Need a Buddy for tomorrow.

[tamddo714]

perhaps you can be more elaborate on what you were doing while you spilled overboard. Where you unaware of oncoming wake waves while you were leaning over and looking over the side? Sorry your experience has caused a damper on your kayak fishing experience. But as mentioned by William, perhaps it was the kayak you bought at walmart itself. Good thing you weren't launching from the surf.

[Endlers]

I think i am going to buy the 12 footer from walmart and give that a shot.. I am going to return my fish finder my kayak cart my J roof racks that dont work and buy the bigger one. With the bigger yak I might be ok. at least with the bigger yak, maybe i can buy or build some trainer floats for it. But after looking at everyones kayaks its like why should ie ven bother.. if i can only spend a little bit.

[Maxfli123]

Well that's the spirit!!!! If I gave up on everything the first try I'd be In a gutter somewhere. If you really want to get into kayak fishing it is doable on a lowend budget, 500 got me a decent older yak with all the fixings...granted I added a FF later on but its better than the Walmart one...Good luck if you try again

[FISH11]

Just like everyone on this site will tell you. Don't buy a Kayak from walmart! The Kayaks you see at Walmart, Costco, etc. are not very good. As other members have said you can find a much better quality and more sea worthy Kayak on Craigslist, or the for sale forum on this sight. You are not the only one going through the learning process. A very short time ago someone else on this site (won't use his name) went through the same thing about budget. He ignored all advice the was posted, even a members offer, went out and bought a poor quality Kayak and in like 1 week he was trying to sell it so he could buy a different used Kayak. The lesson is all member on this site will freely give you advise from all they have learned. If you listen and put it all together it will save you money and shorten your learning curve. In the end you will be able to enjoy the sport we all love. When looking at Kayaks only consider Sit On Top and brands such as Malibu, Ocean Kayak, Wilderness Systems, Jackson, Native Watercraft and Hobie. Hobie will be the most expensive and not alway the best, but you don't need to over buy. If you look and take a little time you should be able to find a good one for $500 and some times less. The used one will often include seat and paddle at least. I got one with fishfinder too. Don't give up ask if anyone on this site has a good starter deal and you'll get some responses. Good Luck

[buddha]

I had a friend that did the same thing as you did. He bought a kayak that was not really a good brand and he was constantly falling in the water. When he tried my kayak he could not believe how stable and comfortable he was.

A used kayak or a blem will cost you the same as the 12 ft kayak from walmart but will be a much better kayak for you.

Believe me when I say that is wasn't you it was the kayak that was the issue.

I am glad that you are not giving up as this is truly a great sport.

If I could give you some simple advice it would be to take the kayak that you are going to buy out on the water first.

When you try out some good kayaks you are going to be surprised at how good and stable they will feel and then you will be on your way.

[ful-rac]

I have another bit of advice. Just depending on how serious you are about this kayaking thing.....if you are serious...skip the 12' and get something that's 14' or better. When I started I started with a 12' and soon after wanted to upgrade to the larger model. A 12' model will generally be cheaper but not in the long run if you eventually want to upgrade.

The reason the bigger and longer kayak is better is that it can carry more weight, tracks better, more deck space for your gear and fish, better in open water, more visible to others, more internal storage...etc...

You want that extra capacity especially when you add a full bait tank, yourself, all your gear and a limit of WSB...



Oh like everyone else said..."stay away from Walmart kayaks".

[wiredantz]

Another tip:

Make sure you get a kayak with enough weight capacity.
you are going to be top heavy and the kayak is going to flip if the kayak is too small.



Kayak manufacture's do not usually tell you how much weight you can have,
it is simply that your kayak is too small. Legally, Kayak manufacturers do not have to rate their vessels on any type of "stability" factors - only capacity weight. So "technically" you could fill the inside of your kayak with 600lbs of lead (all down in the hull) and all would be fine. But add half that weight to the top of the kayak (rather then the inside) and it will capsize every time.

you are are pushing the very limit of the kayak if its too small.

If you weigh all your gear, equipment, beverage & beverage cooler, etc. you will probably find you are within 10% of the maximum load limit. If you are both broad in the shoulders, your weight is high, and the boat is low in the water. This of course makes it extremely unstable.

Loaded to within 10% of capacity, a lot of vessels (not just kayaks) would capsize if a few people more then half walked over to starboard. In fact, a houseboat with the exact number of people stated on it's mfg's capacity plate recently capsized because too many of them were on the upper deck.

I suggest you get a kayak made for "Tall & Large" kayakers...