These are all good suggestions. What if you come across a few months old slightly used demo Pungo 120 for about $600 or so? That is the possible deal I might be getting. The guy who has told me about this works out an outdoors store similar to a higher end REI. He kayaks the local streams a lot and suggests this boat over others such as the Loon or Tupelo. The Tupelo seems quite heavy compared to the rest.
I definitely plan to keep my current rec boat no matter what I get to replace it.
Here is another one that came up. What about the Dirigo? http://randomconnections.com/kayak-comparison-dirigo-vs-pungo/
I would plan an pretty minimalist overnight trips.
A friend rented a Dagger Axis. Seed like a good boat
Got a boat yet?
No, I am pretty sure I am going to wait for that Pungo 12 for the price and what I plan to do with it. I will be getting it “off season” so they aren’t ready to move it along yet. I will ask the guy about the Dagger Axis as that looks like a good option as well.
I already have a kayak and am in no big hurry. I am just waiting for the right deal to upgrade to something better.
Conor
@cwatkin said:
No, I am pretty sure I am going to wait for that Pungo 12 for the price and what I plan to do with it. I will be getting it “off season” so they aren’t ready to move it along yet. I will ask the guy about the Dagger Axis as that looks like a good option as well.I already have a kayak and am in no big hurry. I am just waiting for the right deal to upgrade to something better.
Conor
Good plan.
I talked to the guy about the Axis and he says that he thinks the Pungo is a better boat for what I am doing.
It sounds like I will be getting the Borealis Green color scheme. I can get any color I want as long as it is that one.
Conor
With that color, you should get a good discount.
My Tarpon and Pungo are both Mango.
I will let everyone know what happens. The big 3 day/2 night trip in my Old Town Vapor 10 got cancelled which is probably just as well since I had so much other stuff going on. The Vapor 10 is not a bad boat for what it is and I plan to keep it as a spare or for smaller rivers. I may move along the spare cheapo that I have though.
I ended up with the WS Pungo 120 and think I am going to like this one. I have used others with a similar hull design and find it stable, yet handles well. This is considered a dihedral hull. I will take it out this Sunday if the streams around here aren’t flash flooding from the tropical storm remnants.
Conor
Nice! I like Borealis, is that what you got?
@cwatkin said:
I ended up with the WS Pungo 120 and think I am going to like this one. I have used others with a similar hull design and find it stable, yet handles well. This is considered a dihedral hull. I will take it out this Sunday if the streams around here aren’t flash flooding from the tropical storm remnants.Conor
Good choice!
I ended up with the Borealis color. I have taken it out twice and am not 100% in love with it just yet. What am I doing wrong?
It tracks great but just feels awkward to me for some reason. I went down from a 240cm paddle on my Old Town Vapor 10 to a 220cm on this one. the 240cm which many would consider too long for me seemed great on the Old Town. This is a wide boat and sits 4-5 inches higher than the Pungo. The extra height seemed to more than make up for the longer paddle. The 220cm almost still seems too long on the new boat. I am a high angle paddler and I had another thread about paddle length. Everyone seemed amazed that I was happy with a 240cm paddle. Basically it seems like the ideal fit in the Old Town Vapor but certainly not this boat.
I am 5-10 or 5-11. Should I look for a shorter paddle or are there any other suggestions? I feel right at home paddling the Vapor 10 with a 240cm paddle but this one seems awkward with either a 240 or 220. It is certainly better with a 220cm but something still feels out of place, especially with paddling. I don’t know if this just isn’t the boat for me or if I just don’t have things setup ideally yet.
I certainly don’t want to give up on it but am also willing to sell it at get something else if that is the best bet. I think I just got lucky that the paddle and boat setup I ended up with worked well with the Vapor 10. This was bought on a whim with little research and can say I am happy with that one. It is now my spare but I would like a longer haul boat with the dry hatch that makes me happy.
Let me know any suggestions you might have. Remember that I just got serious about kayaking this year. I figure others here will have a better idea of what might make me happy.
Thanks,
Conor
My friend, you have no idea what you might be getting into, but I would strongly recommend that when you get the chance, try out a real sea kayak. Fair warning, you might have the urge to throw rocks at your present boats.
Sea kayaks are a totally different animal than either of your current boats.
You need seat time and instruction more than anything.
You can’t make an informed decision based on your VERY limited experience.
Try getting some lesson from a qualified instructor before presuming that it is the equipment that is the issue. The “awkwardness” is most likely your technique which is going to be more obviously lacking the more the boat you choose has the ability to perform better. Kayaking is not intuitive – as in any sport, getting somebody to properly coach you is, if not imperative, at least highly advisable.
UPDATE: I have been taking the Pungo 120 out on some larger rivers and it is great. The small stream near my house is great but just not for this kayak. See https://fishingreelssite.wordpress.com/2016/07/13/little-piney-creek-trout-fishing/ I also bought a shorter paddle. It is a cheapo. I plan to upgrade that now that I intend to keep this kayak. I was to the point where I figured there was no point in keeping it if I didn’t love it.
Anyway, I don’t think a sea or touring kayak would be what I want where I typically kayak. I kayak shallow rocky bottom Ozarks streams. Something with a turning radius of a mile just won’t do!
I also picked up a Dagger Axis 10.5 on a nasty Feb day from a pawn shop for $175. This is a great kayak for the small stream near my house. The drop skeg is quite nice and gives you the best of both worlds. I know some reviews think this is a pain but I drive a manual transmission (own 5 cars with them) so it is like shifting gears for me.
Anyway, getting this kayak out on a larger stream seems to be the ticket. I think a few bad experiences soured me on it but I was simply using it on the wrong stream.
That being said, I wouldn’t mind getting some barge of a kayak (Old Town Loon?) for overnight trips. I have also seen some at Bass Pro that they call a hybrid canoe/kayak that might be interested. I am in no hurry to buy, especially before I try one out.
Conor
I bet there are a lot of pro and con comments from posters who NEVER paddled either boat.
You need to paddle them and make your decision. Too many variables , the greatest being you, for us to help.
Just don’t buy no stinkin’ Pelican!
I have owned 2 pelicans, both were excellent value boats and gave me great experience.