What's at least better than an inflatable??
 

Ok, so the only experience that I have on the ocean in a kayak is on an inflatable Sea Eagle 330. My brother and I have been out several times fishing, and a couple of times we went pretty far (maybe 2+ miles? It FEELS pretty far in a kayak! . We felt pretty confident as far as bouyancy, but I'm thinking of trying to get a hard shell down here(I live in Ecuador, S.America). I have read reviews and looked at pics on the net to ad nauseum, but it's hard to get a feel for something from other people's reviews. I get the impression that they are much more demanding than I would be.

Basically, I want a hardshell sit-on-top for a few reasons:

Since we're talking about fishing, I don't want to worry about poking the stupid thing with a Rapala and drowning in the middle of the ocean like an idiot!

I want to have a hard surface to mount a fishfinder and a rod holder or two. (Not a lot of gear.I'll be keeping it pretty simple.)

I would like a hatch to be able to keep some of my gear dry while I launch.

Basically, I just want to know how simple of a kayak I could get(read here: "how little $$ I could spend) and have the performance be just a little better than my inflatable. Also, what do you guys feel is the minimum length to be safe on the open ocean?

I get the impression that a lot of guys might be extra critical of the cheaper yaks cause they're not as good as their $$$ OK T15 (or whatever. Not raggin' on anybody that has one of those, just jealous:-)! I will NOT be making such comparisons. It just has to impress me more than an inflatable! How long of a hull do you think I need, and how cheap do you think I can get away with?

Thanks guys!

I would guess that about any ridgid kayak would be better than an inflatable. Do you need a tandem to fish with your brother? What kayaks are available in your area? Maybe meet some yak anglers in your area that can stear you in the right direction. MIke

Personally, I wouldn't want anything less than 12'. I'd want it to be able to track halfway decently in wind. Finding one with a good hatch system for cheap might be a problem though.

Welcome aboard Elgrindio, we chatted on BloodyDecks the other day

I was going to put him on the spammer watch list, good thing you vouched for him. :D

Welcome to BWE Elgrindio.

About the smallest and certainly the cheapest (price wise) Kayak I regularly use in the ocean is a Malibu Mini-x.

http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/1443/soundervq3.jpg


It's small size 9'3" and light weight make it great for surf launching in hard to get spots where you have to walk in, and it handles great in the surf.

I probably fish my Mini-x as much as any of the yaks I own. Just because it can launch almost anywhere through anything and because I can leave it in the truck. I like to take it with me when I go on trips out of town for work, and fish it a lot in lakes. Also great for river fishing. Basically just a great little kayak for the money.

They are not fast but they are very stable and seaworthy. I'm 6'1" and 185 pounds and it's more then enough kayak to float me and my gear. Probably cheaper to ship down Ecuador then a big kayak.

Though I've fished mine at La Jolla I would recommend them for fishing there or anywhere you have to paddle a long ways, but if your not going far and want something that's cheap and easy to fish from I'd recommend one.

My first thought too but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. Told him to hit up BWE for the best advice, looks like he took it. We where all there at one time.

Hey! You can see that I followed yer advice and came on over! (And shamelessly copied my post! :-)

Wow, I didn't even think about that idea.:doh: I didn't mean to scam or spam guys. I was just trying to get a little input. It's a lonely world down here for a wannabe kayak fisherman! :( I got tired of trying to figure everything out from pics and online reviews. Thanks for giving me the benefit of the doubt. If it proves that I'm a real person, I'm more than happy to bombard you guys with a bunch of other questions too! :p

I think the hatches are a lower priority for me. A 12 dollar dry bag can take care of things if you find a kayak you lie.


Post up some photos from down there.:D

So basically from what Fiskadoro says, you can survive on almost any kayak in the ocean. So, what are the 13ft models for? Just greater comfort and long distance tracking ability?
If I were to go out with minimal equipment and be willing to drag my stubby little Mini-x self out there, I would still be ok? What does everybody think?

Will do Stinkymatt! (How did you get that name?! :-) Hopefully they'll be pics with fish in them. I'll warn you though, the landscape aint that great. It's not Costa Rica. Think more like baja without the exotic cactuses (cacti??).

Good idea about the dry bag btw.

Hygiene probs.....I think......there is no way it has anything to do with getting skunked on the water.:D

The Malibu endeavor is a great kayak for the price. Great speed for a non pedal drive. Can easily mount a fish finder and has lots of room to store gear behind your seat or in the hatch.

Kayak
 

Check some of the beach resorts. I'll bet that at least some offer kayak rentals. You can see where they get theirs or if they have an older one that will be replaced. They like to keep the kayaks in good condition. If one is stained or faded they might replace it. There is also a guide service that does river kayaking in Ecuador. I'll find their name for you.

Guide service
 

Endlessriveradventures.com
1-828-488-6199
1-800-224-7238
They are based in North Carolina
They may be able to help you find a kayak shop.

That's not what I said.

The Mini-x is a very seaworthy little kayak. I fish one in the ocean. There are lots of kayaks I wouldn't take out in the ocean or want to fish at all. I was thinking the advantage for is that the Mini-x is inexpensive, small, and light weight so it should be cheaper to ship to you.

Look at it this way. You're probably not easily going to find someone (a private party) that's going to want to sell you their used kayak and ship it to you. I'm thinking that maybe a dealer (I'd suggest Iceman) would sell you one. Of the Kayaks Andy sells the mini-x would be the smallest least expensive seaworthy off the shelf kayak he has, and it probably would also be the cheapest to ship to you.

I checked around and supposedly none of the US air carriers serving Ecuador officially accept kayaks as checked baggage, and shipping a kayak via air cargo or any other shipping method is supposedly very expensive and it's hard to get the yak through customs, so probably shipping is going to be a hassle and a large expense for you. That is if you can find someone that is willing to ship you one at all.

Is the mini-x the best kayak for fishing the ocean? No. Will it work? Yes. Is it better then what you have been using? Yes. Is it safe? Well that depends what you do with it.

Longer kayaks paddle faster, and are better at cutting through the wind and chop. They also offer less resistance going through the water so you can paddle them further and longer. If you could afford one you should get something longer, but that will cost you more money.

You asked for the cheapest, and I gave you what you asked for. If your used to fishing a inflatable kayak that mini-x is going to seem pretty fast and seaworthy to you especially in the wind since nothing is worse then and inflatable in the wind.

I'd say the verdict is still out on that one. As long as you don't do anything incredibly foolish you should be fine, that is if you can get one down there.

While typing this I came up with some other ideas for you. I'm sure that someone in Ecuador offers kayaking for tourists. I'd contact them and ask how they get their kayaks down there, or if they have any old rental yaks they'd be willing to sell. Another option is a folding kayak like a Folbot, Klepper, Nautiraid, much faster and more seaworthy kayaks then your Sea Eagle but they also fold down to the size of a backpack and can be shipped to your location.http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lqcapwW1Ck...g-kayak-186377

They're not something we use around here, but if the Navy seals use them (they do) I gather they do work, and since most of these folding yak builders are based in Europe they are already used to shipping them internationally.

fishing an inflatable 2 miles out, not for me.
are you and your bro the only guys with interest? perhaps get a few people together for a group buy. contact a few manufactures to see what they are willing to do to help. hit up small world adventures and see how they acquire their gear.

Wow...you guys are awesome... Thanks for all the input/investigation. Looks like I've got some phone calls to make. I'll post whatever solution I find. Thanks again!! :-)

Awesome!!! Good luck!!