kayak for a big guy

I've had a Hobie Outback and now an OK Big Game.  I'd vote for the Big Game.  I'm "only" 210 or so, but it has handled very well for me.  It is "fast enough" for anything fishing related, and the stability is a huge plus (I was just pulling crab hoops full of crabs with a 45 pound dog in the back.

A friend of mine has the prowler 13 and I used it on the Yakima river.  Nice kayak, but a little tippier than my old town loon 111 and 138 sit in-side kayaks.  I ended up getting a Malibu x-factor for the combination of length, width, and capacity.  I'm 6-4 and 220.  I am totally satisfied with it and stay completely dry in it.  I dont know if I could ever tip it over by accident either.  I have stood up in it and paddled around spot fishing for largemouths in shallow water, but in cold deep water I would have chickened out as it it pretty unstable doing so.

Maybe I've just been paddling tippy boats the whole time and did'nt know it  Yesterday was my second time out in the Malibu Extreme and that thing is really big! I think that it will be the one going back to Jacksonville as its stable enough to stand on and throw a cast net. It carries its way fairly well, but takes a bit of "ummmf" to get it going. This is most definitely a big guys boat! Even I don't sit this one down on its lines. I did get barely enough water splashed through the scupper under the seat to wet my pants though, but nothing a plug won't fix. BTW pool noodle makes excellent scupper plugs (and they are usually removed when your crashing through the surf or getting swamped by a wake).

I'm doing some research on this malibu x-factor, been seeing a bit about it on these forums.

Once again, thanks everyone, your making this way easier then it had to be.  Can't wait to be able to post some of my pictures...but be warned, some of you may cry at the size of my fish!  Just found out i'm going down to La Paz to do some fishing in October, maybe if I can get this kayak fishing thing down I can give it a shot with some big fish in the big ocean!

JER

So...today I was able to paddle an OK Malibu (? the two seater kayak ?).  I had myself in the back (270#) and my girlfriend up front (140ish#, she wouldn't tell me for certain), and after we learned how to paddle together we could get along alright.  We thought one of us was paddling funny because the boat would veer off to the right pretty bad, but found out that when left to coast (after getting her straight) it would do it on its own.  So besides that little hick-up, it was a pretty smooth ride.  I found it to be a little tippy (mostly due to two people not shifting weight at the same time/place) and quite the barge to paddle.  I do not know if it just seemed like we were going slow or if we really were.  It took a little to get going, but once we got going (and could keep her straight) we could get a little speed.  I spent a little time paddling myself to get a feel for it.

Have any of you been in this boat?  How can I compare this model to the Big Game?  They appear to be the same width, almost the same weight, and simliar in length.  I know the hull will have a lot to do with things, didn't see it nor would I be able to compare.

Thanks,
JER

I'm guessing the drift to the right was due to uneven balance in the kayak (i.e. someone was a bit right of center).

As for the difference between a Malibu and a Big Game, well the Big Game is much more fishing friendly with many hatches and ideal spots to install things like fish finders and rod holders.  If you want a kayak you and your girlfriend can go out in together than the Malibu is obviously the choice.  I don't know the details on the hull shape to help you out there, if the general specs are the same, it should have similar behavior.

Brian

Need to find a kayak shop that allows test paddles of Ocean Kayak products... Pole or one of the other WA guys might be able to help you out.  Brian already answered the main differences pretty accurately.  Though the Big Game is slow, I would imagine it is still faster than a tandem paddled solo.

Ya, looking around for a place semi-close that has the 'yaks and allows test paddles.  Most places i've found are 'box' stores (REI, Joes) and don't even have the Kayaks in stock, they just order them.  I will be ordering from outdoorplay.com (provided I don't find a used one).  I read some reviews on the Malibu, seems like a few people have found it a pleasure to paddle alone, and a bit trickier with both people in it.  I believe for my needs, the Big Game will serve me well.  I'll just have to get stronger i guess.

Maybe some day when i'm not a blob anymore, i can switch to something more swift, like a P13!

Can't wait to get some pictures of my new set up...show and tell was my best subject in school

JER

Having owned both the Big Game and the XFactor, I can say that each has it's own merits.  If you're new to the sport and on the bigger side, I don't think you can really go wrong with either.  Lot's of guys here buying the Big Game this year and loving it.  Not a lot of Malibu Kayaks presence in the NW so you don't see many of them.  A few of the guys here have one ...  the 2 I bought right when I was starting this site which I had since sold and one that Zee recently sold.  Solid boats that I can't really complain about.

Check with the OK factory in Ferndale since you are close.  They may have a blem to sell you.  Otherwise, go with Outdoorplay.  Or if you have a bit of time and can wait, I may have a Big Game with rudder for sale soon.  Well, maybe not soon ... more likely in a month.  I don't really have the time right now to sell it properly.

FHM, While the P13 may seem a little tipper than the Loons you're used to, I wouldn't say they are a tippy kayak.  But heck, the Prowler 15 seemed a bit tippy to me the first time I paddled it and now I don't give it a second thought.  The P13 is  more stable than the P15.  It's all relative.

-Allen

I love my Malibu X-Factor, and highly recommend it for big guys.  Nice and stable.  Plenty of room for stuff.  Dry ride.

Though, I believe he was referring to the Malibu Two from OK.   

Yeah, I meant the OK Malibu II from JMan551's  second to last post.  I got lazy and dropped the OK and forgot that he had also mentioned the X-factor in the previous post.  The X-factor vs Big Game is a completely different comparison and I think PolePole addressed that well.

Finally got a hold of someone from OK, sounds like he is a sales guy from a factory store up here in Ferndale.  He has told me he can get me 35-40% off of a last years model, and they have a full rental fleet.  Super excited

Was supposed to have a roof rack shipped to me last week, now all of a sudden I can't get a hold of anyone there (VW dealer on the east coast will sell me one $50 cheaper, including shipping, then the VW dealer here).  As soon as I get my roof rack on the way, I am going to order up some accessories outdoorplay and go rent myself an OK Big Game.  Assuming everything goes as planned, I should have my very own 'yak within the next couple of weeks...watch out fish, here I come!

I'm easily the most impatient person in the world...all this waiting is painful, but very much so paying off.

JER