Head West...

I am moving from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast in February.  I am juggling the idea of either shipping my Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 And Necky Dolphin to Astoria, Oregon or trying to quickly sell my kayak here and grab a new (used, but new to me) one upon arrival.  My girl will not part with her Necky, but I always look forward to a new toy.  Do you guys use the Tarpon 120 out there?  Any thoughts on this? 

I would guess that the gas mileage I save in not lugging the yak across the country will come close enough to paying for the shipping.  I would be free of worrying about them at every stop along the way as well.  Is the shipping idea insanity?  Any help is appreciated.

Welcome Cephalopodan,

I can't say that we have many WS kayaks out here, but there are a couple (not sure which sizes).  The market here seems dominated by Ocean Kayak and Hobie.   According to the Wilderness Systems website there are a few dealers in Oregon, but I can't say that I've seen many WS kayaks for sale used around here. You're arriving mid-winter so you'd have a few months to keep an eye on Craigslist for a deal on a used kayak before the nicer weather returns.

As for shipping kayaks, I've never done that personally but I believe you can get a kayak shipped for under $100 each.  There are a couple guys on this forum that work at kayak shops and probably know a thing or two about shipping kayaks.

Brian

Kykfshr (I think that's his moniker) has an orange Tarpon 120.  It seems quite fast for its length, and a good size for smaller rivers/lakes and sheltered tidewater areas.  However, he posted some photos this summer of coho he'd caught out of it down on the Lower Columbia near Astoria. 

Ocean Kayak and Hobie tend to have better dealer support out here, and more frequent product line updates (though the new Malibu's look awesome).

have seen WS boats for sale @ the Joe's Sporting Goods chain, and also the Sportsmans Warehouses i've visited sevral places in our region..

recall one of the Scotts having a red Tarpon @ the Cape Kiwanda event. have also seen one or two others here.. think ArmyJim up in AK. has one also. So yeah they are around, just not in as great of numbers as other makes here.

  funny, that. you go south and east of us, and the whole world uses the WS boats....texas coast, florida, SE states like the Carolinas, that make dominates.

but, yeah, do look into shipping them both out here. it would be a terrible waste to not do it.  hopefully one or two of our yak shop employed members will step forward and fill you in as to how.

Yep, I am in Coastal Georgia, and the WS series is very popular here.  The Tarpon 120 I have is a wet ride, but it is OK here with mild water temps.  I have to say that Ocean Kayak (esp. the new Trident) is well supported also.  We don't see many Cobra or Malibu kayaks down here, but I like the look of them.  One thing is for sure, I am going to need to upgrade my winter kayak fishing outfit.  A set of windbreakers is not going to cut it up there me thinks.  I am looking forward to learning to fish for new species.  Thanks for all the help, gentlemen.

At Alder Creek in Portland, we sell 20 times as many Wilderness Systems boats as Ocean Kayak, mostly because of the super-cush seating system. Tarpons are just as good as anything else. They have done some redesign on them for 2009 though. the 160 used to be sleek like a sea kayak....now it is more pill shaped.

I personally think OK has better quality control, and you will find that the majority of kayak anglers out here are in OK's

We use Old Dominion Freight. I think it's about $150 to ship a yak, but if you want an exact quote, call Dave White, Maura, or myself when I'm there. 503-285-0464.

-Jason

also

http://www.shop.aldercreek.com

the reason WS is big in the south is because Confluence (the parent company) is based in the Carolinas. OK is based in Washington.

We are deep in WS at Alder Creek, because our founder designs boats for them. the tempest and the tsunami were both designed by Steve Sheer, who started Alder Creek in his garage in the 80's.

Also, the WS boats I've seen at joes are different than the other production models. From what I've seen, they are lower quality than the standard models (no bulkheads, plastic seats, etc., which is why Joe's WS boats are so damn cheap.

Let it be know that we price match, and in general will work with you on price. Unlike other stores, we'd rather make some money than no money

-Jason

Thanks a lot for the info Jason.  I have pretty much wrapped up the sale of my Tarpon here.  I will just pick up another yak when I get up there and get an idea of where I will be fishing and what features I may want.  I agree about the Tarpon.  It has been a great yak for me.  Tough and pretty fast for its length and width.

No problem. We'll see you out here.

-Jason

Thanks a lot for the info Jason.  I have pretty much wrapped up the sale of my Tarpon here.  I will just pick up another yak when I get up there and get an idea of where I will be fishing and what features I may want.  I agree about the Tarpon.  It has been a great yak for me.  Tough and pretty fast for its length and width.

I've got a Cobra XL for sale, open to offers...
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=2042.0