First Kayak

texan1800 · Post by **texan1800** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 9:49 am

Hello all, I'm very new to this sport but so far have loved the heck out of it. I bought a kayak on Friday, went that evening and had blast. Set the alarm clock early on Saturday for about 3 hours, man does time fly. I have heard good and bad about what kind I bought, but more good than Bad. I bought a Pelican Castaway from Academy, and for the price I like it. I dont consider myself to be a pro nor will I ever be, but for a beginner it worth the money and it gets me to the fish. Has anyone had one of these for a while, and if so how do they hold up in the long run. See yall later.

texan1800 · Post by **texan1800** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:29 pm

Man I wish all yall voters would take a minute and give me a reason and maybe some info on why you do or dont like it.

lockjaw_tx · Post by **lockjaw_tx** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:42 pm

I have a t140 but they are expensive , when my wife wanted to try a kayak , I bought her a pelican , and she goes every -where I go from the coast to river fishing,
the only problem I have had was to replace one of the straps that holds the lid on,.
Ps the reason I went cheap is because there is a $500.00 pontoon setting in our yard , that she still can not manuver in. lol
If you like what you have got, be happy
Screw everyone else.
the reason some do not like the pelican is that is a two piece

Lollipop · Post by **Lollipop** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 6:29 pm

I have never been in a Pelican, but have paddled a few other kayaks.

I have a Tarpon 140,
an Osprey HP (17.5' wood kayak),
a Mainstream Jazz, and
a Mainstream Kingfisher.
They pretty well run the gammet of kayaks. I prefer the Tarpon because that is my first kayak and the one I learned on. The Osprey is fast and I have turned it over more times inadvertently than I have turned my Tarpon over while demonstrating deep water reentry. The Kingfisher is stable. The Jazz can turn on a dime and give 9 cents change.

While I look at the Jazz as a bathtub toy, I have introduced several people to kayaking with it and they love it and cannot understand why I like what they call the Battle Ship Tarpon.

Several of the women in my group love the Osprey and will argue as to who gets to use it. They find it very stable and one lady found that she could take one paddle stroke and keep up with her husband as he took six strokes in a Wilderness Ride. She told him that it was all in the paddling technique and that she had taken 2 hours of lessons. He is now trying to improve his paddling technique. He will never master the technique she uses since he is too wide to fit into the Osprey (the hole is 16" wide and he is at least 22" wide).

Whatever kayak you use, as long as you keep your head above your shoulders, and your shoulders above your hips will be stable.

The kayak you have and put on the water, no matter what brand or style, is the best kayak.

Lollipop

Z~MAN · Post by **Z~MAN** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:01 pm

texan...

The only reason you bought it was to get you into yakin... that is the main goal.. we all have to start somewhere ..you personally made the choice..
make it the best choice and them move on.. to bigger an better if you so like. the key is to have fun and practice..

let us know how YOU enjoy it...

I have a Pelican Tandom, a WS Ripper, OK Pairadise, OK yakboard and OK speck ... they are ALL good .. for what I use them for...

let's go fishin....coco.....!

pitontheprowl · Post by **pitontheprowl** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 5:54 am

texan1800,
Most of the guys here don't recommend any kayak that is less than $700.oo and some say you must spend over $1000.oo to get a good one. I hate getting into this because it is a bunch of B/S :evil:

I have paddled the Castaway, several of them as a matter of fact, old model and new model. I have never had a problem with them, AS LONG AS YOU TIGHTEN THE FRONT HATCH STRAPS AFTER YOU LOCK THE BUCKLES.
I have a Heritage(Featherlite), and two Pelicans(DLX10 & Viper), and have not had a problem with mine.
I sold a lot of Pelicans when I worked at Academy and the only problems I ever had a customer complain about was hown much more money they spend on fishing tackle now. :shock:

You have a great boat, you got what you wanted.
NOW GET OUT ON THE WATER AND HAVE SOME FUN!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

Doug Poudre · Post by **Doug Poudre** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 7:14 pm

After seeing another old Pelican that looked like some sort of mutant whitewater boat, but was definitely more of a death trap, I swore never to paddle a Pelican because who ever designed that boat had no clue as to what they were doing.

But if it gets you on the water and you enjoy it, that's all that matters. As long as you stay safe.

BTW, I've paddled a few boats of all types from sculls, to canoes of all sorts to kayaks that race, play, cruise and surf, to inflatables. I know what I like and won't strongly criticize anything but the looks without paddling it.

Different boats for different strokes (and budgets).

TL · Post by TL » Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:41 pm

I bet it wont be your last kayak either. I dont like the pelican because I am heavy and it wont handle me too good. Glad you have something to get you on the water and have a blast in it. Tightlines..

rickr · Post by **rickr** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:52 pm

I too had a hard decision to make for my first Kayak....a Pelican or the Speck. The Pelican seemed to have better value with the package but the Speck drew my attention because it was made by Ocean Kayak. Although I bought the Speck and love it, I have discovered the Pelican is a bit wider and would have better fit my backside. I believe a fishing Kayak is a tool just like a rod and reel which enhances my experience on the water. Like any fishing tool, how it is used makes the difference in catching or paddling. I have seen others on the water in their Pelicans and they sure seemed to be having fun. I know one thing, if I had a high end Kayak I sure would be more concious of rocky shores and low water rapids. I would be worried sick about scratching up a 700.00 plus Kayak...but my "El Cheapo" gets the job done and I don't care much about putting a scratch or two on it. Some seem to buy a Kayak as a status symbol...put it in the water once or twice a month and only fish for a couple of hours before heading home. Me I am out every chance I get and have no worries about scratching up my boat. What the Hay, as long as it floats and you can stay upright, get out there and have fun. Just my opinion as a fisherman first and a paddler second.

Rick

Hookem · Post by **Hookem** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:53 pm

Ive never been in one, and almost bought one but at the last second decided to go for the spec. It is your first yak, when you bought it you probally wernt sure if u would even like yaking. am I right?
If so, then you cant go wrong with the castaway, it seems to be a great learner yak and a good platform to grown off of. thats exacatly what im doing, I have a spec and around x-mas time i plan on purchasing a Hurricane phenoix 16. dont let other ppl votes bother you, if you liked you yak....which it seems like you did. dont worry, you are the one using it...not them.

Tony

Tomagus · Post by **Tomagus** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:58 pm

Contrary to what alot of people (you know who you are) there is NO perfect kayak each has its pros and cons........Stick with your purchase, learn what you can and find your own likes or dislikes. If the Castaway works for you, excellent, if not use it as a tool for finding you next one.....
ADAPT...IMPROVISE....OVERCOME

EZ-E · Post by **EZ-E** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:24 pm

i started with a castaway & as the saying goes you get what you pay for. it was a good starter yak & i put it through some bad sittuations ............from oysters to 2-3 foot swells in the year i had it. i now have a T-140 with rudder. IMO if you want a fishing kayak a rudder is a must . it helps controll your drift with out having to pick up your paddle which means you can get more cast in :lol:

listen to what everyone has to say above......... as long as you get on the water, its all good. also paddle as many yaks as possible before you up grade from the castaway. i have been a fan of the tarpons since the first time i seen & paddled one. now i have paddled many yaks & think IMO the new liquid logics manta ray should be up on the list with any of the big 3 ........ Wilderness, Ocean Kayak & Malibu

NoBoat · Post by **NoBoat** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:08 pm

If you feel comfortable with it and it gets you on the water than it's a step in the right direction. You can always move on to something else later.

corkpopper · Post by **corkpopper** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:50 pm

Ive got one and it gets me out on the water so Im happy. But I am a greener and I am currently saving for a Tarpon. Its a pretty good boat once you rig it. I ripped out the seat it came with and replaced it with a high back and added rodholders to it because the positions of the ones it comes with suck. Other than that it works great. Its a good starter boat but you might look at the speck as well its around the same price and its a bit longer.

greyloon · Post by **greyloon** » Wed Oct 18, 2006 4:53 am

The perfect kayak is the one you own, paddle, and catch fish from. All have good points and bad points, even the most expensive. I love my big ol Old Town Loon, its a sit inside, but gets me on the water and to the fish. Consequently, I'm a fan of sit insides.

Matt2 · Post by **Matt2** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 1:03 pm

I would save my money, and stalk the "for sale" section here and Craigslist. You can get a heck of a deal if your patient. My .02

Matt

JimD · Post by **JimD** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:43 pm

It is not my first choice but it floats and later on it can be a wife, kids, or friend spare to go with you.

Now you have plenty of time to go fish.

kytflyr · Post by **kytflyr** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 11:45 am

Texan1800, I paddled a castaway. I did not like it. I did not like the way it handled for me nor the feel of it. So what! I paddled a Tarpon 120 and a 140 in addition to the Phoenix 140. I did not care for them either. It is not the cost that matters. As stated so many times above, what matters is do YOU like it? Does it do what YOU want it to? If you were asking about the $1800.00 Hobie Mirage Adventure fish model I would be saying exactly the same thing to you. Buy what you like then go fishing...or just paddling for fun.

See ya on the water!

kyt

greyloon · Post by **greyloon** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 10:15 pm

Better yet, buy what you can afford. Its all about flotation.

TexasKayakFisherman.com

First Kayak

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