I have been shopping for a new Kayak for months now. I’m 60 years old, 6’0" 260 lbs. I will use it on Lake Mead and the rivers below Hoover Dam. Mostly fast moving rivers but no whitewater. I like Eddyline and Jackson Kayak but also have been looking at others. I need to load it on the luggage rack on top of my Toyota Matrix so it can’t be really heavy but needs to carry my heavy weight plus some gear. I will do some fishing but I have bad knees so I will not be standing in the Kayak a lot. Also I need a sit-on-top because of my knees. Any recommendations? Thanks.
First things first
Find out what your luggage rack is weight rated for. That will give you an idea of how large a kayak you can carry safely. I got a SOT kayak last summer because of a bad knee and it works well for me. My kayak is a 13 footer and weighs 60 pounds which is on the lighter end of most SOT kayaks that are used for fishing and camping. Eddyline is one brand that does offer a lighter weight option. I am currently deciding myself whether I want to switch to the Eddyline Caribbean 14 that would be 10 pounds lighter than my current kayak. There are many high end fishing kayaks in the 60-80 pound range. Eddyline, Jackson, Ocean Kayak, Viking, Wilderness Systems, Perception, Malibu, and Native are some of them.
Wilderness Systems
You might like The Wilderness Systems Pungo 140 or Tsunami 145. Or for lighter weight but more cost, check out the Current Designs Kestral 140, Vision 140 or Vision 150.