Which kayak to buy?

Questions new members commonly ask e.g. Which kayak should I buy?
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blakesirus
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Joined: 08 Oct 2018, 19:54
kayak: -
Real Name: Blake

Which kayak to buy?

Post by blakesirus »

Hi All,

I have been a member of fishingvic for a little bit, decided recently that a kayak would be perfect to access more spots and better fishing. A friend recommended seeking advice on which kayak to purchase from kayak forums. Wanting to spend roughly $1500, was looking at buying a new cheaper brand of kayak, however happy to purchase a second-hand kayak... just couldn't find much available in this market if anyone's selling though please contact me. Most of the fishing I do is either freshwater or estuarine. Below I have linked some of the kayaks I was looking at, any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated! As you can probably tell I'm a novice with kayaks!!

https://www.ebay.com.au/i/323143046500?chn=ps
https://market.myer.com.au/a/sit-in-kay ... rjEALw_wcB
https://www.dragonkayak.com.au/pedal-po ... beige.html
https://www.crazykayaks.com.au/shop/kay ... dal-kayak/
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Pedal-Drive ... Swowtbl1mx

Thanks for adding me and your time,

Cheers,
Blake
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maverick
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Re: Which kayak to buy?

Post by maverick »

Might be able to pick up an older second hand Hobie with pedal drive for that price.
Well past the edge, almost at the point of no return.
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shane
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Re: Which kayak to buy?

Post by shane »

For that price range you are better off avoiding the cheaper new Chinese copy yaks and sticking to a second hand major brand yak. A lot of the cheaper brands are lacking in design, have poor warranty back-up and aren't good value for money/resale.

The main brands you will be looking at include Hobie and Native watercraft in pedal and jackson, stealth etc in paddle yaks. A low use secondhand Hobie Outback or Revo 13 would be just in your budget or alternatively a Slayer 13 if you can find one.
eg: https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/kalimna ... 1195684799
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peatop
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Re: Which kayak to buy?

Post by peatop »

As a recently seasond yak fisherman, these guy will steer you in the right direction, the only drawback in buying a seconhand yak is you dont know the condition, well there are heaps of people on here to help you check out your first purchase, and talk you through what to look for.

Buying a Chinese copy/yak, even from a reputable dealer (bfc/anaconda) you have no backup for anything. There are a lot of copies out there be careful. But it's the best sport to get into twofold.
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Yak PBs kingfish (about this big <>>><), squid 39 cm, king george 42 cm, snapper 72 cm, gummy 122 cm, 71cm flatty (estimated ) Cobia 133cm
choppers
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Re: Which kayak to buy?

Post by choppers »

Great decision, and a nice budget to play with in the second hand markets.
Normal questions are where do you want to fish from and would you prefer hands free travel with pedal drive or happy to paddle? Fibreglass paddle yaks do seem to be the talk lately, I paddle an older ocean kayak prowler it's 4.5m and cuts well enough through the water (cruise speed around six kph but im in no hurry.
Downside of my particular model is lack of storage.
"Ye old town" Yak captures - gummy (116) salmon (32) flatty (35) yakka (28) silver trev (25) couta (38) plus all the garbage fish

Prowler victims - squid (30cm) Gar (36) Snapper (80 :yahoo: ) kgw (39)
Jacko
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kayak: Hobie Outback
Real Name: Robert
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Re: Which kayak to buy?

Post by Jacko »

maverick wrote:Might be able to pick up an older second hand Hobie with pedal drive for that price.
X2 A lot of kayak anglers upgraded when the Hobie vantage seats were released about 2015 for the Hobie outback.
There are pre 2015 Hobies with the older seat that are still good value for money and close to your budget.

Check out the Vyak classified section.
http://www.vyak.net/forum/viewforum.php?f=38
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Reeling
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Re: Which kayak to buy?

Post by Reeling »

I'd advise getting the best 2nd hand one you can, rather than a new cheap brand.
in terms of buying an unknown 2nd hand...the guys here are an honest bunch (other than telling you how big the one that got away was;) )
Tuna 20.5kg ---KingFish 90cm --- Snapper 84cm --- Gummy 83cm (55cm legal) ---- Whiting 40cm --- Silver Trevelly 41cm --- Flathead 52cm --- Aussie Salmon 38cm --- Squid 34cm hood

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Hammertime
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Re: Which kayak to buy?

Post by Hammertime »

Depending how patient you are, you might be able to get an Outback for close to that money.

There was a 2015 Outback (with the new seat) on Gumtree a month ago for $2000, he dropped the price to $1800 and it sold pretty quickly.

This time of year they will sell quickly though, so have a model in mind, cash ready, and roofracks on :)

I wouldn't touch any of the chinese models, even if they are half the price. The better yaks bring safety, stability and quality.
Flathead - 56cm - Lorne, Southern Calamari - 33cm - Avalon, Gum 130cm - Altona, Snapper 68cm Altona
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