Which Kayak

[Pudge]

Hi, I am after a pedal kayak with a maxium length of 3.2 meters.
I have a restriction on the length as I will be transporting the kayak vertically using a rack on the rear doors of my campervan and I am unable to transport it on the roof due vents and solar panels taking up to much area.
I have been looking at the pedal craft 10 on the internet, are these kayaks ok?

I intend to fish in PPB no more than 1 km of shore on calm days, also estuaries and rivers, may be Eildon or Lakes Entrance.

I wont be kayaking near surf beaches, or if the is any sign of white caps, so not to adventures.
Hope you can help.

Cheers

Pudge.

[Steve_R]

Hi Geoff,
Welcome to the forum.

There are a few Native Watercraft users about (not including me) but I'm not sure how common that particular model is. It looks OK for what you have in mind provided you don't plan to use it in surf or water with lots of obstacles that will snag the pedal mechanism. Also, its not really suited to long distance (too short and wide).

If it is as rare as I suspect, you may not find a lot of feedback. Reviews are often available if you search by kayak name and review (e.g. "PEDALFISH 10 PEDAL" review). However, if you do find reviews on the internet, it is close to impossible to tell whether the review is biased or whether the reviewer has any expertise so, take it all with a grain of salt.

My guess is you found that craft on C-kayaks website where they have a current special. If so, ask if you can test paddle. About 4 years ago they would have said, "no, but you can buy a kayak and return it after {so many days/wees}. I believe C-kayaks may have changed their policy. I suggest you phone and ask whether you can test paddle.

Meanwhile, Youtube has some footage that may help you make a decision:

https://www.startpage.com/do/dsearch?qu ... ge=english

FWIW I'm going back to paddle soon.

[Jenko]

Hi, I am after a pedal kayak with a maxium length of 3.2 meters.
I have a restriction on the length as I will be transporting the kayak vertically using a rack on the rear doors of my campervan and I am unable to transport it on the roof due vents and solar panels taking up to much area.
I have been looking at the pedal craft 10 on the internet, are these kayaks ok?

Hope you can help.

Cheers

Pudge.

What height and weight are you?

[Pudge]

Thanks Steve and Jenko for your replies.

I intend to fish in PPB no more than 1 km of shore on calm days, also estuaries and rivers, may be Eildon or Lakes Entrance.

I wont be kayaking near surf beaches, or if the is any sign of white caps, so not to adventures.

cheers

[Wind Waker]

Just be aware that lakes can be even worse than bays... my hairest was just recently at hazelwood getting caught out by a 40km+ southwesterly change with gusts much higher that came through 2 hours early in the PA. Nothing like getting swamped to make that arsehole pucker up lol

Something 10foot and wide would have been the end of that and I'd have been calling for a rescue.

Safety cap off....

Can you tow a small trailer and get something larger and more practical perhaps? Or relocate tge solar panels?

[Pudge]

Cheers Wind Waker, thanks for the advice.

I will be checking the weather before I go out and keeping close to shore.

Unfortunately there is a lot of congestion on the roof it would take a major revamp of the van, so I am reluctant to move solar panels and vents.
The trailer is worth considering, but we do not have a tow bar and I am trying to keep the War Lord happy by keeping the cost down.

Cheers

[laneends]

You could consider a second hand hobie sport then you have all the service and parts, and knowledge of hobie and other users behind you.

I think the one you mentioned is being put on hold due to legal copyright reasons. Anway, a pedal kayak has moving parts and you dont want it to be useless because some part breaks and you can no longer get the parts.

Dont underestimate where you will end up using it once you have one. The more margin you have the better

[Wind Waker]

And the sport is a capable little beast. It paddles better than the other one you are considering. Its also alot lighter. It is limited on capacity if you are 100kg and 6 foot though...

...I still miss our little sport but it has a good new home

[Pudge]

Thanks for the advice Wind Waker and Ianeends. Unfortunately I am around the 97 kg range so I may be pushing the limits of the Hobie Sport. If I decide to go with the Pedalcraft 10, I will enquire about the availability of spare in the future. The kayak and drive unit has a warranty of 5 years and the retailer has stated that it will be honoured. Am I hoping for to much?

[shane]

Just be aware that lakes can be even worse than bays... my hairest was just recently at hazelwood getting caught out by a 40km+ southwesterly change with gusts much higher that came through 2 hours early in the PA. Nothing like getting swamped to make that arsehole pucker up lol

Something 10foot and wide would have been the end of that and I'd have been calling for a rescue.

Bear this in mind before pushing the limitations of these short and wide pedal yaks. They are not a good place to be when it goes pear shaped. A local yak fisher recently got caught out by a change where his native slayer 10 ended up sinking in the conditions and he had to be rescued.