OK If I was 30 again instead of 70, perhaps I'd go with the pedal kayak. But I ain't. And a 10 ft Jon and a trolling motor and battery beats every Canoe and Kayak ever made. IMHO
For two $4 harbor freight wheels and $20 worth of aluminum angle stock, I can fish the skinny water and stretch my long azz legs in the boat.
Just remember, every foot ya pedal out, ya gots to pedal back!
Take your Jon boat/battery/trolling motor from the pull out on Hwy 1 down to the launch at Elk in Mendocino county. Using your $8 of Harbor Freight wheels of course. It's probably only half a mile, though feels more like a mile. Then when you're done, pull it back. Through the loose sand and up the 200' tall bluff. With battery and trolling motor, and tackle, and likely another 25-30 pounds of fish. If not more. While you're out there, be prepared for 6-10' swell and possibly 2' of wind waves.
Once that's done, head on down to Bean Hollow. It's only about 200 yards through the loose sand to the launch, so you've got that going for you. But you'll have to make your way through the waves. It's not that hard. Time to launch through the small waves in between the big sets. Probably they'll be 3' faces instead of 5-6', and you'll have to punch through two of them before getting deep enough that they're no longer an issue. Wave period is typically about 10 seconds. So you'll have that long to pull your Jon boat into deep enough water that it floats, hop in, and give that trolling motor the beans. You'll need forward momentum in order to punch through, otherwise it will go badly. In a Jon boat, you're going to take on a lot of water over the bow, so be prepared for that. Now, the beach is pretty steep, so you don't have that much distance to build up speed before you hit that first face. Out on the water, swell conditions will generally be milder than in Mendo, as you're somewhat protected by Pillar Point. The wind can come up quick though, so be prepared to get out of there quickly. In a boat that doesn't have much freeboard, if the sheep are in the meadows, you're in trouble. Exiting through the surf is similar to entry, and here is where that trolling motor may pay off. Ride the back of a wave coming in. Let it break in front of you and just ride the wash. Get out of the boat rickytick and drag it up the beach ASAP. The next wave is coming, and could be bigger. You really don't want it to yard sale all your gear. Speaking of gear, Do you have a place to stow it? For when you broach and capsize. Because it will happen, it's just a matter of when.
Next stop, the Lower Yuba below the hwy 20 bridge. No sand, but no trolling motor allowed either. It's pretty flat, with just a couple sections of whitewater.
What's that saying again? Oh yeah, "There's no such thing as the perfect boat".
