Best bets in a kayak for floating/fishing rivers?

Howdy folks,

As the weather is getting warmer, my wife is getting more interested in kayaking.  We're looking forward to our annual John Day River trip in June, and she'd like to get a kayak so she can play a bit in the whitewater (Class II stuff).  She'll also be using said boat on day trips on flat water (lakes around Mt. Hood, tidewater bays, etc...)

My wife is small (5'1"), but I'm thinking this might be a good opportunity to get a boat that will do double duty (she can use it on rivers during raft trips, and to tag along when I'm running my Hobie, then I can use it for floating the Sandy/rivers for steelhead and cutthroat trout).

I've got a couple REI gift cards and a substantial member dividend, so I've been looking at boats they carry.  Mostly, I've been looking at the OK Angler 13, due to the greater rocker it seems to have over most boats (for dodging rocks in the river).  I have also been very impressed with the Tarpon 120.  Floatin Cowboy's Pro Explorer looks kinda tempting too, but the small back deck is an issue (she wants to be able to have our 40 pound dog in the boat on flat water trips).

Any other suggestions that I should consider?

I'm also half tempted to trade my Hobie in for something like an X-Factor, so that I can use it on both rivers and lakes/tidewater.  Mirage drive + rocks + moving water = bad combination.

IMO... Small wife  + flat water + river float = small boat.

A prowler 13 would probably be a good choice, you might even consider going a little bit shorter.
Seems like there is less of a need for a long fast boat and more of a need for a boat that can turn quickly.

The Malibu Mini-X has become a popular river boat in NorCal.

As for boats at REI, Ocean Kayak has a few smaller boats, some of them new for 2008.
OK Venus 10.0 or 11.0.  these are boats made with women in mind.
OK Caper "Lady Angler".  I have a Caper and it does well on rivers.
the new OK Scrampler 11

I also recently noticed that Ocean Kayak is starting to make kayaks out of recycled plastic.  They cost about $50 more but are supposedly stronger than original plastic.

If you're interested in the Ocean Kayak line you might want to talk to Polepole.  He has some connections at OK and might know more about some of these newer models and the recycled line.

Brian

Oh, I missed the part about the dog.  I take my 25 lb out dog in my Caper and he sits/stands nicely in the back tank well.

The OK Sidekick is a 12' boat much like the Caper but instead of a front hatch, it has a recessed sitting area of a dog or small kid.  I think having the dog up front would be a bit easier than in the back (getting my ear licked while paddling isn't my thing).

The OK Scramblers are also very dog friendly (front and back sitting areas).

I'm starting to sound like an OK ad.  I just have more experience with them and with the exception of my Cobra Navigator their the only SOT kayaks I've owned/borrowed/tested.

Brian

Any other suggestions that I should consider?

I'm also half tempted to trade my Hobie in for something like an X-Factor, so that I can use it on both rivers and lakes/tidewater.  Mirage drive + rocks + moving water = bad combination.

What about just taking the drive out and paddling ? do you have one of those plastics plugs that goes in there, the guy where i bought mine said it was for shipping. I have a "super secret" idea for mine.....

The Sidekick looks like it might be ideal... unfortunately it looks like REI has stopped carrying them.  Grrr.

Our dog is pretty mellow (surprisingly so).  She rides on the back deck of my Hobie without too much drama.  The concern I have on the Angler 13 is that the back deck may be a little cramped due to the depression for a cooler.

I've used my Hobie in moderate rivers, with the drive well plug in it.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't handle very well in tight situations with the paddle.  I also don't want to beat the keel up too much on rocks, given that it has to handle the stress of the mirage drive. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the Hobie, it just doesn't work so well in moving water.

Hey 3-Wt,

I went down that same river last year in my P-15.  Didn’t spill, but came close a few times.  In general, the longer the boat, the more you expose the side of it to the rocks while you’re trying to turn.  Turn, as in when you spot a rock you want to miss and you’re trying to get left or right, but there’s not much time left to get the turn finished.  In the wider boats, it doesn’t matter so much if you DO hit a submerged rock.  They’re usually stable enough to ride over it.  I don’t consider the P-15, P-13, or the Tarpon 13 to be very wide and stable, even though the P-15 worked out for me last year.  With me at about 200# and less than 100# of gear and water, my cockpit hatch was under about 1/8” of water for most of the trip.

For river floating and camping, I’d say that the biggest thing is to have a boat that will float a lot of weight without dragging bottom.  I liked my F-n-D for that and you can pick them up for as little as $350 if you watch Craig’s.  Or maybe an O. K. Big Game… nice and short, carries a big load.  For this year I laid out the bucks and picked up a used X-Factor from Floatin Cowboys, mostly for that very river.  Any of those would float a dog way easy too.

Going down the old John Day again, eh?  Can’t blame you.  I liked it so well last year that I think I’m probably going to make 2 separate trips over there this year.  I’ll go once early with an old Okie friend of mine and hit the rapids from Service Creek to Clarno Bridge.  Then after a full week back a work, I’ll hope that the water is down a little and float from Clarno to Cottonwood Bridge with 2 of my brothers and try to focus harder on the fishing.  My dates aren’t fixed yet, mostly cause I’m watching the 120 day flow predictor site.  We should definitely try to link up!  Have you made actual marks on the calendar yet?

Fishin-T

The John Day has been an annual trip for us for the last 4-5 years.  Service Creek to Clarno is awesome, but if you want a real jaw-dropper, try Clarno to Cottonwood (5 days, some of the most beautiful scenery in the Western US).  Since we have the raft, she doesn't really need to worry about cargo volume in the kayak.  It would just be used for playing/breaking the monotony of the raft, and racing ahead in the afternoons to claim a good camp site.

3-Wt,

So have you pencilled in your dates yet?  For a second trip, I plan to float from Clarno Bridge to Cottonwood Bridge.  But my plans are still flexible.


Fishin-T

Not yet.  Predicting flows on the John Day is always challenging (I did Service Creek to Clarno one year at 11,000 CFS, and it was 3,000 CFS one week earlier). 

I'm guessing mid-June through the 4th of July will be ideal flows this year, given the enormous snowpack in Eastern Oregon (unless we get a lot of warm rain in the spring).

.

I've used my Hobie in moderate rivers, with the drive well plug in it.  Unfortunately, it just doesn't handle very well in tight situations with the paddle.  I also don't want to beat the keel up too much on rocks, given that it has to handle the stress of the mirage drive. 

Don't get me wrong, I love the Hobie, it just doesn't work so well in moving water.

Gotcha, i wouldn't want to be banging my keel on rocks either.

I'm still at the point were i stress about the scratches, but not as much as when it was new..

 

My .02 would say the Mini-X. It's pretty much the best balance of all characteristics you need for a fishing kayak in a river.

It's short w/o losing stability. Most smaller yaks go about 12' while the Mini-X measures in at 9'3". That equals a yak that can get through all the tight situations that a river will throw at you w/o losing stability and dumping. It's actually a 1/2" wider than the X-Factor @ 33.5". Stability and maneuverability.... gooood.

It has a ton of capacity for size, 325#'s. That means even though you're riding a smaller yak it can easily still carry all you and all your gear just like a regular yak. Now most people don't mind the weight issue (myself included) but when drifting rivers it actually does matter to me. Rivers are small tight environments so access is almost always limited in some way. Many times you might only have a small rocky path that leads down to the river. So w/ the Mini-X weighing in at 38#'s it gives you the ability to "sling your yak over your shoulder" and get in those spots w/ less stress and chance for injury or losing gear. And best of all to me, w/ all the downsizing it still has all the features of a larger sized fishing yak. Has 3 hatches and 4 flushmount rod holders and lot's of deck space. And coming in at $500 brand new.. that's just the topper.

Z

I agree with Zee.  I've never been in a Mini-X, but I've heard nothing but good things about them, especially on rougher water, and they have amazing capacity for their small and easily portable size.  I saw a new one at our local shop in Fort Bragg, Cal. for $600, all tricked out with seat, extra hatches, rodholders, good paddle...the works.  It was a real beauty, really well put together, and I was tempted, but I do fine for now with my all purpose Hobie Sport.  Would love to have a Mini-X though.

I'm also interested in the several smaller OKs; The Caper, Frenzy, Big-Yak and Yak-Board.  I have a thing about small, maneuverable yaks, as my wife and I are both small, and I really love the feeling of the yak being an extension of the yakker, as it were.  The Hobie Sport was fine with a friend of mine, maybe 6 feet 200 Lbs.  I think thats' about the Sports' limit, but the Mini-X will take more.  -Mendocino Matt

I too am looking at smaller boats for the local rivers.
 I drift my P-13, but have a hard time keeping her straight in the rapids and turn around rocks.
 I think more rocker and less keel is in order to get down these rivers safely.
 My two buddys both paddle OK Drifters, they do way better with less effort than I do.
 at this time I am eyeing a Frenzy.

Given the dog thing, the really small boats (under 10') won't work for us.  However, if you are considering the Frenzy for river stuff, you might want to check this one out:



http://www.outdoorplay.com/store/Product.asp?DID=499&PDID=1&SKU=BSO_PETOR

If I was looking for a straight river-fishing kayak, this boat, fitted with some deck bungies, might be the ticket.

The OK Frenzy and Caper are nice yaks indeed, if the Mini-x is too small to bring the dog.