pmmpete:
Why are kayak manufacturers making so many of their pedal fishing kayaks so heavy? The weight makes it harder to get them on top of your vehicle, and harder to move them from your vehicle to the water. Here are the weights of the hulls, not including seats, drives, and where applicable the big battery for the trolling motor, of some Hobie and Old Town pedal kayaks:
I wish there were more light pedal kayaks. In particular, I wish there was a lighter Hobie kayak with a 360 drive, or a lighter Old Town kayak with a spot lock trolling motor. The hull of an Old Town Sportsman Autopilot 136 is 57.5 pounds heavier than the hull of my 13' Revolution! I keep hearing that the Outback can't handle the sideways torque of a 360 drive, but the Outback is only two inches narrower than a Pro Angler. Another product I wish was available is a trolling motor with GPS spot lock capability which I could drop into the drive hole of a Hobie kayak. Yoo Hoo, kayak manufacturers, are you listening?
I suspect that Hobie will sell a lot of Lynx kayaks because they're so light. However, the Lynx doesn't look suitable for ocean and big lake fishing. It looks like waves would constantly be breaking over the kayak.
Mojo Jojo:
Oh sure Pete, leave out the Native propel models! Sheesh!!
pmmpete:
--- Quote from: Mojo Jojo on September 23, 2021, 03:04:05 PM ---Oh sure Pete, leave out the Native propel models! Sheesh!!
--- End quote --- I've added several Native Propel models to my list of fishing kayak hull weights:
--- Quote from: pmmpete on September 23, 2021, 02:58:56 PM ---Why are kayak manufacturers making so many of their pedal fishing kayaks so heavy?
--- End quote ---
I suspect it's a combination of current manufacturing methods (rotomolding) lending themselves to weightier boats and the fact that the US market is probably hungrier for jon boat type builds (I think only the Revo 13 in your list is below 30" width?), which also lends to heavy boats. I guess that second fact probably stems from the fact that most of the US market is landlocked and restricted to small water?
I'd do terrible things for a light, skinny, and long pedal kayak. There seem to be some neat things coming out of SA (Stealth, Vagabond). If there's ever even just a light pedal kayak introduced to the market, I wouldn't be surprised if it came out of SA.