Which Kayak??

Hey all!

I'm pretty new here.  Not a kayak owner yet but contemplating it.
There are so many choices it's confusing.
I NEED a kayak the will not roll when I stand and move (flex) my legs.
My knees are both metal now.  That presents 2 problems...
1.  They stiffen up after 5 min. or so and I need to keep moving them.
2. Once the metal gets cold (like if I  somehow end up in the water) it stays cold a LONG time.

So... should I give up on finding a kayak and stay with my pontoon...or does someone make a kayak that would meet my needs?

For fishing I tend to troll a lot and for that reason I am attracted to the Hobie's with the foot operated fins.

Thanks all,  tight lines!!!!!!

I'd suggest looking at a hobie outback or pro angler.

It will be interesting to see how you do with a pedal drive and 2 artificial knees. I would have thought you'd want less wear and tear on a pretty non-replaceable part (give what you have to go through to replace them)/

What do you want to do that you can't in your pontoon ?

in a Hobie, your legs are basically always moving, slow and gentle when trolling, like riding a bike about 10mph...hopefully that is good for your knees.

standing up (when conditions are good) depends on each persons balance and comfort level, most people have no problems with any of the wider Hobies (PA12 and 14, Outbacks, Oasis...)...what really makes standing up easy is some sort of connection to the hull- either an H-bar or just a single stand-up staff mounted in a rod holder...cheers, roger

Might take a look at the Wavewalk kayaks, http://wavewalk.com/ they have a wide and stable double hull shape. 

I've only got one metal knee, so you've one upped me, but, I like the pro angler, I've got the 12 not the 14.  I found I can actually pedal better than I can paddle, mostly due to my back. I've not had any problem with my knee while pedaling, when the weather is a little colder I keep a sleeve or wrap on it to help keep it a little warmer. I've gone so far as to stick one of those hand warmer gizmos next to my knee inside the sleeve. I would suggest renting or trying out one of the Hobies PAs, I can stand without assistance in mine, can even walk around a little. Good luck, try several different types before buying one.
John

Idk how good they are, but the freedom hawk kayaks look interesting having the stand up bar and and the outriggers that fold out

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Come down to Gig Harbor and try out a Native Slayer Propel also.  The GH Fly Shop is a dealer for both Hobie and Native and they're great about letting you try both out side by side...  Highly recommended as a recent (last week) purchaser!

My knees are still organic, but one of them has had two ACL surgeries and well, you know how the feeling goes I'm sure...  I was able to do some seat time in both boats and compare the effects.  For *me*, the slight difference in leg motion made a big difference in how it felt after 20 minutes pedaling.  The Hobie drive has a straight pumping motion to drive the pedals back & forth in a fixed arc (kind of like some stair-climbing machines).  The Native has a regular bicycle-style pedal set, with the rotary motion that requires. 

When using the Hobie I felt like each stroke of the pedal (above a certain medium-power level) was straining the ligaments in the bad knee, and of course it let me know how it felt about that...  The drive worked great and the boat was very stable and comfortable, but that was not a good sign.  Then I switched over to the Native and ran thru the same sort of tests I had just done on the Hobie, and the rotary motion on the Propel drive did not cause me any knee pain whatsoever.  Also very stable and comfortable.  I didn't stand in either because my balance is terrible, but I could easily get into the front hatch storage area.   I ended up getting the Native Slayer Propel 13 and I'm really happy with the choice.  Took it out around the Harbor yesterday for her maiden voyage and no pain after 3 hrs pedaling.

The other thing Native has is a handy little feature called "reverse"   Some folks find this useful.

So, come on down and try both boats out before you decide.  And while you're at it, get hold of Widgeonmangh and arrange to try out one of his Wavewalkers - he's a Harborian too (Harborite?)


Jim

Roger, what about the i11s inflatable?

I would second the motion on coming down to Gig Harbor and give them all a try.  Test paddles are where it is at.  Recommendations are one thing, but your own body will tell the tale about whether the kayak fits you or what you want to do with it.  We do test paddles on arrangement right there at Skanisie Brothers Park, and the Gig Harbor fly shop is just a couple of blocks away.  Give us a shout if you want to give a Wavewalk a whirl. 

All the best finding the boat that fits!