I was looking for a little lighter yak for paddling around the lake & for some fishing. I have a Ride 115 & really enjoy it, but was thinking I’d like to get to some places where the Ride is just to hard to drag. Have never tried a sink, so don’t know how easy or hard it is to get in or out of. Lighter, still paddles good, very stable, tracks well & can fish in once in awhile. At 275 lbs, & a slight disability, stable is important, that’s why I got the Ride, but would just like a lighter, faster boat too. Was thinking the Pungo 120 but know there are others out there that would work too. I will be paddling just lakes, ponds, decent weather, & the only wave would be coming from a boat. I have only been in kayaking for a year, but found out I like just paddling one as well as fishing from one. I’m willing to spend about $1000.00 give or take & am 175 miles from the closest place that demos, & that only happens about once a month…maybe. So would like a common boat I don’t have go 500 miles for. Thanks in advance…Mike
lighter
At 70 lbs the Ride is a real battleship, so it should be easy to find a ligher sit inside. Might want to consider the Dagger Axis 10.5. A friend of mine about your size has one and loves it. It is 20 pounds lighter than the Ride and 5 inches narrower but its slightly oversized cockpit makes access easy. He uses his for everything from photography and fishing to whitewater.
http://www.austinkayak.com/products/2867/Dagger-Axis-105-Kayak-2014.html
You are similar to our friends
Each has a Pungo 120 and there has been only one capsize so far, which is pretty impressive if you ever saw the two of them in a boat. One is so tense that I can’t imagine how he can stand it (that was the capsize), the other is more relaxed but tends to start aggressive air paddling if there are changes like wind, small waves or much of anything else. Each has a body portion that does not work worth a darn - one has extremely poor lower mobility and the other one has very poor upper body strength. Both are or have been quite heavy.
The 120 is what it is - not a good choice for bigger open water - but has been a very good choice for our friends. If you are contemplating more open water, I would suggest learn to manage the boat’s weight and look at SOTs. I am out of my realm with SOTs but fishing sites and others here have good advice in that area.
Pungo 120
I own this boat. I’m about 230 and I have one knee that bends very poorly. The cockpit is 55" - plenty easy to get in and out of. It’s an easy paddle with a good seat and solid pegs. It’s perfect for easy water and stability.
Hurricane and Axis
You could also try something like the Hurricane Expedition 140 Sport. It has a listed weight of 44 lbs, can handle up to 375 lbs and a Pungo sized cockpit.
I have a Dagger Axis 12. It is a good big man’s kayak but has a much smaller cockpit than the almost a canoe Pungo. It is a nice and just snug enough fit for a big guy.
If you can handle sitting on the back deck and sliding into the kayak or if you can butt plant straight down in the cockpit and bend your legs in then go for a snugger cockpit. If your disability requires you to more sit in the kayak as if it was a canoe you probably want to lean to the larger Pungo sized cockpits, a canoe or stick with sit on tops.