Kayak for sc ak

I am fairly new to the kayak scene in alaska although quite experienced in NorCal. Looking for the right yak to get some rockfish, fish some rivers, and maybe do some exploring on. Was thinking a 15 ft ish sit on top. Not sure what you guys are using but I am open to suggestions. Also if anyone has one fs?

I'm not sure that I would want to take a 15 ft kayak down any of the rivers here.  They're a little fast moving for something that long.  You could get into some trouble in a hurry.

Several of the folks around here have outbacks and revos, which seem to be very versatile for lakes, rivers, and the salt.  Not saying you have to have a hobie, but something with similar dimensions and set up to fish with would be good.

FS?

I'm not sure that I would want to take a 15 ft kayak down any of the rivers here.  They're a little fast moving for something that long.  You could get into some trouble in a hurry.

Several of the folks around here have outbacks and revos, which seem to be very versatile for lakes, rivers, and the salt.  Not saying you have to have a hobie, but something with similar dimensions and set up to fish with would be good.

FS?

First off, welcome!! We could use a few more folks!  It sounds like you have experience to understand the pros and cons of length in general. I think one issue here in Alaska is really nobody has any real experience. I think of folks like Howard McKim in southeast ak and Chris Mautino in Seward. Other than probably those two, you are looking at the next "tier" of experience here on this board and I bet we average three years.   

I'm kinda curious as to why you picked 15ft as a starting point.

I own two outbacks and a mini-x. I did pretty much everything I do out if my outbacks with my mini-x...at a lot slower pace of course.

I think for fishing, unless you are a diehard fly fisherman, most of the opportunities will be in the saltwater.  So I'd focus on that personally. A lot of the rivers as Kenai Guy mentioned are fast and often shallow. They are also filled edge to edge with powerboats with a few exceptions.

I think for overall fishing though I think something shorter than 15 ft would be the rule. But like I said, I don't have any experience with anything other than what I own. I will say they work great!!!!!!

FS I assume means for sale. I don't want to part with mine but if you need one to try out, I'd be happy to arrange that. Where exactly are you in SC AK. I'm in anchorage.  Check out my website at AlaskaKayakFisher.com for some of the set ups I use. 

So I was thinking a longer kayak because most of what I believe my intentions would be this to get far offshore in places like Whittier and maybe Seward. I lived in Southeast and I had a 16 foot tarpon wilderness systems and I did interisland kayaking, touring ,fishing,spearfishing. It was nice to have the extra length to fight the tide and I could keep up with friends that were in sit and touring style kayaks. I also realize that the boat would be way too big to put on a river. I have used 12 foot ocean's ocean kayak brand yaks on rivers and they work great. Even a 10 footer I guess would be good. So I guess really what I'm looking for is two different kayaks one longer instable to Pat offshore four and one short knock around to take down some errors. How far do you have to get off shoring we here and I like places to get into some Rockfish?

Here's a link to a video made with my old although I don't have any pictures of the boat:


Fs=for sale

The correct thread...

If you like the additional space and can deal with the extra weight and such, I'd say go for the longer one. For ocean fishing the extra length will come in handy. While you might not be navigating small creeks with it, the lakes will be fine as well as larger rivers like the Kenai. I'm not so experienced that I run a smaller kayak in river because another 4ft would be impossible to handle. It's just what I have.  None of what I do I consider technically challenging even for a newbie like me.

Looks like you did well off Trinidad. It must have not been this season. That's what my pots looked like last year. This year? Not so much.

Well I have narrowed it down to a 14 or 16 ft wilderness systems tarpon. I'm leaning towards the 16 as this yak will be used entirely on the ocean and some lakes. I'll be doing some multi day trips too so the extra length will help. If anyone knows of any used pls pm me. I'll probably have to buy new which I rarely do but there seems to be a limited market for sit on tops in ak.

I have a 16ft WS Tarpon Angler. Caveat: I'm biased toward WS kayaks!  I used my kayak for freshwater/saltwater fishing, crabbing, and used it for touring down large rivers (Stikine River from Telegraph creek, BC to Wrangell, AK).  I have been very pleased with the stability, tracking, space, and speed.  I've also used mine for kayak camping on islands in SE AK, kayak bear hunting in SE AK, and duck hunting.  I agree the extra space for gear is very nice.

Go for it!  WS all the way!

There's an Ocean Kayak Prowler 13T listed for sale on the Alaska Oudoor Directory's classifieds forum -- $700. seller moving Outside this spring -- worth checking out.

That is the exact boat I want to get. I had an der model that I used extensively and sold. I loved it. Only prob was the hatch covers leaked during rough conditions. Did you get yours in ak?

I have a 16ft WS Tarpon Angler. Caveat: I'm biased toward WS kayaks!  I used my kayak for freshwater/saltwater fishing, crabbing, and used it for touring down large rivers (Stikine River from Telegraph creek, BC to Wrangell, AK).  I have been very pleased with the stability, tracking, space, and speed.  I've also used mine for kayak camping on islands in SE AK, kayak bear hunting in SE AK, and duck hunting.  I agree the extra space for gear is very nice.

Go for it!  WS all the way!

Seemed to work well for crv83!!!!

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Cp3kyu54tr8/UZpyG1Arv_I/AAAAAAAACv8/TDsNlVTYlIg/s1024-no/Whiskey%20Gulch%20classic217.JPG
http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-U9BWkkoE_cw/UZpyBHey8rI/AAAAAAAACug/foRBQ5ms-wI/s1024-no/Whiskey%20Gulch%20classic172.JPG

http://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-y-ZTPVw4Ej0/UZpyBPPSE_I/AAAAAAAACuk/DBDWy-CeOW0/s1024-no/Whiskey%20Gulch%20classic169.JPG

Yeah, the hatches are a little leaky in extended use in rough conditions.  I've been consulting forums and I'm gonna try something a little later this spring to attempt to remedy the leakiness and see how well it works. I'll let you know how successful or unsuccessful it is.

I read about gluing a cheap closed cell camping pad to the underside of the hatch on my Adventure island. As well as improving the tension on the bungees. See if this will apply to your situation
http://modernkayakfishing.com/articles/rigging/652-enhancing-ai-bow-hatch-seals