Need some advice on third kayak

[holidayak]

Hi All

I started this whole yak fishing caper with a Finz Gizmo that I pimped up, thanks to all the DIY advice on this and similar sites, to a rudimentary fishing kayak.
The gods were smiling on me on my maiden trip, about two years ago, and I landed 2 nice whiting so I have been keen on this type of fishing ever since. I upgraded significantly about a year ago to the RTM K largo and wow what a difference it makes to have a stable yak and so have not fished off the gizmo since. And for that matter not fished as much as I wished with the K largo either.

Whilst the stability of the K largo is amazing, it is a lot of yak to carry around and not the easiest of beasts to load on the sportwagon. I have designed a rear loading T bar that works a treat but the whole kayak fishing thing is now starting to crystallize for me now and I think I need something in between.

Without reinventing the wheel (I know there are a lot of threads on the forum about yak selection) I was hoping I might be steered in the right direction if I divulged my vital statistics and needs.
I’m 6’3” and weigh in at about 110kg.
The old gizmo was only 2.7 m long and has poor stability but good maneuverability; it’s only for the kids to play with now. I think back in horror that I fished off it, but for a starting point it was fine.
The K largo is about 4.2 m long and weighs about 30kg (I reckon it’s even more than that). Fantastic stability, pretty dry ride and pretty quick (even with the 11 year old sitting in the back). The rudder is a must and works well. It really ticks all the boxes except for weight. If it was 5-7 kg lighter and maybe a bit shorter then I wouldn’t be posting this I suspect?
The issue is being able to “clean and jerk” the craft onto the car without the potential for wrong footing and scratching and denting the reasonably new car or doing my back. We usually walk to the beach and take the gizmo for family fun and with the trolley I can manage the 800m walk OK. Wouldn’t even think about doing this with the K largo.
So I need something that is about 3.5m long (give or take a bit) and weighs in at 20 to 25 kg and has the stability of the K largo. I would like to be able to bring it down to the beach during the day and “dink” the kids but also be a suitable fishing platform. The fishing I do is really just xmas holidays and would probably not venture anymore that 500m from shore (usually Pt Leo, Ventnor and Dromana). I did try the Anaconda Lunar 12 which seemed to tick all the boxes but when I tested it in their pool the stability was terrible (not sure if others have found this).

Your experiences and suggestions and a short list are greatly appreciated.

[momunny]

Hi Holidayak,

There is another method that is better to load the kayak. as 30kg and a clean and jerk method will do your back in.

Roll the yak over with the bottom facing up. Lift up only the rear of the yak over your head and then walk with your hands up to the middle point of the kayak. there you should have a balance load and should be able to then bring up the kayak to the roof rack.

Alternatively a third yak is a Hobie revo 11 range around light 21ish kg and a few of the smaller aquayak scout models. Best is to test paddle and to lift it around too.

Good luck

[wokka1]

6'3" and 110 kg I'm surprised you can't clean and jerk the Car onto the yak

While the Revo 11 is a great yak weighing 21.5 from memory (bare hull no fittings), because of your size it would be a wet ride for you. Is a peddle yak an option or are you after paddle only ?

[SurfanFish]

If you are looking at a paddle yak, the Viking Espri fits your specs for 3.5, 20-25kg and is a great boat - very stable. I know of others your height that have them. Personally though, I'd look at something like a Tarpon 120. They are about 3.7m and even though listed at 29kgs, they are easy to handle off the water, handle a wide range of conditions and are a good fishing platform.

[holidayak]

Thanks for your replies Wokka1, Momunny and SurfanFish.

I'm wanting a paddle only yak for a few reasons. One is cost, since I'm only wanting to go up to $1000 so I think that excludes me from any new Hobie and also I'm wanting it for partial recreation with the family down on the beach.

The viking espri looks good on the net, especially since they make a fishing version and at 22kg looks promising if the stability is good. It looks to have high gunwales so probably a dry ride. SurfanFish, would you know who deals with these in Melbourne?

The others I've seen on the net that describe OK are some of the Cobra Kayaks like the explorer, navigator and Fish N Dive. There is a review on the Fish N Dive that is recently posted that sounds good, weight maybe an issue? Although I haven't your tried your lifting technique, momunny, so that may make the loading easier.

I remember trying the mojo angler about a year ago at anaconda and thought it was OK and was almost going to buy it until I went for the K largo. I've noticed Anaconda don't sell them anymore but BCF do. Do BCF have silly sales like anaconda do? If you wait long enough you can usually pick up the yak you want at 40-50% off the usual price. I don't get BCF junk mail so not sure if they do similar deals. They also sell the malibu ranges and I've not seen too many of them around; I wonder if they're any good (the pro explorer looks good).

[SurfanFish]

Most of the Vic viking dealers are rural by the looks of it.

http://www.vikingkayak.com.au/victoria-stockists

The espri is a reasonably dry ride but perhaps not for your weight - you need to try one. If you are anywhere near the Mornington Peninsula and we can work out a time, you can paddle mine. The Tarpon are much drier ride but a bit outside your budget although they do make them under another brand (perception pescador) from their older molds. New boat, 2009 mold, much cheaper. A fishing mate has one of these and its very impressive. They were being sold through Aussie Disposals.

Back on the espri. I spent two years looking for an upgrade and really couldn't find anything to give me that much extra function to justify the spend until I decided to go for a fibreglass ski. I still use the espri regularly but often eye off the Tarpon's and Jackson ranges. There will be heaps of others around that I have no experience of. You'll find reviews on all of the popular kayaks on the various forums.

[holidayak]

Thanks SurfanFish

I was over at Phillip Island last week and dropped into the Island surfboards but the only viking they had was the big one and gee that weighed. Almost made the K largo seem light??
Pity they didn't have the espri.

Thanks for your paddling offer, I may take you up on that if I have no joy with my local searches. I think capacity sports gives you the opportunity to try before you buy and they sell the Tarpon as well.

I have found some more posts on the malibu pro explorer and that starting to sound good too.

It's a tough decision and whilst I don't want this to be my last ever yak purchase (who knows maybe a hobie one day) I'd like to choose something that I'll be happy with for the next 3-5 years rather than keep up my one yak a year average.

Cheers