Best yaks for BTB

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Fishtolive
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Location: Sugar Land, Tx

Best yaks for BTB

Post by Fishtolive »

Couple of my buddies like to join the BTB community. They are debating which yaks to get.
They are narrowing down to two Hobie options: ProAngler or Outback.
Any recommendations?
sanantonioyak
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Re: Best yaks for BTB

Post by sanantonioyak »

I have an 2019 outback. It's great for BTB and overall for the flats or lakes. I would think a pro angler may be a bit heavy for BTB.
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Volkswatson
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Re: Best yaks for BTB

Post by Volkswatson »

There are a lot of options in today’s market but a lot of guys really like the outbacks. I’m a paddler so I use an older Jackson Kraken.

PAs are a comfy ride, but can be a challenge in the surf if conditions aren’t great.
bigfost
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Re: Best yaks for BTB

Post by bigfost »

Both are great boats. I've fished out of a PA14 for years. While it does have some drawbacks: heavy, challenging to launch in moderate and above surf, its room, comfort and stability make up for it's deficiencies, at least to me.

Another option, between those two, is the PA12. It has all the advantages of the 14 in a slightly smaller and easier to handle package.
Shroomboyy
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Re: Best yaks for BTB

Post by Shroomboyy »

I fish out of a hobie pa14 and just started fishing btb last year. I took it out off of high island a few times in good conditions and had almost no problems. And once past the surf it was luxurious to have that much stability and room to move around. The downside was that I drive a small car pulling a trailer and couldn't drive on the loose sand so I had to park along the road and pull that heavy beast to the water taking several trips to get all my gear. Also the pa14s tend to take on a bit of water when punching through the surf so I sealed my rod holder tubes with some marine goop and intend to upgrade the front hatch seals this year. Most I had was a couple of gallons when I hit a few larger than expected waves at the second bar. I probably wouldn't launch in bad conditions but for the nice days it works great. The ability to store your rods horizontal straped down also gives me some peace of mind if I did happen to roll over while launching and landing. Also wind can and will push it around a bit so make sure you have a good anchor system that can hold you in deeper water.
Hope that helps. Like I said I'm new to btb but have been using my hobie for about four years now in the bays and marsh and so far I wouldn't trade it for any other kayak.
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Fishtolive
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Re: Best yaks for BTB

Post by Fishtolive »

Thank you everyone for the feedback and advices.
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