Best Yak for Girls??

Hey there,
I am new to your board. My hubby and I live in NW Oregon and are looking at getting yaks. He actually ordered his Malibu X-factor today.
I am looking at an Ocean Kayak "venus 11".
It doesn't look like it comes with any of the spots for rod holders (but does come with a mp3 cubby  "
Can I add a rod holder to it? How hard it that?

Plus do any of you know any ladies who have one of these? Do they like them? Are they easy to use, stable etc?
I am definately a newbie kayaker, but have been fishing for awhile.

Thanks for your help! This is a cool board. I am looking forward to reading more!
M

Howdy Watergirl!

Welcome to the board!
 
So what kind of water do you want to fish? It's a good idea to match a boat to your expectations. That said, I'm not terribly impressed with the V11. Unless you're exceptionally petite, and planning on calm water use, I would suggest something more like the  OK Prowler 13. It is possible to add rod holders to most any yak, so there's no need to restrict yourself to boats that have holders, already. The best idea is to get out and test as many kayaks as you can.

Hi Watergirl,  welcome to you and your hubby!

I've paddle the V11 myself and it's a decent kayak for calm water paddling.  But I share the same thought that PS does.  I would look at something that matches you, your abilities, and your kayak up to what your husband is paddling.  I've also paddle (and owned in a past life) the Xfactors, and I think that a P13 would match you 2 up pretty nicely.  Definitely try it out!

Cheer!

-Allen

I'd also suggest looking at a Hobie Quest (or, if you can afford it and are willing to consider a peddle kayak, the Hobie Revelation).   Both are 13'.

After trying my Outback, my wife now wants a Hobie peddle kayak of her own, and is torn between the Revelation and the Adventure.  The Hobie boats have really nice fit and finish, and great customer service.  Plus they come in bright colors (like mango yellow), which my wife insists on :b

I think you'll find the Hobie Quest to be a slow kayak an not so well matched with the XFactor.  But I don't know if being matched is important to you, and I don't know how strong a paddler you are.  Other's you might consider are the Cobra Maurader or stick with Malibu and try the Malibu Pro Explorer, or try the XFactor yourself and see how you like it.  Or consider the Prowler 15 (or WS T160) and run circles around the hubby.  I've had a girlfriend prefer my P15 over the Big Game.  She paddled the P15 and I had fun trying to keep pace with her when I was in my Big Game.

Bottom line is that in the Venus you'll probably struggle trying to keep pace with him in the XFactor.  If peddling is your thing, then ThreeWeight has some excellent suggestions.

Regarding bright colors ... I'm all for that.  IMO, the more visibility you have on the water, the better.  All my kayaks are yellow (yum yum yellow as I like to call it).

-Allen

Edit: I don't buy the notion that there are "girls kayaks".  Demo as many as you can and get the one that you find suits yourself best.

Thanks guys!! Great info. Now about demo-ing? Where can I do that? We heard that a place in Bend would let you try out the kayaks, but then when we arrived they were clueless. I also heard that the place in Hood River does, but they are only open M-F?
Does anyone have ideas where we can do that around PDX? We would be willing to travel a bit to demo some different types. My hubby played with his dad's new x-factor and that sealed the deal for him. He said that he didn't think I had enough upper body strength for an x-factor and that it seemed a little too wide for me? But I haven't had a chance to play on it yet so I don't know for sure.
I do want to be able to keep up with him. I am a tad bit competitive 
We will be hitting the rivers around PDX, we live about 5 minutes from the Willamette in Newberg (it has to be able to handle wakes without tipping/there are lots of fast boats that share the water here in Newberg). I have heard good stuff about some areas around Tillamook. We also want to be able to go to lakes around Sisters (his parents live there), and probably some areas on the south coast/winchester bay area (grandma lives there).
Thanks again for all  your info. I will definately  keep researching... although the pink yak did have a certain appeal. I guess that is the girly, girl in me!!

 Bad news: Demo-ing can be a challenge and, I hate to say “you should have been there” but,, Alder Creek had a great demo day a month or so ago. (Polepole was there!)
Good news: Alder Creek will be happy to let you demo a boat!
Okay news: They have a couple of Ocean Kayak boats (Frenzy and Prowler) and a couple of the Wilderness boats.

Call Alder Creek and tell them what you want. They should be able to hook you up. 503.285.0464
They are on Hayden Island and in Downtown PDX and aldercreek.com (and open weekends too)
If you mention my name they will have no idea who you are talking about

  My nickel’s worth? Skip the Venus (or the Frenzy) if you want to keep up with your hubby. Short boats are slower (less efficient) than longer boats (the glide between strokes is shorter). The Wilderness Tarpon 14 or 16 would leave him in the dust and the 14 is especially good for a smaller paddler (and all boats are girls  )  It would also take you comfortably to any of the places you mentioned (only thing I’d like is a bigger center hatch).

   Also, upper body strength is waay over rated. If your paddling efficiently, your using your whole body (legs, hips, torso, shoulders, chest, and arms). A good way to tell that you’re doing something wrong is if your arms start burning or hurting first. 

 While the OK and Wilderness are very good boats, there are bunch of good boats out there and our selection in the Great Pacific Northwest is somewhat limited
(hmmmm, maybe somebody ought to open up an SOT fishing shop )      

(hmmmm, maybe somebody ought to open up an SOT fishing shop )      

... with shops in Portland and Seattle.   Shhhhh.

-Allen

Scappoose Bay Kayak Company has some sit on tops, and they will let you test drive them on the bay in front of the shop (approximately 20 minutes northwest of Portland, on Scappoose Bay).

They are a Hobie dealer.

Hey hubby and I went to alder creek today. They were really nice!! We demoed the prowler 13 and one other one a wilderness something... Anyways, I LOVED the prowler. Good call on that one! It feels really stable. They are selling their demo prowler for $650.00, so I think we are going to go back and get it tomorrow. Hubby of course ordered a new yak, but I thought since I am such a rookie, I will start out used and work up to a brand new new one later if I need to.
Thanks again for all your input.
I think we are going to take the beginner class at alder creek asap and then hit the rivers! Wahoo. This should be a fun summer!

Congrats! That sounds like a good deal on the P13! 

Right on!  You got yourself a nice yak.  Post some pix of both your yaks when you start pimping them out.

-Allen

I love pics!

My father-in-law is picking mine up on Friday. Bummer that I have to wait that long... oh well.
BTW we are looking for a small truck lumber rack for our old nissan pickup. So if you all know anyone selling one let me know. I think he is planning on calling Rack Attack tomorrow as well. Used would be better but either way we have to figure it out soon.
We will post pics as soon as we can!
Thanks,
Maryanne

Watergirl, check with Floatin' Cowboy, he had a rack that fit his Toy truck. Here's the thread- http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/bb/index.php?topic=239.0