Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire What"s a good Kayak for under $500.00

the renegades are used here a lot. probably seconded to the frenzy.

Wow, lots of good information from all of you, Thanks all..!

Keep a good life-vest in the budget. There are some nice "kayak specific" PFDs out there that really make paddling more enjoyable.

Same goes for a decent to good paddle, though a "good' touring paddle is half your budget easy, and not something you really need unless you are actually putting on 15+ miles a day touring in a loaded boat.

That said, I've had a lot of fun with the Old Town Loon 12-foot kayak that I keep at the cabin for the Mother-in-Law. The cockpit is big enough to fish from in comfort, unlike some of the more cramped "sit in" style kayaks.



And, while they are heavy, the two-ply plastic Old Town kayaks are tough.

Other than running over several 'yakers when they wouldn't get out of a wave train I was going through, I don't know a bunch about about them. But you might keep an eye on this site for used equipment.

http://community.nrsweb.com/gear-swap/

Many places that sell kayaks will have a demo day on the water. It gives you a chance to try out many different kayaks and find what suits you. Plus finding what works for you is half the fun.

Some of the 9' and 10' can be really slow to paddle and difficult to paddle in a straight line.

If you are mostly interested in flat water and she likes the sit on top models give the Perception Sport Pescador in 10 and 12 foot models at the larger box stores. They use the same mold as the older Tarpons and were very popular with kayak fishers.

Okay... I'm going to expose a little more of my ignorance here. I see that there are 2 basic designs, a "sit in" and a "sit on."

What's the one do that the other isn't designed to do..?


Also... This is a suprise gift so I don't want to be too obvious by asking her a bunch of questions, But.... I am thinking that because most of the weather here is unpredictable and generally cold and miserable she'll want to be as dry as possible (although knowing her, she might just want to drop anchor and swim for a bit) .

Is she going to need a wet suit or anything with either design..? I am hoping to keep things a comfortable for her as possible, aqua therapy if you will

Sounds like you want a "sit in" instead of sit on top.

Sit on top usually equals a ride where you get wet at least a little. Sit-in with a skirt and you can remain dry even when raining with the right cloths.

That said, getting back into a kayak in open water is not necessarily the easiest of endeavors with either model, but it is easier with a sit-on-top.

It is infinitely easier to rig a sit-on-top for fishing.

Thanks Goalie..

Looks like I might have to do something like Stray Round suggested and just learn what she'd be more akin to having.