TexasKayakFisherman.com

Hello everyone,
I thought I would say hi. I am new to Kayak fishing, but not new to kayaks or fishing. I am trying to save up for my first fishing yak while debating what I want. I am looking at Bass pro shops Ascend 10T sit on yak, if I buy new. If I find something used at a good price I'll jump on it. I just want to get a good sit on top intro yak. I am not buying a Hobie right out of the box. I am 44 and don't enjoy sitting on hard plastic so trying to find one with a raised seat. Any way just wanted to say to everyone and hope to see you on the water soon.
Cap.

You missed ack demo days great opportunity to see and try the latest models
Remember that the seat is not everything's you can get an older but goodie yak and investment on a good seat and u will be set.

Good luck on finding her....the yak of your dreams

Let's go fishin...coco
Z-man

I recommend going used. You'll likely get a lot more kayak for your money. If you get a good deal on it and turns out you don't like it, you'll be able to sell it with little to no loss. I second demo days. FTU may have a few more before the year is out.

Don't start with the kayak of your dreams until you have enough paddling experience to dream them.
Newer hulls are big and heavy for standing stability - so heavy many don't report weight in their specs any more.

If you buy polyethylene, buy cheap, and used is a great idea. After time on the water you may find you need a different boat for different places. For your dream boat, know exactly what you want, and strongly consider ABS (2/3 weight for the same hull) or hand-laid (one-half to 1/3 weight for the same hull).

Good qualities in stillwater, rivers, and the coast flats are often very different boats.

Definitely try before you buy. Buying used is also good advice.

What I would recommend is have a list of things you'd hope to accomplish with this kayak. That could as simple as what I want - a kayak that will get me someplace fast and with as little effort as possible, so I can anchor the kayak, get out and wade fish. Ore you may not mind a larger, wider, more stable "kayak" in which you can stand and effectively site cast. There's a trade-off and it's best to know how you want to use it before making a selection or before asking on this site what others might recommend.

Weight - how much can you handle loading and unloading?
Trailer or roof rack?
Wide and stable for standing or long, lean and light?
Beyond the Breakers, open bay or backwater marsh?
Paddle or peddle?
Lots of storage or bare bones?

pretty solid advice for you -

I think many of the kayak focused places have episodic demo opportunities where you can try a few out - even if for a brief paddle it will give you an idea of the feel of particular models.

For used boats, look here, or on craigslist - there is no shortage of yak's for sale, although getting one for a good price is more of a challenge than it used to be. I still have my Manta Ray I bought for $300 from a tkf member - not sure there are many deals like that around anymore.

If you do want to look at new, I'd encourage you to look at Vibe kayaks - we recently bought one and have been very pleased with our dealings with the company. The boat is a little heavier than ideal, but as mentioned above, it's a trade off for stability.

good luck - let us know which way you go.

we had a blast at ACK demo in San Marcos last month - it was at a great location, with a lot of water to paddle OP's boats.
(I got to sail the 19' Hobie trimaran, and loved it)
My buddy got a great deal (1/3-off) on last year's new 16' Revo - it's the same as this year's model, just different color.
A really great flats boat, and he's overdue.

Not quite as much water to paddle, but Many boats to try at TG Kayak in San Marcos, and you can demo anytime.
Texas Kayak in Boerne will set you up demos on Boerne City Lake, which is a great place - "stillwater" and such high elevation it always has coastal wind.

Something else is borrow boats. I fished several trips out of my buddy's Emotion Fisherman (and knew I wanted something better). Boat-rich friends are great. He also loaned us his Aquaterra Kahuna for a year before we bought my daughter her own boat.