I am looking to buy a SOT kayak for fishing. Most of it will be salt water fishing (but the water is not too rough at all), with some fishing in lakes as well. I like the Tarpon 140 and the OK prowler 13. I have done some research, but i couldn’t find anything comparing the two. So my question is which is faster/more stable/easier to paddle, etc…
Thanks for any replies
Some generic answers
I will start by saying that I have not paddled a Tarpon 140, and my paddling in a Prowler 13 was very brief.
That said, both are pedigreed fishing kayaks. If you are fishing in current with rocky ledges and such, either is probably a little too long for good maneuvering (though temper that because “too long” is a matter of personal preference and use requirements).
As a general matter, longer will tend to be faster, and wider will tend to be slower given other similar hull characteristics. The Tarpon and the Prowler aren’t terribly dis-similar in hull types, so I would suspect that the Tarpon 140 is faster. Also, the Prowler I paddled for a very brief stint I recall as being someone slow for a 13’ boat. I also recall it being crazy stable (initial stability) and well suited for flatwater fishing.
Bottom line is, I don’t think you can go wrong with either of them given that you won’t be fishing in current with tight turning requirements or in big open water conditions where you will need speed, speed, speed at times.
- Big D