it figured out and need no real advice from all the “experts” here–Use the boat you find the most comfortable(Demo as much as you can and remember there’s no such thing as the “perfect kayak/canoe.” Sooner or later they all come up short in at least one area when you want to stretch versatility of use…But if you get one that works for you in 4 out of 5 areas, then that’s more than good enough. It is RECREATION after all. (And the right 12-footer is just fine, if you’ve only got one dog to worry about–Hell, I’ve gotten two dogs into a 12-foot duckie and done moving whitewater river trips with them. B) )
Enjoy your move to the Sunshine State.
My advice would be to start simple and keep it simple. Peter’s advice above to find out how much your dog likes to be in a kayak is really important. My dog loved me and my family and would faithfuly sit in a boat for about two hours but she hated it, and would be so glad when we got back to land she would dance and jump. Carrying a lot of gear with you on the water is a pain, you have to shlep it to your car, then load up the kayak, and it’s hard to leave the kayak unattended with lots of gear. My advice would be to buy a simple used SOT that your dog can sit in the tankwell if she/he wants to for an hour or so, and then you can paddle to a beach with a beach towel and some water and food and use the kayak as a back rest. If stand up paddling appeals to you buy a Costco wavestorm and give it a try or a wide longer used SUP and give it a try for a season. It’s much easier to load and store and gives you a much more free experience. If you buy an inexpensive starter kayak and sup you can see how they compliment each other and what you really like. After you have a season paddling simple, and know what you like then look for a more expensive kayak or SUP,I expect the fishing barges will seem very unappealing at that point.
A couple of other things to consider. Standing to fish - you can see videos of someone standing in the kayak in perfectly flat water, if you weigh over 200 lbs and there is any kind of wind chop etc, standing is not going to work.
Kayak weight - the weight of the kayaks you are looking at are listed at 77 and 70 lbs. Usually these kind of weight numbers are for very stripped down boats, Just the hull of an example that weighed in light. In the real world plastic fishing kayaks weigh a lot more than the advertised weight, especially after a day of paddling and dragging them up a bluff and putting them on your vehicle. For a comparison the kayak I use most often weighs just 32 lbs, and my SUP weighs 14 lbs, they get a lot of use because they are easy to load and go. 77 lbs plus gear is going to be a big drag everytimeyou have to load it up.
As a fellow newbie, a removable beach chair sounds absolutely fabulous. But you probably shouldn’t listen to me! I totally see what you are envisioning though. Best of luck to you!
@Peter-CA said:
Have you ever taken your dog paddling? If not, go rent a boat and try it out. Some dogs are not made for it, and best to find this out before spending money on gear.
Thank you for all the well thought out insight! This most of all. My Doodle is still a puppy at 8 months and getting her in winter in NY she hasn’t had water experience outside the bath tub…(which she LOVES) we chose her breed partly for the love of water and how many people boat paddleboard and kayak with them, but perhaps a few rental test runs is in order!
@Overstreet said:
You have a “40 lb Goldendoodle” as I recall that’s a strange looking dog with a good disposition. Is it a water dog that retrieves? Here is a pict of a was 75# at competition weight, now 83 pound Flat Coat retriever in a 12 ft Ocean Kayak Tetra. (discontinued) He rides well for an hour then he gets up to stretch. Then lays down again. We usually swim him first to make sure he’s cool and not worried about water coming up through the scuppers.
Yes she is small for her breed 75-80 is more where we expected her, she’s a golden retriever & standard poodle mix known for love of water…and your picture is just what I have in mind, paddling with my buddy! Great photo!
@string said:
The Hobie Quest is worth looking at. I’m told it is a quick boat for a fishing kayak.
Thanx I’ll check it out!
@spiritboat said:
Fun is where you find it: … Anyway, I’d go out and dog would sit on my lap! (There was no room anywhere else, though he would also balance himself on the bow.) We had piles of fun and even camped out. It sounds like you’ve already got it figured out … and remember there’s no such thing as the “perfect kayak/canoe.” Sooner or later they all come up short in at least one area when you want to stretch versatility of use…But if you get one that works for you in 4 out of 5 areas, then that’s more than good enough. It is RECREATION after all. (And the right 12-footer is just fine, if you’ve only got one dog to worry about–Hell, I’ve gotten two dogs into a 12-foot duckie and done moving whitewater river trips with them. B) )
Enjoy your move to the Sunshine State.
From someone “who gets it” this idea of fun I have in my head, I thank you for all you input! I think I’m headed in the right direction! B)
@SeaDart said:
My advice would be to start simple and keep it simple. Carrying a lot of gear with you on the water is a pain, you have to shlep it to your car, then load up the kayak, and it’s hard to leave the kayak unattended with lots of gear.
Kayak weight - the weight of the kayaks you are looking at are listed at 77 and 70 lbs. Usually these kind of weight numbers are for very stripped down boats, Just the hull of an example that weighed in light. In the real world plastic fishing kayaks weigh a lot more than the advertised weight, especially after a day of paddling and dragging them up a bluff and putting them on your vehicle. For a comparison the kayak I use most often weighs just 32 lbs, and my SUP weighs 14 lbs, they get a lot of use because they are easy to load and go. 77 lbs plus gear is going to be a big drag everytimeyou have to load it up.
mmmmm, real food for thought. 77# Plus a dog and beach gear :#
@AmyD said:
As a fellow newbie, a removable beach chair sounds absolutely fabulous. But you probably shouldn’t listen to me! I totally see what you are envisioning though. Best of luck to you!
See you can see it too! Ahhh, relax on the beach after paddling a while… this is my kinda fun, before I saw the fishing kayak I imagined towing all my beach stuff behind me on an inner tube LOL <3 B)
@Blueberry Skye said:
Yes she is small for her breed 75-80 is more where we expected her, she’s a golden retriever & standard poodle mix known for love of water…and your picture is just what I have in mind, paddling with my buddy! Great photo!
A lot of the doodles I’ve seen have curley hair. Yours is more normal looking.
Remember that dogs don’t sweat. Sun affects them more than people (even white dogs). Dogs can heatstroke out when you think it is fine. Any whimpering, restlessness, hot skin, and dry hot nose may be a sign of heat stress. Wet the dog down get to shade. Swim the dog and keep it wet before it gets too hot. Of course in Florida, and South Georgia you have to select gator free water.
Thank you. My other dog (who won’t be paddling with me) is a Saint Bernard and we’ve had Chow Chows for many years before that… This may be my first dog who enjoys being outdoors when it is above freezing! While always being vigilant about the heat with my winter-loving furry family members, I’ll have to keep an new awareness to this one who loves being outdoors. As for Gators, yikes, I’ll be avoiding them as well, keeping to the Gulf!
The Quest has a beach chair seat. I think I need to go paddle one.
Cool let me know how you liked it!
My first kayak was a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120, neon green so other boaters would see me. I’m selling it ($750 w/ thigh braces thrown in) only because my husband says I have to if I’m going to get a racing boat). I really hate to let it go. It’s been an absolute BLAST! It’s incredibly stable, so no fears in big waves, & it can go pretty fast too! I placed 2nd in my class in the 2017 BluzCruz Race down 22 miles of the Mississippi River - so stable AND fast! And it will carry a TON of stuff - more than you’d ever really need. Two dry hatches & a cargo area - great for picnics, toys, tackle boxes, extra gear, whatever! Lots of great features. I think you’d enjoy the Tarpon or other fishing kayaks, especially if you’re looking for stability and family safety. Did I mention paddling one is a blast?
Blueberry, my desire to look at the Quest died in the review that said it was slower than a Tarpon of equal length.
I am on my 4th Tarpon, 3 160, one 140, and I just paddled a 120.
For that class of kayaks, I don’t think you can do better.
Sunparrot, Looks like a great kayak, but it’s the removable beach chair seat my heart is after…you’ll easily get $750 for it, thanks for thinking of me though! I can’t wait to get out paddling, weather is just starting to get nice up here in NY!