Thoughts on eBay yak

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Fishingmad
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Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by Fishingmad »

Looking at buying my first yak. What r your thoughts on something like this. Comes with seat paddle and rod holders. $329 off eBay. What would the stability be like.
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laneends
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by laneends »

In short, not safe on the bay, or any open water subject to wind, You will be wanting to upgrade ASAP. Or give up all together

research primary and secondary stability. These have no secondary stability. Back is too short and you can go from ok to swimming without warning. Cant point in a straight line when the wind picks up.

The larger 3.6m+ Ebay yaks for about $550-600 are ok, if a bit heavy.

Ignore the RRPs on those Ebay yaks, they are listed at what they normally sell for. $330 off season/ $390 in season.Crap seats and crap paddles

Best recommendation is a good quality second hand unit eg
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Blue-Fishing ... 463de7ce30 Which is a wavedance Kingfisher normally closer to $900 new.

unlikely to get anything you will get continual use out for under $500
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laneends
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by laneends »

For an all rounder yak. Nothing less than 12 foot. Even 11 foot hobies have their limitations when the weather gets lumpy, and they are streets ahead of most sub 12 foot yaks.

Length does matter when it comes to safety
choppers
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by choppers »

The yak that Keith linked you to went for 400, included an elec motor and battery, and paddle.
As he says, better off with a second hand, better quality yak.
Brother in law snagged a kingfisher like shown for 300 from ebay, just keep your Eyes open to there and gumtree .
Much better off with a quality yak, spend a few bucks to put rod holders on it (flush mount cost around 8 bucks each) and you will thank us down the track :thumbsup:

Where did u plan on fishing and what species did you want to chase??
"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)
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laneends
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by laneends »

My concern is they are selling so many of these cheap ebay yaks, that a year or two down the tracks they will all be pumped back onto Ebay at $100 a pop, and all the kids will buying them and getting themselves in trouble.

Yep I started on a similar thing :oops: and survived, just :up:
Fishingmad
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by Fishingmad »

Thanks guys if I get it u will be fishing off clifton springs for squid going no more than 800 metres out and also chucking plastics for flathead in the shallows. Also may put it in at the harbour at queenscliff and barwon estuary
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by Wind Waker »

800 metres is still a long way when the weather turns to poop in a yak with no secondary stability which doesn't track in a breeze. A change in wind direction is enough to make it deadly.
Live long, fish hard and hopefully catch something.
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by Hammertime »

Fishingmad wrote:Thanks guys if I get it u will be fishing off clifton springs for squid going no more than 800 metres out and also chucking plastics for flathead in the shallows. Also may put it in at the harbour at queenscliff and barwon estuary
If you can swim 800m in 10 degree choppy water fully clothed then you're a better swimmer than me, and I swim the pier to pub yearly and used to be a surf life saver.

Sorry for sounding harsh but shock factor is required to keep people safe. You don't want to be in the water taking your last breath with money in your bank account.

The guys here are a helpful bunch I'm sure we can assist in vetting and eBay yaks you come across.
Flathead - 56cm - Lorne, Southern Calamari - 33cm - Avalon, Gum 130cm - Altona, Snapper 68cm Altona
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by laneends »

I got in trouble with mine 50m off shore from werribee south. If you have a offshore blow up and you can't point it back to the beach ( I know Clifton is sheltered) 800m, soon becomes 1500m, yaks drift shocking in the wind, then the shelter of the shore becomes less, and it gets harder I remember discovering this at Clifton once in the Quest and found it a hard haul getting back. When a sheltered 15k southerly suddenly turns into an exposed 20 k easterly things go pear shaped quickly

Barwon Estuary is a dangerous place full stop, especially if anchoring.

Once you have a yak you nearly always expand your expectations of where you want to go, until you reach that point when you think oops, that was pushing it a bit. So the bigger margin the better.

Apart from this you wont feel secure, find it hard work and it ends up sitting in the garage unused.

If really strapped and unsure if yakking is for you, get a cheap second hand one then resell and get you money back if its not for you.
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Re: Thoughts on eBay yak

Post by cheaterparts »

Fishingmad wrote:Thanks guys if I get it u will be fishing off clifton springs for squid going no more than 800 metres out and also chucking plastics for flathead in the shallows. Also may put it in at the harbour at queenscliff and barwon estuary

Lachlan

there are a lot of tried and true kayaks out there, most of the Ebay cheapies aren't safe in a swimming pool as laneends has posted he started with a short Ebay yak and in no time had to upgrade

Short kayaks are slow and dont track well so what does this mean - as soon as you get a head wind or tide flow your forward progress slows or stops
most of the Ebay yaks are also badly designed so are even worst than the name brand products witch have had more R+D

if you are heading out on the bays look at something at least 3.8 meters long with enough carrying capacity to hold you , your catch and gear
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Gummy shark 128 Cm -- Elephant fish 85 Cm -- Snapper 91 Cm -- KG Whiting 49 Cm -- Flathead 55 Cm -- Garfish 47 Cm --Long tail Tuna 86 cm -- Silver Trevally 40 Cm -- Cobia 117 Cm -- snook 53 Cm -- Couta 71 Cm -- Squid 44 hood length


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