Water level on side of kayak

Looking at buying first yak. I took a demo of an Outback and an 11 ' Revo. When I sat in Revo the water line seemed sooooo low. I felt a bit higher in the Outback. Should I be concerned about the water level differences ? If both are self bailing would it matter ? I am new to yak fishing and believe I will love it.

Again any input or suggestions will be appreciated.    I am hoping to demo a 13' Revo and an Outback again.

Revo 11 =300lb capacity.

Outback= 400 lb

looking at the design, since the Revo 11 is narrower, and the outback wider, you'll probably feel there's less freeboard on the Revo. i think the key here is beam to length which has always been a raging debate in kayak design.

I've got an I9S that scared me at first because at 260lbs i felt i was starting to approach it's upper mid point in capacity,(325 rated as per the makers website) before i loaded my gear. not as much freeboard as my T15,  but still on lakes and pond it's more than adequate.

personal rule of thumb has always been err on the side of safety and comfort. pays off in feeling more confident with your ride.

It is really hard to take a measure of a kayak from your perceptions of the waterline from sitting in the kayak.  And even then, it is hard to say if low or high is better.

Some kayak designs just look like they have a high waterline (Cobras and Malibus come to mind).  Some kayak designs definitely have a low waterline (the older Ocean Kayak Prowler 15s come to mind).  But to compare these kayaks by comparing their waterlines wouldn't do them justice.

-Allen

In general, the lower you are in the water, the more stable you are. However, the lower you are, the more likely you are to take on water. With a SOT, taking on water usually isn't a problem, as it drains out the scuppers. I think it is a psychological thing as much as anything, but psychology is important. Confidence does wonders for performance.

said it better than i did. thanks guys.

I wouldn't pay as much attention to where the water line is on the kayak.  I think it's more important to consider how you feel in the kayak.  When you get out on a kayak, turn and hang both your legs over the side.  Then, while you're sitting sideways, scoot up so you can access the front hatch.  Then try and turn all the way around and see how well you can access the back gear well area.  After moving around on the kayak, how did it feel?  Did you feel like you were about to take a swim a couple of times? Did you take a swim?  Part of it has to do with getting comfortable on a sit-on-top kayak, but it's hard to get really comfortable when the boat is too tippy for your preferences.

I don't want to steal the glory away from the person that said it, because it was perfect at the time. Unfortunately, I don't recall who it was, so I'm not going to guess, giving credit to the wrong person either. During our little Sturgeon rodeo back in November 2011, One of the guys looks over at me and says, "That's weird...usually the manufacture applies their logo so its above the water line" And I'm still laughing my ass off.

"That's weird...usually the manufacture applies their logo so its above the water line"

It's so the fish can see who is reeling them in