i got into kayaking last year with the wife and we bought a couple of pungo 100 because they were cheap and if we didn’t like it we could sell them a get our money back.
i have found out that i love kayaking so i am looking to me a new kayak and looking for some suggestions.
i am 6’2 230lbs and the kayak i want will be used in many different ways.
we mostly do our kayaking in bays and lake (so we go mostly of sunny calm days) but would like to do some ocean kayaking (live in vancouver bc) but i would like to be able to do some fishing of the kayak when in the mood
so what can of kayak should i be looking for
thanks for any help given
QCC - 700 would be good boat
Boat plus…
Adding in bigger water ups the ante on skills. Is there a place within reach where you could get both a chance to try out boats as well as some basic skills work including rescue? You are in a very good position that way if you and your wife paddle together.
That all said, faster for doing distances in more open areas, up to big water conditions and a great fishing boat is a problem. The QCC700 recommended and many of the others you may have suggested to you are true sea kayaks that were designed withgout rod holders in mind.
Where does the fishing part fit in your priorities?
kayaking choices
i would list my kayaking life style this way:
1: lakes and bays (close to shore) on warm sunny days
2.fishing (maybe 1 out of 3 day trips)
3. ocean touring (haven’t done any overnighters yet but the wife is dying to do this and that means i a dying to do it as well O:) )
i am looking for a kayak that allows to me do these things when in the mood.
Fishing may require more compromises
Depends on what you target and where. Many kayaks allow for causal fishing, but if serious about it, you may be talking about having two kayaks, one for fishing and one for the paddling wants you describe.
Keep the Pungo for fishing
and get a new boat for paddling.
Andy
For his height and weight and the fact
that he wants it for fishing, I would recommend a 500 over the 700 if he is looking at QCC’s
Cheers
JackL
Incompatible Uses
Fishing and touring don’t mix very well. But if you insist, get a sit-on-top. You can certainly fish from most sit-on-tops and you can tour as well but at a much slower pace. You cannot fish from a kayak like the QCC700 unless you want to fish while hanging upside down in the water. The first time you land a fish and forget and lean a little too far over the edge to grab it, upside down. You would be better off to keep the Pungos for fishing and putzing around and get an entry level touring boat like a WS Tsunami for open water.
I agree
Don’t sell the Pungos. You’ll find them useful for fishing, and maybe paddling shallow Class I rivers.
Add a sea kayak to your fleet. The QCC 500 would be a good choice. If you want to fish big water, you might look at building something like the Pygmy Queen Charlotte.
Maybe down the road, sell the Pungos for an SOT or larger open cockpit boat that will be better for fishing than the Pungo 100.
one boat will not
do it all. I’ve got a QCC 700 and agree with Dr. Disco on fishing upside in the 21 in wide QCC 700.
That said I also paddle an Enlightened Kayaks T-16 (see my and others’ p-net reviews) that in the fishing configuration might work well for you.
The T-16, like the QCC 700, is a John Winters design. The T-16 is 24 in wide, and is one wicked fast and sweet paddling boat, but my boat has a funky exterior finish. Maybe Mike Steines has got it together and is now putting out a boat that looks as good as it paddles - price is right and my T-16 is holding up well.
If you are talking about fishing off
the beaches, an SOT is best. For bays, SOT’s are the kings these days.
Agree with others
By the time you get to ocean touring, you have left a really apt fishing boat behind. Or the reverse, however you want to rate it. The Pungos will remain a useful part of your fleet for a while as a more fitting boat for fishing than a sea kayak and good boats for just knocking around closer to shore in a boat that you don’t mind beating up a little.
As to the ocean touring part, I would strongly urge you to hold off on the boats (and a pile of gear and clothing that you are probably not yet aware of) and get some basic lessons in paddling skills, how to do rescues and general seamanship before you make a final choice on the boat. As you move into that water you’ll need a bunch of skills that Pungos, while great boats for what they do, don’t support or make evident.
And get ready for the price tags - if you insist on going new for sea kayaks it’ll be 2-3 grand per boat and another 3 grand for the gear and clothing that you’ll find yourself craving. Used should definately be on your list, including things like drysuits (for which EBay can be a good resource).
Your timing is actually rather good. If you take this season to get some lessons, go to demo days and maybe take a few tours (though there are tours and there are tours if you actually want to learn anything), you could have a good sense of what you wanted by season’s end when outfitters are selling off their demo fleet.
It sounds like you guys have the bug but good. So you’ll enjoy whatever you do. Unfortunately, you’ll need to allocate a little more space to boat storage to do it all.
Several Kayak Types
As the posts above indicate, touring and fishing kayaks usually have different priorities, and a sit-on-top kayak probably is best for fishing. With that said, there are quite a few wider touring kayaks that I’ve known people to fish out of, although you would have to do without rod holders.
My wife and I started out kayaking in Tsunami 140s. We didn’t fish in them, but they were certainly stable enough to fish from. They would also work well for the lakes and bays you have listed as number 1. The Tsunami also comes in 16 foot sizes which may be more suitable to more open water/higher wind conditions.
I’ve also known people who have fished from Prijon Seayaks and Kodiaks, and they would be very well suited to the ocean. I’ve also seen people fish from a Current Designs Solstice.
My wife and I now own a Capella and an Aquanaut, and without having ever fished from them, we would be comfortable doing so for smaller fish. Of course larger fish that would end up pulling the kayak everywhere wouldn’t be too fun. Unless you get a rather narrow and tippy boat (21" or less width), you should be able to fish from them once your are comfortable with the stability of them. Keep in mind, though, that they would lack the fishing amenities of fishing kayaks.
I’m not the most experienced kayaker,but
If you want to do ocean touring; I mean if you REALLY want to do ocean touring (2 plus days, etc) you will really want to get a boat dedicated to that purpose, and the SOT, or whatever, for your fishing and gravel grinding, etc.
I have a plastic kayak for going up places like Widgeon Creek where I know I’m going to be getting hung up on the bottom frequently. But I also got myself an ocean touring kayak last summer, and let me say it is SWEET! Makes every minute on the ocean pure joy and contentment. I won’t tell you what model it is, because I have found that every boat fits each paddler differently.
I went to Ecomarine (they have 3 locations, one of which is on Granville Island, the other at Jericho Beach, not sure where the third one is) and demo’d no less than SIX kayaks with them. (Not counting the other 3 o 4 I couldn’t fit in that I tried on the dock before even getting into the water). Deep Cove Kayaks also has a huge selection of boats, too. Either place will be more than accommodating if you tell them you’d like to rent for 2 or 3 hours, but would like to try different boats. DO IT!
Some say you can’t tell in a half hour paddle what your boat is going to be like. While I won’t disagree, I could tell A LOT in that half hour with each boat. I went from the sheltered calm waters of Granville Island out into the waves of English Bay (so I could know how they felt in both conditions). The first boat felt like I had bricks on the end of each paddle. The next one rode way too much over the waves for my taste, the third didn’t track as well as I liked, etc. But then I got to the fifth one. Oooh that lovely fifth one. Tracked like a dream, good compromise of slicing through the waves versus feeling like a bobbing seagull, and the comfort of the cockpit. Wow. I got out into English Bay laid back…and laughed. It was pure joy, and I knew it was pretty much what I wanted. After trying one more, I was convinced.
I bought that boat, and now I never want to get off the water, no matter how long my trip has been. 1, 2, 3, even 5 days, and I still don’t want to get out of my kayak at the end of it. Honestly, I think if you try to get a boat that is a compromise, you’ll spend your whole time not happy in either setting.
Get the touring boat, and get out and experience what this beautiful B.C. coast has to offer!
what kind
– Last Updated: Apr-16-08 12:49 PM EST –
one that meets your skills and can provide the platform for learning more.
The water is cold and you're coming from a no-self-rescue rec. boat. I would stick with high stability kayaks that respond well to paddler skills.
Necky Manitou 14 and learning rescues. There's all kinds of $$$ kayaks out there but it makes more sense to focus on skills development than the boat in the pictures.
Don't look at $3000 "sea kayaks" until you've taken lessons in the plastic equivalents in the conditions they're designed for.
http://www.neckykayaks.com/kayaks/day_touring/manitou_14_select.shtml
More suggestions
I realize many have responded withgreat information and suggestions. In this case i just cant pass up adding my 2cents worth. I agree wholeheartedly that the right sized SOT ( favor the Ocean Kayak brand). Would be an appropriate boat for what seems to be your current paddling priority’s. Keep in Mind you are your wife may well need different boats. I have Scupper that I find great for long kayak camping trips(30-50 miles), able to carry the necccesary gear, and forgiving for the various conditions I often encounter. They are also easy to outfit for fishing. Do Keep your Pungo))
this is what i am thinking now
1st i would like to say thanks for all the replies
after reading all the replies and some of the other topics on the board is that i think i am going to go with the pungo 140 (or something similiar)
my reasons behind this are:
- my current pungo 100 is too small for me (i ride very low)
- with my current kayaks destinations (lakes,rivers and bays) i have really no need for a touring kayak and the touring kayak would take a beating in rivers and lakes
- similiar to # 2 if i get a touring kayak for ocean and over nighters i would have to get the wife 1 so double the cost ( barely can afford 1)
- for the amount i am going to fish of my kayak (lucky if it would be 2X a month more likely once in a blue moon) the pungo 140 has had good reviews on this site about being able to fish off it
- the pungo 140 would give me enough carrying capactiy for days trips
the other conclusions i have come to are : need a course in roll overs , test out some kayaks and when the time comes to do some touring get another kayak for that purpose
does anyone see ay flaws in my line of thinking??
$.02
– Last Updated: Apr-16-08 4:12 PM EST –
no flaws, some suggestions.
The 100 is too small but there are better paddling rec. kayaks than the pungos for a medium large person.
The Manitou 14 has all the stability of a rec. kayak but more glide/efficiency than the 140. The 140 has a larger cockpit but the Manitou is both big enough to paddle without a skirt and lift legs getting in butt first, feet second like a rec. kayak. In high winds/waves you'll be a happier with the Manitou.
The Pungo has a big cockpit opening that will not be as user friendly for self-rescues as the Manitou. If you ever though of learning to roll it's a possibility with the Manitou,,not really practical with the Pungo.
Basically the 100 is a small rec. kayak for you, you can still have the stability and user friendlieness of a rec. kayak but in a better transition to a sea kayak with the Manitou 14 than simply a bigger rec. kayak.
A sot wouldn't exactly be the most user friendly given the water temps in BC.
Only one flaw
– Last Updated: Apr-16-08 4:35 PM EST –
As above, even the bigger Pungo boats are not friendly for rolling and some of the bigger water skills that you probably want to be able to at least dabble in. It's just not what they are intended to be about. A boat like the Manitou or maybe a Tsunami series boat would get you better set up. It'd give you a much bettr base to use to choose the next boat if you could start skills in something sooner.
What make of kayaks are obtainable around you?
And yeah, a SOT in ocean water that never sees temps above 60 Farenheit (if it even gets that high) doesn't sound like a plan.
BTW, the rolling over part is pretty easy - betcha you could do that right now. :-)
my reply
once again thanks
i would prefer a sit in kayak.
i am not married to the pungo brand but i do like the pungo 100 i have and reading this forum the pungo 140 has had good reviews and it seems to be suited for my intentions (lakes,river and bays with some fishing)
i do like the large cockpit of the pungo’s (my fat a** is easy to get in and out) never tried a Manitou so i don’t know what there cockpits are like?
i should have access to many different brands of kayaks now :
delta, wildneress, necky, eddyline