Need a 2nd Kayak... maybe a 3rd

Thanks for the positive vote on the Trident 13. Lots of paddlers sure love the boat; if it were capable for me to get used to a low seat as opposed to the hi/low chair in the Predator I would jump on one of the Ocean boats in a heartbeat. That said; I'm told I'll be able to do just that in a few months.

Last I tried a low kayak seat was at the Scappoose paddle Center near Portland. That only lasted minutes before not soreness, but real pain set in. Don't forget I have just had back surgery and not ready for prime time in an Ocean kayak.

After all the votes for Ocean kayaks and the positive way I was treated by Old Town recently; I owe it to myself, and the Johnson Group, to hold off with a wait and see attitude.  I do hope to be able to get into a lower seat. That could drop me down to a much narrower and faster kayak and still feel safe. When that happens I'll join you folks with an Ocean in the Ocean. How fun!

I would strongly advise against running the cuda in the high seat position. I think you are just asking to get wet in anything other than glass lake water.

RV: I had a double lumbar fusion in 2012, and an injection for a herniated L1-2 in June, so I know full well what you are going through. I started with a OK Trident 13 as my first yak a couple of years before the surgery. It was a nice boat, and I used it on lakes for trout fishing. Worked fine for this, but I was unable to fish for more than about 45 minutes without having to ignore pain that steadily grew worse.
Sold the Trident and bought a Santa Cruz Raptor with the best seat available. With its double rear keel this is an incredibly stable, user-friendly kayak. I was able to fish for a couple of hours in this one before the post-surgery back pain caused me to head for shore.
This one is now for sale. I thought I was going to be out of the kayak game entirely, but the 2015 Outback with its super-adjustable seat and Mirage Drive have me really excited. Can't wait to demo this boat up at the Kayak Shed in Hood River.
By the way, I see you are in Salem. If you want to give the Raptor a whirl, I'd be happy to let you demo it, as I am just over the hill between Sisters and Redmond. It's a unique experience, and outside of Texas and California, Raptors are hard to find.
Bill

Fishboy; I've been going 'round in circles over this kayak thing. I just get it pretty much figured out then find something has changed; either with me or the kayak industry.

The last revelation came after a 7 hour river trip just a couple days ago where I found my back had markedly improved from the prior week and that puts everything in a different perspective, as you well know.

I tried the Outback at the Scappoose Bay Paddle Center and could not get comfortable about 6-months ago. Now I'm wondering; differences with my back and Hobie's new seat, if I could get into that boat and feel good. I'd also like to demo the Revo 13 for it's faster speed. If either turned into my number one boat, I'd likely opt for a sub $1000.00 new or used 12' boat capable of light whitewater so as to take advantage of a new for me area to fish; the Willamette River.

I'm awaiting the opportunity, like so many others, to demo the new Hobie's before I make a decision on what to do next.

Hope your back continues to improve. I'm retired so it does not interfere with work, but back troubles do interfere with the most important part of my life which is having fun in my retirement.

I have the same problems with my back, but I am going to get a seat with a higher back for better support and that will hopefully be better than the low back seat I now have.  I will put the old seat on my granddaughters yak.  It will have to wait though for the next round of surgery.  I blew another disk and am just waiting for the insurance to approve surgery # 3.  Sure came at an inopportune time, I really wanted to get out to Nahalam Bay for some salmon and crabbing.  Don't know if I will be able to make it this fall, looking at a couple of months of recovery at least.  I was looking at the skwoosh seat that has a 20 inch seat back.

Appears there Are several people in the same boat... with back issues. Yep, it's a pain!

I was wondering if anyone has comments on the Wilderness Systems Air Pro seating; the 2014 version, not the Air Pro Max 2015 version, however if anyone has info on that one, please share. The videos make them look okay for us back challenged paddlers.

Took me too long to notice this, but I have a Tarpon with the 2014 Air Pro seat and it's both a great seat and a (not literally) pain in the butt.  It's very comfortable.  The butt-pain is that mine, at least, doesn't like to stay adjusted and the straps will slip a bit.  Just a bit, but enough that I have to fiddle with it on occasion to get it back to where I like it.

I'm going for a second kayak this year, and would not give the Tarpons a two-thumbs up for smaller rivers: without a gear pod, they start feeling cramped for room pretty quickly.  Open water or the Pacific, they're great and room isn't a problem, but I don't like to be on the coastal streams with my rod assembled and sticking up in a rod holder.  If I lower the rod holder and keep the rods closer to parallel to the water, they're definitely in my way.

I expect to go with a Trident for the second boat, but nothing's definite.

Anyway, the Air Pro seat is one comfortable place to park your nethers...

Thanks Tinker for the reply. I have not purchased another kayak as yet.
I did find a great inflatable pontoon boat; I purchased a new Outcast Pac900 for white water. My first pontoon was the Pac1000 which I used for at least ten years and loved it. I'm pretty sure I'll get lots of use from this one too. I was going to stay with kayaks for Whitewater but realized this is not a great time in my life to learn how to do a roll or a wet exit from a sink in Whitewater, while I'm very confident up to class III+ in my pontoon.

I'm still interested in a new SOT lake/ocean kayak (with a comfy seat), I'll demo my next boat before purchase for sure.

Coming up on April 25 & 26 is the Demo days for Alder Creek Kayak http://aldercreek.com/, to be held at Vancouver Lake just over the boarder into Washington. Their information says the day will be filled with not only demos, but clinics also, that could be fun.

Then on May 30th Next Adventure http://nextadventure.net/ will have boats to demo at Sellwood Park in Portland; their e-mail said more to follow, so it may not yet be cut in stone what the day will offer.

A thought on your seat issue. If it is a nylon web strap that is slipping, soak it in soapy water and spray it clean the next day. I've had salt impregnate into the webbing allowing it to slip on scuba gear; it's possible yours could be improved with the treatment; just a thought.

Thanks for the tip.

My first "boat" up here was an one-person inflatable pontoon, but nothing as grand at the Outcasts.  It didn't work for me.  It's a one-way trip on these south coast streams and while the Boss was always willing to shuttle me back to my truck, she was curiously never available when I needed shuttling - which seems to me to defeat the fundamental job of a shuttle driver...

Have fun on demo days.  Among the 10,000 other things to consider about a kayak, don't be a Tinker: try to not just look at pretty colors; look at onboard storage space, too.

Thanks Tinker,
This will be my 3rd kayak; I've had a one SOT and one SINK. Learned quite a bit from having those two boats.
Going to demo a bunch of different SOT kayaks; 12'-14' by 28" to 30". I've got a great list of boats to look into.
It should be fun.