I need some opinions

[YakDout]

Outback 2015+ is my input. Lighter, a little faster, I stand on mine all the time unless it is pretty rough. Better in surf as well.

[Saba Slayer]

Try a few Kayaks to see what fits your fishing style and what works for your transport and storage...MO says..."kayaks are like shoes, you need to find one that fits".
OEX has two locations on the water and the Sunset Beach store is a Hobie dealer.

[CR Yaker]

The Revolution 11 is the perfect kayak for all short trips both surf and fresh (I've been in an Outback and Revolution 13, if your a big guy I would recommend the Outback or 13). If you get caught in nasty weather it cuts through waves nicely and has great stability. At 11.5 ft, easy to transport and store. Is light enough to lift by the handles. To me it's the perfect all around kayak. For long distance and guests I have the Tandem Island.

[King Saba]

I like hobies since their Mirage drive only requires a pushing movement from your legs thus resulting in less fatigue and joint stiffness IMO. Kayaks with prop blades and bike pedals may be a good alternative since they are looking to be cheaper than a hobie.

[taggermike]

There's a fundamental difference between peddle and paddle yaks that I haven't heard mentioned before.

Hope I can explain it well enough. A paddled yak gets its propulsive force at the sides in alternating strokes. This causes the yak to 'snake wake'. A remedy for this is to make long narrow yaks that don't pivot left n right on their central point.

Ive used the extremes of paddle yaks. Cobra fish n dive at 13' x 36" to a 17' X 26" sit in side touring yak. The FnD tracks horribly as a good part of the paddle stroke drives the bow sideways as well as the boat forward. The touring yak drives forward and keeps a much straiter course.

A peddle yak has its propulsion at its mid line. This force is more constant as well. This puts the force in to forward motion and not in to moving the bow back and forth.

Ive used the extremes of peddle yaks as well. Hobie out back Vs Hobie adventure. I found they track the same; nice and straight. The 16' adventure did move faster for the same effort than the out back tho.

Sorry if this post got involved. My main point is that width is less critical to a peddle yaks performance than it is to a paddle yaks. Hope this helped. Mike

[Harry Hill]

Originally Posted by taggermike

There's a fundamental difference between peddle and paddle yaks that I haven't heard mentioned before.

Hope I can explain it well enough. A paddled yak gets its propulsive force at the sides in alternating strokes. This causes the yak to 'snake wake'. A remedy for this is to make long narrow yaks that don't pivot left n right on their central point.

Ive used the extremes of paddle yaks. Cobra fish n dive at 13' x 36" to a 17' X 26" sit in side touring yak. The FnD tracks horribly as a good part of the paddle stroke drives the bow sideways as well as the boat forward. The touring yak drives forward and keeps a much straiter course.

A peddle yak has its propulsion at its mid line. This force is more constant as well. This puts the force in to forward motion and not in to moving the bow back and forth.

Ive used the extremes of peddle yaks as well. Hobie out back Vs Hobie adventure. I found they track the same; nice and straight. The 16' adventure did move faster for the same effort than the out back tho.

Sorry if this post got involved. My main point is that width is less critical to a peddle yaks performance than it is to a paddle yaks. Hope this helped. Mike

Thanks Mike, it all helps and you explained the difference fine. The answer I'm seeking though is which length is best. I'm going to try the Hobie and some of the propeller type of kayaks. Since I've spent a ton of time on recumbent bikes in therapy I like the rotation of the peddles on the propeller type of kayaks. Since I have these new knees I can do either type of motion without problems. There will be a bunch of new models coming out in the next few months. I know an 11.5' kayak will be lighter but is giving up the weight advantage worth it for better stability in rough water or does it make a difference? I know part of it is personal preference. Do the guys who peddle the shorter kayaks wish they were longer, and vice versa, do the guys with the longer kayaks wish they weren't so long and heavy?

[CR Yaker]

Originally Posted by Harry Hill

I know an 11.5' kayak will be lighter but is giving up the weight advantage worth it for better stability in rough water or does it make a difference? I know part of it is personal preference. Do the guys who peddle the shorter kayaks wish they were longer, and vice versa, do the guys with the longer kayaks wish they weren't so long and heavy?

Depends on your range. That's why I have two. In the Revo 11, what I give up in speed/range, I gain in simplicity and weight, yet it's a safe kayak for extreme conditions. Whereas, in a longer, Tandem Island, I gain range and speed, but a needed trailer and greater storage space.
I say get the minimum size kayak for your fishing needs and hopefully it can just be thrown in the back of a pickup or car. Keep it simple.

[alanw]

I'm sure it's personal preference, but I feel the bigger the better in open water. I've paddled a 12' kayak and it always felt too short for me. I didn't like that the bow was only 3' in front of my feet, and felt like the short length contributed to it tracking horribly and having a slow speed. I went to a 14' boat and it felt much better, it rode over steep swells better and tracked better too. I wanted more speed though so I went to a streamlined 16' boat, and that felt perfect for length on the water, it tracked like a dream and handled swells like a boss. 6' of bow in front of my feet made it feel like I could punch through anything. If I was younger or a better paddler I'd say this is the perfect boat. But being streamlined it compromised stability, which wasn't bad but at 50 my balance isn't what it used to be and worrying about flipping every time I reached back for bait took some of the fun out of it for me. I opted for the 14' PA and feel that's it's a good length and of course stable too. Tracking isn't too bad and I can peddle it fast enough to be happy. Weight definitely could be an issue though. My advice is to go as big as you can, considering storage, transportation, weight, and cost.