Looking at a kayak around 1000 - 1200$

[004dam]

Hey all,

I bought far to many tools for work this year so i should be getting a good tax return ( i hope ). So looking at getting a new fishing toy


I am bit over 6 foot roughly 85kg. I had a look at the viking range as its just down the road from me ( Wurtulla, sunshine coast) . I have taken a liking to the tempo and the profish 45. I mainly fish mooloolah river in my tinny chasing trevs,bream,flathead etc. So no doubt ill be trolling lures on the kayak and flicking plastics. But i would like the offshore capability if some members/mates etc... Go for an offshore day. I wouldnt want to venture too far though old women island etc..

The only real things ive paddled are my dads surf ski and there slow and tiring very quickly, I obviously want something that cuts through nicely and is easy to paddle and has some form of speed if need be.Plenty of storage options and of course fishability. speed is where im thinking the tempo will be a bit of a let down. The profish i thought it had internal rod storage inside the esky? But the one i looked at today does not.

I had a quick look in anaconda but i would prefer to buy something other then an anaconda brand as i feel there a bit cheap :\. Also looked at some extreme outlaws on the internet these seem like a good base to start with also but the price sounds about right,

With installing a rudder system can you swap and change to an electric? or is it a whole different setup? I have a 44lb transom watersnake that i use on my tinny sometimes. Also are there many aftermark rudders available because no doubt buying a factory rudder is like paying for a factory item at holden...


Thanks Everyone

[Just_chips]

In regards to the profish it's all in the pimping mate, you can cut your own hole in the front wall of the internal well and put in a 6inch screw in hatch for the rod storage. This is how I have mine set up and i can fit fully rigged 7foot rods straight in. Don't be discouraged by what comes off the factory floor as the possibilities are only as limited as your imagination. The rudder on the profish can be changed for an electric but I'm not sure what is involved in the change over, I have never bothered with an electric as it sort of defeats the purpose in my opinion.

Anyway, get on a kayak forum and look at how others have rigged their yaks, and keep an eye on their for sale sections as a few bargains often appear from time to time.

Kev

[LostNearBribie]

Mate the Outlaws are not the fastest yak around either. Very stable and I love mine, but not a speed machine.
If you are only doing the river though it would be fine.
The shop at Wurtulla has a couple they have traded out the back, they are $800 each.
You are welcome to have a paddle of mine before you buy.
I'm at Dicky Beach now and fish at Minyama a bit.

PM me if you want to line something up.

[eyeskeenas]

the Viking shop at chermside had a couple of tempo's that a film crew used for 12 months, they have got just about every option the viking shop offers. they offered either one to me for 1000bucks which equated to all the options like rudder, anchor, and a few other bits and pieces were free. good looking ski.

cheers

[004dam]

In regards to the profish it's all in the pimping mate, you can cut your own hole in the front wall of the internal well and put in a 6inch screw in hatch for the rod storage. This is how I have mine set up and i can fit fully rigged 7foot rods straight in. Don't be discouraged by what comes off the factory floor as the possibilities are only as limited as your imagination. The rudder on the profish can be changed for an electric but I'm not sure what is involved in the change over, I have never bothered with an electric as it sort of defeats the purpose in my opinion.

Anyway, get on a kayak forum and look at how others have rigged their yaks, and keep an eye on their for sale sections as a few bargains often appear from time to time.

Kev

Ah that would make alot of sense and seems pretty easy to do for a unique storage idea!. I will be modifying it to suit me but obviously id like a good base to start with.


The only concern i have is trying to lift a 30kg 4m length of plastic up onto a car. Is it as hard as it sounds? I have a ute so no doubt i can slide it up and onto the roof. How do you find the profish? i like its storage options the most and i have plenty of mods in mind!. Do you do much river work in yours or mainly offshore stuff? Wondering how the length would go in river fishing whether it would become a pain in the bum.

Mate the Outlaws are not the fastest yak around either. Very stable and I love mine, but not a speed machine.
If you are only doing the river though it would be fine.
The shop at Wurtulla has a couple they have traded out the back, they are $800 each.
You are welcome to have a paddle of mine before you buy.
I'm at Dicky Beach now and fish at Minyama a bit.

PM me if you want to line something up.

Thanks mate, I will send you a pm and see when your out and about next and I'd have a quick paddle would be good to get a test in. I think i would prefer something that will handle offshore as i know there would be a time where i would like to get out there.



Someother kayaks others have suggest are tarpon 120 - 140 and a Riot 12 (L'Attitude Galaxy 12) these seem very light at around 20kg. At the end of the day though if i find a couple i like something might pop up second hand.

[FishHunter]

I wouldn't even consider the Tempo or any of Outlaws if you want something that cuts through the water.
I lift my 30 odd kg 4.8m Stealth onto my commodore without a drama. If I am really tired I lay a blanket on the rear spoiler and slide it up.

The Profish isn't bad but if you want full length rod storage out the box then look at the Stealths.

I am with Just Chips as far as the electric goes where does your 20kg plus battery go and what happens to it when you tip over. Note I said when not if you tip.

[Just_chips]

I have used my profish for all sorts of applications, and the length doesn't worry me what so ever even when fishing canals chasing bream around the pontoons & pylons etc, you learn to adapt to what you have become accustomed to. The weight has never been a concern for me either, even though I have a 4wd wagon that puts my racks at 2.0m off the deck, I simply lift the front of the yak up onto the rear rack and then lift and slide from the back end (a 2 stage lift, if you know what I mean). I certainly don't do the clean and jerk with the kayak over my head to put it on the roof of the car, as with anything it is just about working out a simple technique that works for you.

If your serious about the offshore stuff though you really can't go past the stealth range of skis, they are the ducks nuts for that style of fishing but may well stretch your budget. But as an allrounder I can't fault my profish.

Kev

[004dam]

I have used my profish for all sorts of applications, and the length doesn't worry me what so ever even when fishing canals chasing bream around the pontoons & pylons etc, you learn to adapt to what you have become accustomed to. The weight has never been a concern for me either, even though I have a 4wd wagon that puts my racks at 2.0m off the deck, I simply lift the front of the yak up onto the rear rack and then lift and slide from the back end (a 2 stage lift, if you know what I mean). I certainly don't do the clean and jerk with the kayak over my head to put it on the roof of the car, as with anything it is just about working out a simple technique that works for you.

If your serious about the offshore stuff though you really can't go past the stealth range of skis, they are the ducks nuts for that style of fishing but may well stretch your budget. But as an allrounder I can't fault my profish.

Kev

I had a look at the profish today at viking. I picked it up seems pretty easy to cart around and shouldnt be hard to get it on my dualcab hilux. The only thing that seems annoying is the esky. My knees tend to hit it as my legs are a tad long. But im sure I would get use to it I was just being fussy I think. The very front storage might be hard to reach out on the water without leaving the seat thats for sure.

As for offshore it would be more used in the rivers trolling and throwing plastics. But I know if I wanted to go offshore and had a smaller yak I would be missing out. I did have a look at a smaller base the espri for 800$ cant go wrong but would limit me to the rivers.

[Gigantor]

004dam,

Don't discount the idea of looking for a good second hand yak. I got my Hobie Outback via Trading Post at a really good price ($2200 brand new but got it for $1400). You can get better value for money that way.

Also think hard about the areas you'll be fishing it the yak. If you got with a big long yak, will you be able to use it in small skinny back-waters to chase wild bass for instance?

A general principal is not go for anything less than 3 meters in length - particularly if you are a big person. Short yaks don't plane through the water very well (lots of paddle work required, which makes you tired quickly).

Think hard about overall capacity of the yak (you + gear). If it doesn't have a very high capacity you'll be sitting low in the water and need to use lots of energy to move the yak along.

Good luck in your quest.

cheers,

Pete

[004dam]

004dam,

Don't discount the idea of looking for a good second hand yak. I got my Hobie Outback via Trading Post at a really good price ($2200 brand new but got it for $1400). You can get better value for money that way.

Also think hard about the areas you'll be fishing it the yak. If you got with a big long yak, will you be able to use it in small skinny back-waters to chase wild bass for instance?

A general principal is not go for anything less than 3 meters in length - particularly if you are a big person. Short yaks don't plane through the water very well (lots of paddle work required, which makes you tired quickly).

Think hard about overall capacity of the yak (you + gear). If it doesn't have a very high capacity you'll be sitting low in the water and need to use lots of energy to move the yak along.

Good luck in your quest.

cheers,

Pete

Cheers mate, I will look out for a second hand yak but just weighing up options first then i know whats worth what really.

I guess im just tossing up how much I would go offshore, Once I st art getting confident I'm Sure would love getting on to some tuna and mackeral. But the most use to me is trolling and plastics in the rivers.

Is there a minimum size people refer to for going offshore? something ideal 3.7 - 4m would suit the best the other kayaks ive seen are just over being 4.3 etc.

[slider65]

I would say 4 metres or more for going offshore. I have both a hobie revo and a Ocean Kayak Prowler 4.5 Elite and both are great in bigger rivers and offshore.

[tunaticer]

If you are tempted to go for a 2nd hand yak there are a few Wilderness systems Tarpon 140's hitting the market recently. They carry good loads, have a huge rear well big enough to hold three 1m long tuna and they are a fairly fast yak for a plastic (they out pace me on my swing quite easily) Failing that keep your eye open for one of the fibreglass Stealth or Erics on the 2nd hand market, you definitely will not be disappointed with those yaks.
As the guys have said, the way you set them up has a huge bearing on the satisfaction level you get from them.
I would be looking at 4m to 4.6m range if you think you will head offshore. That extra length is critical with handling the surf launches and landings.

[Just_chips]

There are plenty of the regular Noosa Yakkers using the Viking Espri's. Launch conditions at Noosa on days with 10kts or less wind and a swell of less than 1.2m.

Check out their blog - http://www.noosayakkers.blogspot.com/

Kev

[Chamelion]

Some of the Anaconda yak's are pretty decent Adam, some most certainly are not, the Venus for example is a piece of crap, the K-Largo on the other hand is quite a bit of alright, especially when you can get one fully kitted out for about $1400 on special.

[004dam]

Some of the Anaconda yak's are pretty decent Adam, some most certainly are not, the Venus for example is a piece of crap, the K-Largo on the other hand is quite a bit of alright, especially when you can get one fully kitted out for about $1400 on special.

K-largos are around 1050$ on sale at the moment at a local kayak shop. Clearence sale but I need to wait for mr tax man