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Originally Posted by elgrindio
So basically from what Fiskadoro says, you can survive on almost any kayak in the ocean.
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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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by elgrindio
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?
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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.
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.