I had an Old Town Vapor 10xt Angler (Only sold at Dick’s), and I loved it. Very stable, yet even though it was short, it tracked very well and went decently fast. It was also very cpmfortable. Sadly, it was stolen, and so I am now looking for another.
I consider myself an intermidiate kayaker, and have read that anyone who thinks that they are intermidiate should skip rec boats and move on to touring, but 99% of all my paddling is going to be done on a 100 acre lake, and anything else may be a slower river trip, or taking it to similar-sized lakes just to paddle around. I would also like to fish from it, but this will not be its main use.
I am trying to decide (after very, very intense research) between the Old Town Trip 10 Angler (same thing as Vapor, just only-sold-st-Dick’s version) and a Perception Sport Conduit 13, which is a sort of hybrid between rec and touring boats.
What should I choose? They are pretty much the same price, and will the benefits of a touring kayak really be felt on a small lake, or should I stick with a versatile rec boat? Thanks!
100 acre lake
Is not too small to get some decent waves if the wind comes up. The smallest lake around here occasionally has microbursts that put people into the water.
That said, I'd be asking yourself questions more about how much you paddle without company and how far into cold weather. There are diff's between rec boats and touring yaks in ease of on water self-rescue that can affect how long you'd be spending int he water.
This question keeps coming up.
There’s a thread below about someone wanting to use a 10’ Glide on the ocean off California. Clearly that’s a mistake. But those 10’ rec boats are made for the kind of paddling you’re sure you’ll do. So don’t let the purists put you off that idea if that’s what you’re comfortable with.
Here’s a better idea: Try out the boat you’re interested in, preferably on the water you intend to use it on. That way you’ll know what you really want.
If you find that a 13’ boat of that design is stable enough to make you feel comfortable, but has the other advantages of a more touring-like design (stability in waves and wind, speed, carrying capacity, etc.) then you will have found your next boat.
The Great Lakes are like an ocean, so they require more of an ocean design. Small lakes and sloughs and slow rivers without rapids, to my mind, are pretty much the same thing, and they are easy for smaller boats (not all, just the better designed ones). You know your own waters best.
I use a 10’ Emotion Glide rec boat on the sloughs in SF Bay. I can keep up in those with most of my touring boat pals, and the wave and wind action in those waters does not pose an obstacle to this craft. But as soon as I hit a combo of wind and tide action, my touring friends’ advantages show up immediately. I would not try a short rec boat in more serious wave, tide and wind action at all (though I’ve seen experienced kayak surfers do exactly that near shore).
Each boat, regardless of length has a different set of characteristics, strengths and weaknesses. So you might find some 13-15’ boats that work better in the sea than some 16-18’ boats. That’s why I take those “laws” of size or label of type with a grain of salt. Most of the guys doing rock gardening and surfing that I see use boats in the mid-range, say 14’-16’, and they are in some of the worst conditions imaginable. But they also have some of the highest skill levels.
So a 13’ boat that’s well designed and built seems to me to be fine for a lake, but so is a 10’ boat in most cases. You’ll have to sit your behind in one and try it out to know whether it’s well designed to your taste and needs.
Conduit
Since the Conduit is a rebadged Dagger Catalyst 13.0, you might want to look at the P-net reviews for that boat. I’d take it over the Trip Angler in a heartbeat.
It’s still a very stable boat, but it’s much more versatile than the Trip/Vapor, and has the added benefit of two bulkheads. Fishing doo-dads could be added at a later time, should you want them.
http://dagger.com/products/discontinued_models/catalyst-13-0
Gnatcatcher
conduit 13
I had one for a week from Dicks. I didnt keep it as I wanted a faster kayak. BUT its very stable and has a large cockpit which would help for fishing. You could keep a tackle box in it easy. Its 26 inches wide so very stable. But there are no pole holders like specialized kayaks have like from Native Watercraft have. But the Conduit 13 is pretty low cost as Dicks usually has them on sale for around 500 bucks and it does have front and rear hatches.
An easy choice
You should pick a boat that fits your need, regardless of what people say.
If you want to fish on a pond and were happy with the old boat, then a new one like it seems like an obvious choice.
Why would you consider a touring boat if you won’t be using it for touring?
Again,
fishing is only a secondary consideration, and I was wondering if a touring boat would provide more performance and speed than the old one, while still being manuverable. From reviews that I have read abut it, and from what I had heard, I think that I will go with the touring. It is a short touring boat, so it seems to fit my needs as well, and it seems faster. Also, many people have found it stable enough to fish from!
I only posted the question to see what everyone thought, not really for them to make the decision for me. Thank you, everyone for giving your honest opinion.