My husband recently purchased his first Kayak, an Ascend FS12 and has started fishing in some local small lakes and ponds in Indiana. Now I’m wanting to purchase one so I can join in on the fun! I’m in my 30’s and 5’2and 140 pounds. I’d like to stay under $800 and he’s pushing for me to get an Ascend but after reading tons on these message boards I’m considering the following kayaks:
Perception Pescador 10’ sit on top for $449 from Academy
Perception Pescador Pro 10’ sit on top for $729 from Academy or ack.com
Wilderness Tarpon 100 for $739
Ascend 10T for $549 from bass pro
Will one of these 10ft ones be a good choice for me? Any other suggestions?
Could you also recommend a few paddles and PFDs?
Also, my 6 year old son has $300 saved up and is wanting to buy his own kayak. I was thinking of just buying him one of the cheap $100 kids kayaks and seeing how into it he is before i let him spend $300 then possibly after hes done with the kids one I’d be ready to upgrade and he could have my 10ft one. We also have a 7 and 8 year old daughter so there’s a good chance they might want to get into it too! but then I have the issue of having to transport all these kayaks!
Is there any place you can test paddle a 10-foot kayak and see how it tracks? Have you paddled your husband’s kayak? If so, what didn’t you like about it?
I have a Winderness Ride 115 for fishing and my wife has an Ascend D10T. She loves it, and it is easy to handle, but you lose some tracking with a shorter kayak. I did a TON of research before we purchased ours, and I found that the WIlderness kayaks have a lifetime hull warranty. That was a difference maker for me.
I’m a long time Tarpon paddler. Mine have all been 140 and 160.
A friend rented a 110 and I was surprised at how well it performed.
The cockpits are all the same size and can be adjusted to fit almost anyone.
They are wide so a smaller person could have trouble reaching the water without banging their knuckles.
Paddles: Aquabound makes good paddles at reasonable cost. For beginners a fiberglass shaft and nylon blades is adequate. Expect to pay around $100.
PFD: You have to try them on. They need to be worn and won’t be if uncomfortable.
I use an Astral V-8 which is the most comfortable I’ve found . They are $125, but I just bought one from Academy for my grandson for $60 and he likes it.
I was on the Wekvia river in central Florida where adults were paddling rental boats from bank to bank. Up beside me came a small youngster paddling one of these just as straight as you please followed closely by mom in a sea kayak. You can see the best use we have for the kayak.
