Longer range fishing kayak

So in my infinite boredom at night I have come to the realization that it might be nice to have a sea worthy kayak that I could take out and fish with, but also enjoy a longer paddle (or peddle) with some friends that just kayak.  Since I'm in club Hobie, I first look to the threads about revos and adventures.  Both have the same weight capacity, but different dimensions.  Folks on here give good reviews for both....so I sit and wonder.

My question for the crowd.

What kayak (any brand) would be good for this?  Pros and cons for each model?  What do you gain or give up with differing dimensions?

Calling Yaktrap, ,,,, Calling Mr. Yaktrap........

I do love a long, lithe, and swift boat. They come in many styles and tiers, though. What's your budget? What are the cargo requirements? Are you SINK-curious? A little? It's OK. Me, too. Are there any brand limitations for Alaska? If your pals are paddling traditional sea kayaks, you'll want something in a similar shape...maybe 16-17 feet in length, narrow in beam.

Wildy's Tarpon 160 is a decent value...maybe too girthy, but stable and made for distance travel. And under 1300 MSRP...

Im not a huge fan of wearing skirts...it's tough to find a purse and shoes that go with them.

No brand limitations.  Anything can be shipped freight & I have forklift access.

Cargo would be myself, camping gear, a couple rods, and lunch....and fresh halibut for dinner

The most important thing to me would be that I can keep up with a regular kayak and comfortably fish out of it.  Who knows when you'll stumble upon a likely fishing hole? Especially in AK.  My current barges (outback & PA) are great for fishing and stability, but it takes a long time to get anywhere

You seem to be a pedal guy. Hobie AI is sweetness, but pricey. You never mentioned budget; let's then assume it's unlimited. Again...AI will give you equal speed to your sea kayaking pals, but you may have to it configure in a way that omits the fancy amas, sails, and doodads. You'll pay for those, but leave them in the garage.

If you're cool with paddling, the Kaskazi Dorado is a fast boat that requires minimal effort. They import to Florida and ship from there. May end up costing you something similar to the AI, though. But they offer a really durable hull. Don't overlook the venerable OK Scupper Pro; they are fast and go for days. Cheap, too. RTM is a French company that makes fast boats. My knowledge is limited, but from what I've seen, they seem good. If you're mid-sized, their low-capacity offerings would have you keeping an easy pace with your buddies. Imported to California...

Scupper pros are awesome! Not quite long enough to consider it truly "long range" IMO, but to its credit it's super light and handles well in the surf.

The Adventure handles long distances quite well (for maximum efficiency I'd use the standard rudder w/ turbo fins) although it is heavy like the rest of the Hobies. If you were thinking of getting another non-sail Hobie, Kenai Guy, I would highly recommend an Adventure. There is much less of a difference between the Revo 13 and an Adventure than a Outback and a Revo 13 IMO having pedaled all three. However, the adventure does paddle the best of all the Hobies as well which IMO adds redundancy, because the mirage drive can fail and on a long trip its nice to have the option to paddle to give the legs a rest. Both the Revo 13 and Adventure will be able to cover more ground with less effort than your Outback and PA.

 :)theres a few good long range fishing kayaks out there ..but as your man says ..money you will have to pay to get that yak may put you off ...long range ..weather can put a block on yours plans to get out there ..wind , tide swells can all make for a let down and have you wondering why you bother with it and just stick to inshore , lake ,pond type fishing ..which can be very rewarding ...dorado from kaskazi ...excellent long range yaks ...$2200 from boca raton fl ..depending where you are $300/$500 delivery from florida ..the difference with the cost is when you get into one of these kayaks you wont want anything else !!

RTM disco ..great wee kayak , plastic /krylon lightweight , doesn't have great loading capacity but  im a believer of keeping things minimal ..the amount of gear I used to take with me [and never use 70% of it ] ..

scupper pro tw [nz version] probably the best [plastic/krylon] offshore kayak that has been out there for a long time and has a little secondary stability, not much but some ..

a bit closer to home is the cobra expedition ..longest of all plastic yaks out there ..think there probably $1700 u.s to buy ...

dorado 2 ..


dorado 1 ..


cobra expedition ..






fishing off shore can be very rewarding but its frustrating when weather kills you plans ..

Damn all those kayaks look sexy billy, wallet-willing, I'll have to see if I can find one of those cobra expeditions on the cheap. 18' x 23.5" wow that thing must fly!

 heres some other south African surf ski s ...cheap to buy ..expensive to import ..

+1 on the stealth pro fisha 575. These look like the closest thing to a touring fishing kayak I have ever seen. I have to think they would expand the options considerably, and make overnighter a much more appealing. That paddle out to Fox Island would be more feasible as a day trip over overnight if you could cruise out there at 4 mph comfortably. And the details seem to have been thought out pretty well, though the fish box looks like it would be better able to handle salmon than a decent sized halibut. The Kaskazi Dorado II was the boat I used to drool over, but then I saw the Pro Fisha. If I ever have $4000 I don't know what to do with, I'll let you give it a test paddle.

I cruise at 4 mph in my Adventure with no problem.

Sent from my Motorola Flip phone.

Although a bit shorter and wider than most of what's mentioned above, the Malibu X-13 might be worth a look. Really efficient for a sub 14'er with plenty of stability and budget to spare. I put a rudder on mine for down rigger trolling, but that's the only time I typically need it. She tracks as true as a plastic hull can track. Pair that with the Surf to Summit Elite seat and I've done lots of dawn to dusk days, and lots of ocean fishing covering ?? miles. Although if $$ is a non issue those Dorado's are pretty damn sexy...

That paddle out to Fox Island would be more feasible as a day trip over overnight if you could cruise out there at 4 mph comfortably.  ... If I ever have $4000 I don't know what to do with, I'll let you give it a test paddle.

That's a lot of $50 water taxi rides out to Fox Island or Thumb Cove and back...  I agree though -- beautiful kayaks built for speed and distance. 

akfishergal, you are absolutely right, the pure economics of it don't work out. The problem that I run into is that I won't pay the $50 for the taxi ride. I have some sort of mental block about that. I can bring myself around to a big investment once, but putting out the $50 on any given day just never happens for me. That is probably one of many reasons why I'm not a 1 percenter! Or at the top of AOTY!

And I'm sure that the hobies are great for cruising, but half the fun for me is the paddle in my hands. I get to do two things I love at once.

That X-13 really is a nice hull.  Fast, good tracking, and good stability.