14 ft Heritage redfish for BTB?

[imaoldmanyoungsalt]

How would this kayak do for BTB? Too unstable? It seems a little tipsy too me even tho I have yet to turtle it. But I also haven't really been in very rough water either. The 12 ft Pescador sport in the photo is also an option. I have some raised stadium seats that I put in both of them for a more comfortable and drier ride. It raises the center of gravity a bit but I can put the original seats back in either if need to. What say you BTB guys?

Here's a pic with the stadium seat in it

redfish kayak seat.jpg (78.64 KiB) Viewed 1669 times

[kickingback]

Look like it will go BTB no problem. It is wide enough to provide stability and long and slender to get you through the breakers and go faster in open water.
You best bet is to take it out to a beach and try it without gear first. If you do well add gear and fish your heart out!
Do try to go with someone until you are comfortable about your safety. Watch some YouTube videos on your kayak going BTB as well.
Most of the time any turtling will be when you are launching or recovering in the breakers. With practice you will be confident and try bigger breakers. The swells can be big farther out so just be aware of your surroundings at all times! Rogue waves do happen and turtling in deeper water makes it more difficult to recover your kayak and all gear while trying to get back on and not lose the kayak in larger swells.
http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012/02 ... an-worthy/

[imaoldmanyoungsalt]

Look like it will go BTB no problem. It is wide enough to provide stability and long and slender to get you through the breakers and go faster in open water.
You best bet is to take it out to a beach and try it without gear first. If you do well add gear and fish your heart out!
Do try to go with someone until you are comfortable about your safety. Watch some YouTube videos on your kayak going BTB as well.
Most of the time any turtling will be when you are launching or recovering in the breakers. With practice you will be confident and try bigger breakers. The swells can be big farther out so just be aware of your surroundings at all times! Rogue waves do happen and turtling in deeper water makes it more difficult to recover your kayak and all gear while trying to get back on and not lose the kayak in larger swells.
http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012/02 ... an-worthy/

That's a good idea to try empty 1st in the surf. Next time I head down to fish the bay I may try pulling everything out of it and hit the surf to get a "feel" for it. My balance isn't what it use to be so I may require a wider platform than this one offers. I'll give it a try next time I'm down so I will know if :
1 - I'm good with this one
2 - I need to shell out some dough for an upgrade
or
3 - need to abandon the idea altogether
The older I get, the more I realize the value of risk vs reward compounded by effort!

[kickingback]

Yeah, make sure to try heavy waves and light waves empty. After a few tries in 1 ft breakers and then trying in 3 ft breakers will be like night and day so you have to try the heavy waves just to see if you can do it.
Being in shallow water with an empty kayak is fun! I practiced "trying to tip it" in the waves and sitting still so i knew what to expect. It is so much easier to practice in shallow water rather than be in deep water without a clue.
While "practicing" try to see how you do not touching the bottom and recovering your kayak so you get a feel in case it happens in deeper water. Just bend your legs back to keep from touching bottom and practice turning the kayak over with your body weight only.
Good luck!!!