Greetings all, I have fished a Loon 138 for a few years now and love it on lakes and slower rivers but class2 I nearly swamped with the open cockpit, I have both skirts for it but that hinders the fishing a bit. I am looking for a SOT that I can fish the Indian River Bay DE and also a class 2 river like the Lehigh in PA. I thought I had read a post about a guy who did class2 in a Prowler13. I’m 6’1" 230lbs @ 34yrs old and I would like to know if anyone has experience with a boat that would be suitable for both of these conditions. On paper it looks like the Prowler13 or the Tarpon series. I hope to get to Paddlesport 2006 in Jersey to talk to some people but I value your opinions as well. Thanks in advance for your help.
Jim
I believe that either the WS T-160 or
the T-140 would do it no problem. I know the T-140 will (that is what I paddle). Just do not plug the scupper holes in moving water.
The Popular Choices
The most popular choices seem to be the Tarpons, the Prowlers, and the Scupper Pro. Make sure whatever has plenty of capacity for you and gear. A lot of the smaller SOTs max out at about 230#
Ocean Kayak
– Last Updated: Jan-24-06 8:11 PM EST –
Drifter is good up to 500 lbs.
Caper is good up to 325 lbs.
Scrambler XL is good up to 350 lbs.
All three are available in the "Angler Edition".
http://www.oceankayak.com/kayakinfo.html
Thanks for the info
Great sites by the way, it looks like the Prowlers and the Tarpons are the leaders here with the Prowler having more Class 2 experience. Now all I have to do is find a place to demo them! I don’t suppose any Tarpon or Prowler owners would like to swap kayaks for a few hours while we paddle Blue Marsh Lake would they? Thanks again to all for the replies as they confirm my findings and narrow my search.
SOTs
A lot of guys that run rivers and fish as well go with the Tarpon 120 or 100 - the 14 and 16 foot versions may not give you enough maneuverability. Be careful of the Ocean kayaks in shallow rivers - some like the Caper have scuppers that are not recessed and exposed on the bottom and will catch on rocks and cause damage. Tarpons scuppers are recessed and up and out of the way. The Tarpon 120 will do rivers lakes and saltwater stuff too.
good point
I have a Tarpon 100 and really like it. Seems like some quality went into the making and designing of it.
That’s what I wanted
to hear, some do’s and don’ts of these yaks. My local river is the Schuylkill and it has some shallow spots for sure, even my Loon 138 scrapes but of course there is nothing to snag on that one. How can a hole not be recessed though? I imagine that the scuppers on ths WS are more funnel shaped instead of a hole in the wall, is this correct?
no
I just checked my Tarpon and it isn’t funnel shaped, just a straight hole, so I’m not sure what that means about being recessed. Maybe he’s referring to where the seams come together being recessed? Not sure.