I’m new to kayaking, and even newer to this website. Wow, wish I had discovered this site even sooner!

We have a vacation rental on the Great Wicomico River in Heathsville Va, and we provide our guests with kayaks and paddleboards. Considering adding an Ocean Kayak Malibu II which is a SOT and a tandem. [The review on paddling.com was very helpful!]

We have two SUPs and two kayaks. Both kayaks are SINKs, and we thought that the Ocean Kayak Malibu II would round out our very modest “fleet”. We just have recreational kayaks, but we do have plenty of parking for guests to bring sea kayaks or fishing kayaks.

We are wondering if we should stay with recreational kayaks, or perhaps invest in a fishing kayak.

We would love any recommendations!

Thanks very much, Larry Hokie70

Sit on top kayaks are common in rental fleets, because they have some added safety over a sit inside (easier to get back on should someone flip, won’t flood, etc.).

The Malibu II is a good boat, so should make a good addition. Can be used as a double of single. The Malibu II XL is sightly larger and could also be used as a triple with 3 smaller paddlers, so also a good option. These boats are also stackable - if you get 2 or more of the same model, they stack on top of each other (though a Malibu II won;t stack with a II XL, or visa versa).

Often fishing kayaks are just SOTs with rod holders and the like. If you do get a lot of people who borrow your boats to fish, having one may be good. But they are usually more expensive than the non-fishing versions. A standard sit on top could be used for fishing, just doesn’t have some of the bells and whistles (rod holders and the like). If your client are requesting fishing kayaks, maybe go for it. But until then, you may want to just stick to standard sit on tops, which they could use for fishing.

Thanks! Very helpful comments, and most appreciated. Larry