New Member, Need Boat

Hi, my name's Lee Hughes, from Corvallis. My Old Town Loon 11' was stolen Christmas before last and I'm in the market for a new or used boat. I'll be using it on lakes, mellow stretches of streams, and the ocean (new for me). I love all kinds of fishing; flyfishing for Steelhead is my favorite. The boat will be transported upside down on the Yakima canoe racks on my Subaru Forester, so I need to keep the length/weight to a manageable amount (my Loon was 40 something pounds, easy to lift overhead). I want to switch to the sit-on-top self-bailing style for obvious reasons. I'll be using my small portable Eagle sonar with built-in case. Otherwise I tend to be a minimalist in terms of gear. I like the looks of the Ocean Kayak Prowler, but have no knowledge of them. I'd love to get a Hobie and go hands-free but don't think I can afford it, because my wife's Loon was stolen at the same time so I need to replace both. I think I can go up to $500 per boat without getting a divorce notice.

I'd appreciate any advice on best boats to shop for, best length/width for ocean use and ease of lifting, rod holder/anchor rigging concerns, etc. Is there a Buy/Sell section on this site? If not, any advice on where to shop besides craigslist?

Thanks for any help and I look forward to meeting some of you on the water.

Lee

If a used boat fits your needs Ive got a Necky SOT at the Economy inn in reedsport i'd take 400.00 for..I don't get to fish as Much as I 'd like .. if  your driving thu and want to Take a look Drop in,Im the Manger ...

Hi Lee...welcome.
So there is a lot of variables in your question.  In a way you have asked the perfect and the worse bunch of guys for advice.     (There is a ton of info on this site wrt your questions, so much so that it can be confusing/overwhelming.)  I bought my yak about two years ago and I would say I was very similar to you.  I learned that if I wanted to attempt ocean it will need to be a fairly high quality name brand yak and it will for sure be over the 40lb weight you mention below.  If you are keeping it to lakes/ponds you could get by with smaller but I'm not sure you would be happy with it.

So here was my experience.  I knew I wanted a SOT, reputable brand, used, potential ocean usage but not absolute.  I ended up scouring Craig's list and bought a boat from someone active on this board. I have been very happy with the boat for the most part but now I know more and would consider a Hobie with the Mirage drive...might as well have my legs do something!  I have done a lot of mods to the boat and the info on here was pretty much the go to place.  There is a Classifieds forum on here too.

FYI: Alder Creek Canoe and Kayak is having a 2 day paddle fest at Vancouver Lake and you can try many boats at one time.  http://www.aldercreek.com/Festivals_&_Demo_Days/Spring_Paddle_Festival_Portland-e2336-m4-y2011.html

Good luck and feel free to shoot me a PM if you want more info from me.

Good info from Stackofhay!

I'd also recommend that both you and your wife try as many different boats as possible. Likes and dislikes can be very personal, and what's good for one may not be for the other. It's not my place to volunteer anyone  but it also might be possible to meet up with some of the members to try out different boats. Spot's Springer Clinic thread would be a good place to start.

I knew my budget would go out the window soon as I joined this group. ;-)

I'm an avid bicyclist so I'd love a Hobie. The Outback has these specs, would this be sufficient for ocean use?

Length: 12' 1"
Width: 34"
Weight: 60 lbs
Capacity: 400 lbs

Plenty of d00ds use the Outback on the salt.  It's great because of it's stability and it's weight capacity.  People use all three of Hobie's popular models, the Outback, Revolution, and the Adventure out on the ocean since all three of them are very capable ocean-going boats. If you're not looking to cover long distances and enjoy the extra stability and deck room for rigging, then the Outback would be great for you. 

If you're a bicyclist who likes covering long distances, you might want to look into the Adventure.  It's more narrow than the Outback, but it really moves and one can cover many miles with it fairly easily.

This is probably too far away from you, but I saw this ad this morning for an Outback in Kelowna. You never know, they are not something people see every day there so you might get more of a deal than he's asking.

*comes with fish finder, rod holders,  and some other accessories as well. If I had space... oh and the money....

http://classifieds.castanet.net/showproduct.php/product/946486/cat/201

Good luck with both your search and whatever notice you get. You know there's going to be wife tax of some sort on this no matter what right?

I knew my budget would go out the window soon as I joined this group. ;-)

I'm an avid bicyclist so I'd love a Hobie. The Outback has these specs, would this be sufficient for ocean use?

Length: 12' 1"
Width: 34"
Weight: 60 lbs
Capacity: 400 lbs

I knew my budget would go out the window soon as I joined this group. ;-)

I'm an avid bicyclist so I'd love a Hobie. The Outback has these specs, would this be sufficient for ocean use?

Length: 12' 1"
Width: 34"
Weight: 60 lbs
Capacity: 400 lbs

Welcome to the cure. Hobies are budget busters but totally epic fish killing machines!! The Outback is the ultimate in comfort and stability while sacrificing speed. The Adventure is sleek and fast while not quite as stable and the Revolution is right in the middle. I have pedaddled an Outback for four years and love it but soon will step up to a Revo.

Getting a Hobie used is difficult at best but i see others on craigslist sometimes. there is this ad i saw on craigslist, it's kind of old but maybe there still there? could save your marriage

http://oregoncoast.craigslist.org/spo/2214089480.html

Good luck in your search