Kayak for BC / WA Coast?

You don't need much maneuverability in the open ocean.    If you had plans to fish in narrow rivers or small lakes, a long boat is a pain to turn.  In the ocean, length is nice.

Regarding the rudder, it's not really meant for steering, so don't count on it for extra maneuverability.  In fact, even with a rudder, you should use your paddle stroke to steer.  So why bother with a rudder?  You want a rudder to help you go straight.  In a long kayak, going straight is generally easier than a shorter kayak. However, a longer kayak is also more susceptible to weather cocking (i.e getting pushed around by a wind across your beam).  Having a rudder to offset the force of the wind allows you to paddle straight using a normal paddle stroke.  Without a rudder you have to paddle extra hard on one side the whole time, which can be annoying if you have a few more miles ahead of you.

TL;DR...  it's nice to have a rudder on long kayaks in the ocean

Thanks, bsteeves.

Was thinking the same thing about maneuverabilty in the open water, but nice to hear it from someone with more open ocean experience. And yes, the rudder sounds like a smart move due to the high winds up this way.

Paddling hard on one side all day to keep on track is exhausting, this I know from my time on the large lakes out East.

Definitely leaning more toward the 4.7 now.

Thanks everyone. Great info.

You don't need much maneuverability in the open ocean.    If you had plans to fish in narrow rivers or small lakes, a long boat is a pain to turn.  In the ocean, length is nice.

Regarding the rudder, it's not really meant for steering, so don't count on it for extra maneuverability.  In fact, even with a rudder, you should use your paddle stroke to steer.  So why bother with a rudder?  You want a rudder to help you go straight.  In a long kayak, going straight is generally easier than a shorter kayak. However, a longer kayak is also more susceptible to weather cocking (i.e getting pushed around by a wind across your beam).  Having a rudder to offset the force of the wind allows you to paddle straight using a normal paddle stroke.  Without a rudder you have to paddle extra hard on one side the whole time, which can be annoying if you have a few more miles ahead of you.

TL;DR...  it's nice to have a rudder on long kayaks in the ocean

Cool B. SBD in NorCal always talks about how great the rudder on his Kraken is on the ocean. Now I get it. Thanks for the info.