Situational: sitting still in "typical" saltwater conditions

Per  ... http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=12478.0

OK.  Here's the first situation.  You're just sitting there fishing.  There is a <10 knots wind (no whitecaps) blowing in the same direction of a lazy swell, let's say 4 feet at 10 seconds.

1) What features of kayak design are "better" in this particular situations?
2) Give feedback on the kayaks you have experience on in terms of how they handled these situations, both positives and negatives.


-Allen

Not much to worry about in this situation.  Most kayaks will perform just fine.  Deck layout/usability and comfort are probably most important to me in this situation.  I mean, I'm just sitting there fishing, right?

As time has progressed, the newer kayaks have definitely focused on deck layout and comfort.  I want my lawnchair seat here in this situation, it's how you spell c-o-m-f-o-r-t.

Of some of the kayaks I've owned, I'd rank them in this order.

1) Predator 13/MX.  Lawnchair seat ... Cadillac of comfort.  Lot of options for deck rigging with the mounting plates.
2) Ocean  Kayak Ultra 4.7/4.3.  A more bucket like seat, acceptable comfort.  Very utilitarian center hatch.  The side flush mounts are growing on me.  They are a quick place to stash your rod when rigging or dealing with a fish.
3) Ocean Kayak T15/T13/T11.  Ocean Kayaks real first attempt at a decent deck layout.  In its time, it was pretty good.  But I think decks have gone beyond what is here now, although the mod pod was a substantial upgrade IMO.
4) Malibu X-Factor.  I loved these kayaks when I owned them.  The cockpit was big and roomy, but this was before the time of attention to deck usability.  The stability was great.
5) Ocean Kayak P15/P13.  Wet butt, need I say more?  The least stable of all the kayaks on my list.  Every now and then  you can get caught off guard if you are not paying attention.
6) Big Game, first generation.  For a big boat, the cockpit sure seemed cramped to me.  Stable though.

-Allen

Just my .02.only have used my OK trident 13 with the mod pod.having a wide hull let's me relax and be free to move about without the since of falling out when I move about.

I can talk to the Hobie Revo and Outback.

Both will perform well in the situation that you have described.

The Revo to me is a bit cramped but will be perfect for sitting back and relaxing while fishing.

The Outback while being higher in the water and subject to winds, would still be my choice for the situation you have put forth. Wider than the Revo, it has trays and real estate to spread out in. You can move about fairly well to do what you need to do.

Wobbler

I prefer kayaks with a large well in the middle of the cockpit.  That way I can relieve myself while keeping my center or gravity centered over my kayak.  Being narrow enough the hang my legs over is also nice.

All other things being equal....

Cobra Fish n Dive - Wide open layout with ridiculous stability.  I really liked the huge flush-mount hatch and the limitless positions you could fish from.  It's just no fun to drag that wide butt for any distance and the seat required some form of auxilary cushion.  Wind was surprisingly not a huge factor.  I think that the angel of the sides reduced the effect of wind on the hull. 
Trident 13 - Nice compromise boat.  It allows me to sit side saddle, isn't terribly wind affected.  Good hull access.
Ultra 4.3 - Not a big fan of the super high pod.  I like to move my legs around while I paddle/fish.  Fast boat though.  Definitely good for traversing distance in the ocean.  Since I tend to work out of a bag, the flat working area of the pod lid doesn't do much for me.  I do like the forward rod holders when dealing with fish or rigging.
Predator - Slow, highly wind affected but OMG what a comfortable fishing platform.  It's a portable lawn chair with storage options.  Worth the slow paddle speed if the winds aren't up.

-Spot-

   

I prefer kayaks with a large well in the middle of the cockpit.  That way I can relieve myself while keeping my center or gravity centered over my kayak.  Being narrow enough the hang my legs over is also nice.

I also like the large well in the middle for this reason. 

I have two store bought yaks that I can pick from, the Outback and the Adventure.  My other yaks were all built by me so they would not apply here since they are all "one-of-a-kind." Hmmm...I may need to take the plywood SOT back out.  I miss the old girl.

For just sitting out in the saltwater fishing, I prefer the Outback.  It is nice and stable and comfortable (once you modify that Hobie seat).  There are lots of places to store stuff within easy reach.

Now, if just sitting around fishing in those conditions required me to pedal 3-5 miles before fishing (Halibut), then I will take the Adventure over the Outback any day.  If you need more stability while landing a fish on the Adventure, just hang your legs over the side.  It is very comfortable to do that.  Personally though, I do not feel the Adventure is unstable.  In fact, I have preferred it in rougher water because it punches through the waves better providing a smoother ride.

But going off the conditions listed above,  I would definitely pick the Outback.

I've been in those conditions in the sound in Wilderness Ride 135 and in Hobie Outback. Both performed well and I didn't feel unsafe or uncomfortable. In fact, in both cases there were whitecaps and in case of Wilderness there were a lot of whitecaps - firm F5. I was OK.

The way I see it, with a few years of sailing experience and 1 year of kayaking experience - the real advantage of SINK is speed and amount of effort to maintain that speed. However, keeping in mind that on Outback I have pedals and I can install outriggers and a sail - advantages of SINKs are seemed to be very minimal.