I have been fishing and using sot kayaks since day one about 4 years ago but I am finding myself going farther and farther on my fishing trips. Are there any sot kayaks as fast as there sit inside counter parts?
what do you paddle now?
There are some …
Not very easy to find them though. Some from south africa, some from US made from composites, no longer made however.
Try posting at www.sit-on-topkayaking.com in the forum there for the latest in fast in SOTs. Most folks here paddle SINKS and have little in boat experience with SOTs.
longer
boats usually go faster.
Something I thought of, but have no experience with:
There is that Point 65 North modular boat you could add pieces to and get more length. The trade offs are big $$$ , and less maneuverability.
You could ask a dealer, or the manufacturer if that would do what you want. A dealer might have a demo you could set up to try.
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not just length
It’s width, weight and hull cross section that also affect speed, especially in waves and rougher water. SOT’s are comparably wider, heavier and flatter bottomed than similar length SINK’s. Kind of like expecting an SUV to handle like a sports coupe.
Epic V6
It’s as fast as the Epic 16X.
I don’t know if it would be good for fishing, though. I don’t fish with it and neither does my wife.
fast sit on top kayaks
what do you mean “Not very easy to find them though. Some from south africa, some from US made from composites, no longer made however.”
Kaskazi and several other south african "fast " sit on top kayak manufacturers such as the Kaskazi Skua etc are still made and imported by Bruce Gibson of Venture sports.
Look at surfski.info for surf ski reviews of “fast” sit on top kayaks which are faster than 99% of the kayaks owned by posters on Pnet.
SOT for fishing!
Some have gotten off what OP wants to use it for and we’re getting into a SOT/ski speed discussion. Some of the suggested boats are a little squirrely for fishing.
The only 2 that come to mind
that I have tried are the Tarpon 160, and perhaps the Eddyline Caribbean 14.
Waterline length is your friend, as well as less width. But drop the width too much or spare the space for fishing conveniences, you have a fast wave ski but a poor fishing platform. The Tarpon is heavy, but stable and fairly fast for a poly SOT. It also fishes well. The Caribbean 14 looks very promising for stability, lighweight, and potential speed. Plus, it is well set up for fishing.
A lot of poly fishing yaks are heavy, wide barges set up for stability and to carry a heavy load. They aren’t very efficient at maintaining good speed that way.
Oh, and be sure to look for an asymmetrical one.
I looked for symmetrical examples, but
they were slim or none.
Hurricane Skimmer.
I have the Skimmer 128 and love it. They have a new Skimmer 140 that is outfitted for fishing.
my 2
i have fished out of my perception illusion which i consider to be pretty fast.
Faster yet is the OK Sprinter from which i have dropped a line as well but balance and manuverabilty more of an issue with this boat
New arrival from SA
Stealth Kayaks, offers a range of high-performance SOT kayaks designed specifically for fishing.
http://www.headwaterskayak.com/stealth-kayaks.html
I’d take one if they gave it too me.
Hard to spend over $3000 on an SOT though.
Original poster could look for an original heritage seadart or the longer model. They were fast and probably go for about $350 if you can find one.
Well that’s why I said to look for
– Last Updated: May-20-14 3:15 PM EST –
an asymmetrical one.
They best suit the OPs needs in this case. You should learn to listen to what the questioner is asking if you hope to be of any genuine assistance. As a general rule, kayaks are not canoes.
It’s kind of tough to know what you mean
by “fishing”? There is lots of movement/weight-shifting of someone who is a good fisherman…whether it’s throwing line with a flyrod or working a fish with a casting rod, or are you talking about becoming another guru on YouTube…?
I don’t fish but am on my 4th
Tarpon, a 160.A comfortable boat I can paddle all day and fast enough to get out there in a relative hurry. 3.5 to 4 mph is an easy pace for me.
I hear it is a great fishing boat.
For Fishing
You can’t beat an OC-1 solo outrigger canoe. Quite a generous platform and if you can mount a swivel type captain’s chair, you really got it made. Talk about stability. This is it for a variety of all types of fishing.
Another model
Feel Free Kayaks Moken 14
If the thread keeps getting longer in boat length you’ll be getting into the terrain of surf skis and as previously mentioned outriggers.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
hudsonriverpaddler.org