Yup, SOT’s are the best
fishing machines. Visit www.norcalkayakanglers.com and see what the big guys favor. I’m medium-big at 6-2/215 and my favorite yak is the OK Prowler 15. I have had this on the Pacific near Mendocino in big 6-15’ swells and it’s a stable ride. I put a plastic milk crate in the back, have two rod holders, and lots of room for gear too. Pretty rare to see a serious fisherman in big water in anything but a SOT. Good luck!
Not in all conditions or for all types
of fish. In some situations, canoes and sit insides are a better choice than SOT’s.
what about this one
Has anbody tried the nucanoe?
http://www.nucanoe.com/
Looks like a good choice for a big guy, especially the 12 footer. I wouldn’t mind trying one myself and I am only 240#. Can set up tandum or solo. Vidios show it with a trolling motor and in whitewater.
Coy boy
Boats for big guys
I’m 5’9" and 290 lbs (someday less hopefully) I’ve had a walden scout for 5 or 6 years and it is fine. But not I’m thinking about something that is a little faster and lighter, like a Pungo 120 or 140 duralite. The Scout just seems too heavy these days, even with the help of the Thule Hullavator on the truck.
Does anyone have any ideas of a 12 or 14 foot sit in kayak that weighs less than 50 lbs other than the pungo?
I rec kayak and average 3 hours on the water on ponds, lakes and rivers. I average about 4-6 miles per paddle trip but have done 8-12 miles with friends and the boy scouts (my son’s troop).
Any ideas for me are welcome.
WS Ride
I demo’d a Ride last month and I was sitting in about 2 inches of water. If you weighed a measly 200 pounds, it might be nice.
I weigh 205lbs and had a Cobra
Tandem. That thing had tons of storage space underneath, and was so stable that I could actually stand up near the bow. But here were the problems that lead me to sell this boat:
First, it’s 36inch width was great for stability, but awful for speed. I really got a workout trying to move this barge. This was not a kayak I would want to paddle very far. However, I’m sure it would be a great fishing platform (something I never used it for), with it’s rock-solid stability and loads of storage space.
Second, the weight was a real chore to deal with. I had the optional rectangular hatch in the middle, so I would remove it so I could get enough of a grip to lug this beast to the beach. I would say a good dolly (not that cheap piece of #rap offered by Cobra) is a necessity for making the process of carting to/from the beach more bearable. When I sold my pickup truck and only had an SUV with a toprack, I figured I was going to injure my back trying to load/unload this kayak by myself, so I put it on ebay and sold it.
The guy who bought it was a lot bigger than me, and said he planned to use it for fishing & family outings around San Diego. I hope he is enjoying this yak, but it just wasn’t right for me.
Anyway, I am only posting about the Tandem because if I recall correctly, it has the same width and near weight of the Cobra fish-n-dive.
prowler 15
never got a chance to try the nucanoe. I found a Ocean Kayak Prowler 15 Angler on clearance today and decided it should work for my fishing and recreational kayaking needs. BTW I’m 6 ft and 240 Lbs. I’ll report back as soon as I get a chance to try it out.
Coy Boy
big kayak
So? Did you ever find one? Necky, Wilderness System both make really nice,large kayaks. You still want performance . If you just want stability, presumably you went with a wide recreational kayak for playing around the pond or close to shore as they don’t track especially well. Whatever, have fun and be safe out there!
Old Post
Tom, this is an old post. The original poster wrote about what he bought if you look at the posts above.
About using kayaking to lose weight, I find that working out, whether by paddling, some other sport or in the gym, yeah, you’ll burn some calories, but the best way to lose weight is by calorie reduction. Exercising is good in conjunction with calorie reduction to stay fit.
-Capri
P15 update
– Last Updated: Mar-26-09 2:48 PM EST –
as promised an update, I have taken the OK Prowler 15 out 4 times and I am loving it. 2 - 4 mile paddles and 2 - 6 milers. Compared to my Carolina 14.5 it is slightly faster, slightly easier to turn and 100 time easier to get in and out. The paddles have been on the lake and slow moving creeks but with some pretty good waves and wind on the lake. I made some scupper plugs for the cold water but may take them out this summer. Then again I like the drier ride so they may stay. at 250 (gained weight this winter) it is a good boat. YMMV
OK BG
I’m a large-frame paddler as well, at 6’6", 260 lbs., and I fish off of an Ocean Kayak Prowler Big Game and, at 12’9" and 34" wide, it is one stable craft. Check the specs yourself. I am relatively new to the sport with just a season under my belt, but I’d recommend going to a paddle expo, talk with reps, check out the gear, and you might even find what you need at a discount. See what feels right.
As a big dude…
I’m in the 300-350 range at the moment. when I hear “go for a sit on top” I think the people doing the suggesting are nuts. SOT’s are MUCH heavier (you won’t want to load it on your car or portage it to your body of water), wetter (your season will be about 2 months shorter unless you live in the tropics), and not quite as stable as a standard kayak (your center of balance is higher, and eventually you get tired of crawling back up onto the thing).
For the above reasons, I prefer a cockpit in my kayak…with one caveat: if you have bad knees and weak legs, you may be better off with a sit on top…but I have bad knees and it’s not generally a problem.
My current ride: Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145. It’s a 14’ boat with a large cockpit opening, a roomy cockpit, and a great seat. Down side: I was stupid enough to go for the “duralite” model and the thinner plastic has been nothing but trouble. It’s plenty durable, but it flexes so much they had to add extra support (a pillar right between your legs which makes emergency reentries difficult and an itch on your ankle a real pain)and I have yet to get the thing to seal properly. Both bulkheads leak, always have and probably always will. I’ve also been somewhat less than thrilled with Wilderness systems customer support…but not enough to not buy their products.
Anybody wanna trade a well loved two season old (turned 1 year old in June) tsunami 145 duralite for a tsunami 145 standard plastic? 
Bryan “large but trying to get smaller” Paschke
big guy
The Kruger Sea Wind is a good big guy boat . It isa
canoe/kayak ,and is known for being a good rough water
boat . I worry that the fill in the ends might not be
real good for you . It is a nice boat though.
Synergy
Hey glorydaze, I was looking at the synergy and caster and ended up with the caster. I really liked the synergy but wasn’t sure how easy it would be to get in and out of since the cockpit was so deep. Sometimes I like to throw my legs out and sit back and I thought it would be difficult in the Synergy because the deep cockpit. But I still like the synergy, maybe I’ll get the chance to try one out. Then there’s the price, the Synergy was $750 with just two flush mount rod holders behind the seat and the Caster was $550 completely rigged. I thought that still if I got the chance to buy another fishing kayak I might look toward the Synergy. I wondered how well it tracked and how easy it paddled and how comfortable the cockpit was. How do you like it.
kayaking
Have you found a great kayak yet? I am looking for one for a friend over 350 any ideas ??
kayaking
Have you found a great kayak yet? I am looking for one for a friend over 350 any ideas ??
just bought
I just bought an inflatable kayak. Its an advanced elements straightedge2 kayak. I took it out for its maiden voyage last sunday and loved it. Never thought I would go the inflatable route, but it is a great boat so far. I am 6’5 400#s and it was great. I ran the san juan river 2 years ago in a SOT and tore a hole in it and had to pull out 27 miles in. where it tore was unrepairable on the river. The inflatable at least seems to give me some repair options on the river. I did just order the lumbar support seat for added support, but so far, so good. you might consider an inflatable if you are a big guy. I bought mine at REI outlet. I got it for 25% off retail, plus they had an additional 20% any one purchase so I jumped all over it. I got a $800 kayak for less than $500.
Any Suggestions for Tandem Kayak
My husband and I are looking to get into it. He’s 6’3, 330 and I’m 5’6, 230. Any suggestions on kayaks that hold over 560lbs? Or is the consensus to buy individual crafts?..
someone once told me
that a tandem kayak is nothing but a divorce boat, so I bought my wife her own. I would go with seperate boats, gives you both a little freedom to do what you want without the other person yelling “you’re paddling wrong, or you’re going the wrong way”.
Plus, if you have two boats, you can invite a friend if your spouse is unavailable.
138 x2
I’ll second the 138. My buddy (260 and I (230) both have setled on these boats for our “do all” fishing boats. I’ve survived 3’ near miss boat wakes and 5’ seas in mine. Amazing stability and good “big guy” fit , comfort and performance.