Hello Everyone. New guy question.

Hello,

My name is Frank, I am in NE Portland and I am looking for a Kayak for a while now. Every time I ask a question people on line tell me to come to this site. I am here seeking advise on my first kayak. I have been looking at the Ocean Kayak brand models Trident 15, Trident 13 and Prowler 13 online. If you were to get a kayak for fishing should I get a rudder? Other that the 15' kayak being longer and having a bigger load raiting is it better than a 13' one in any way? I know I have lost of stupid questions to ask so I will stop with these few ones for right now. I am now going to read as many post as I can to learn all I can.  

Thank you for any help
Frank

Welcome to the board Frank & happy searching for your answers!

Welcome, I am a new guy as well but have been out quite a few times and here is my take. If the deal on a kayak you are looking for has a rudder great. If you can get a better deal without it i don't think it will prevent you from having a great and successful time kayak fishing. I have not yet felt the need for one. From my limited knowledge the main thing the rudder helps with is paddling in the wind. I have paddled in the wind and you just adjust your paddling. I  am sure there is more to it than that but if the kayak you want doesn't have one, go for it.  Do a search in the forum on rudder and you should find some other points of view.  Nanook seems to have the best handle on technique and equipment, you might shoot him a pm.  this is a great addiction, i mean hobby. Enjoy being sucked down the vortex. the ride is awesome.

doug

Yes I am looking forward to my new addiction. I am almost done with my old Ford Broncos so I can now spend my time and $ on this stuff. O the fun.  

Thanks everyone for all the help.

Some of your decisions may depend on whether you consider yourself a "fisherman" or a "kayaker" and how much experience you have kayaking and how much time and effort you want to devote to developing kayaking skills.  I came to kayak fishing as a fisherman (such as I was) with no kayak experience and I find a rudder invaluable.  It simply makes controlling the kayak easier so I concentrate on fishing.  Your decisions will also depend on the kind and locations you wish to fish.  For example, most of my fishing is in Puget Sound, and occasional lakes.  I have little interest in rivers with moving water as the required kayak skills are far beyond my current abilities. 

I have a T13 Angler and think it is an awesome fishing platform.  It is slower than a longer boat with a narrower aspect ratio.  This will limit your operational radius more than a faster boat.  Personally, I have rarely traveled more than 10nm in a 6 hour day on the water including trolling.  Other folks do not think much of a 10nm paddle to get to their fishing grounds.  The T13 can carry my saltwater fishing gear as well as an anchor system (anchor, line reel, & float), a couple crab traps and floats, fish bag, and cart. 

However, I now also have a Hobie Revolution with the mirage drive.  One gives up a lot of usable space for the advantages of the mirage drive.  Others will disagree but I also think the T13 boat is a higher quality product than the Revo boat.  The mirage drive can push the Revo in a sustainable cruise about twice as fast as I can paddle my T13 in a cruise.  This means while I cannot carry all my gear at the same time on the Revo, I can easily make two trips to/from the beach as my most common crabbing grounds are close to the launch.  One trip to deploy the crab traps and then back and out for fishing.  You can not beat the mirage drive for trolling - less effort, more sustainable, faster (when you need it), and more consistent.  If you are interested in installing a downrigger you should seriously consider one of the Hobie mirage boats.  The Hobies are also made to be outfitted with a sail.

I am only a little over a year into kayak fishing so I do not have much experience with different 'yaks as others here.  There is a lot of good folks with vast expertise and experience on this forum, and everyone here helped me immeasurably in learning my a$$hole from a hole in the ground as regards kayaks, SAFETY!, fishing from them, and rigging and modifying them. 

Welcome to the forum.  The search function is very helpful, and do not hesitate to ask what you may consider stupid or redundant questions. 

Welcome Darkbeer! Before I ask you to recommend a good "espresso stout" from the center of the micro brew universe (PDX), I must say welcome to the board!
Those OK Tridents and prowlers are pretty popular. I have a Wilderness Systems Tarpon 140, and its a bit skinnier and has a little less lift in the bow design than the OK Tridents/Prowlers, but it paddles pretty nicely.  There's a lot of new boats out there to research, too. You have to find one that you like that fits your needs, so check out a bunch of 'em.
Demonic's reply was a pretty good one.
Nanook will probably tell you what he told me when I purchased my Tarpon...that you should learn how to paddle and control your yak in crosswinds without a rudder before deciding whether or not you need one. From my experience, you probably don't need a rudder!
I might HAVE to get a rudder kit and install it when I rig up my sail, leeboards and outriggers, though. (Playing with kayak sailing )

Thank You demonick and ConeHeadMuddler . All that info helps

ConeHeadMuddler you have to go to this site. Lots of good info to read about. http://www.portlandbeer.org/ . I grow my own hops but I give them to people I know and they give me some of the beer they make out of it. This year I might make some beer but we will see.

Hey Frank, welcome to the cure!  I saw your post of Ifish and figured I'd see you here soon.  

Your kayak and rudder choice should be driven by the type of fishing you're likely to spend the most time doing.  
The rudder causes more drag and is only really necessary when paddling in windy conditions.  They're probably a little more usefull on the biggest yaks like the Trident 15.  

The longer yak is better suited to long distance paddling.  They have a greater surface area so offer less drag on the water.  At the same time, they tend to be harder to control in tight areas and more affected by wind.  So it's a trade-off that you'll have to consider.

If you're looking at hitting mostly ponds and maybe some swift water then you'd probably be better off with a shorter, wider kayak like the T11.

If you're looking for an all around boat for moderate ocean use, lakes and slower moving rivers, The T13 is a good choice.

If you're primarily planning on trolling or have great distances to cover to get to your fishing grounds, then the added expense of a Hobie would probably be the ticket.

Check with Alder Creek Kayaks or Scapooose<sic> Bay Kayaks to see if you can take some for test drives.  You never really know if you're making the right choice until you've taken a couple for a spin.

-Spot-

Thank You demonick and ConeHeadMuddler . All that info helps

ConeHeadMuddler you have to go to this site. Lots of good info to read about. http://www.portlandbeer.org/ . I grow my own hops but I give them to people I know and they give me some of the beer they make out of it. This year I might make some beer but we will see.

What variety are you growing?  How are you drying and storing, or are you giving them away fresh?

I used to be heavily into the homebrew scene in WA and also grew my own hops until I moved.  I had a few nice years of Tettnanger crops on a 30' long wrought iron railing.  I often did a summer brew oozing tettnanger hops.  I called it "Tettbanger".  Google it if you're interested.  If some of your homebrewing buds want to store your hops long term, then vacuum packing in oxygen barrier plastic is good, but the best way is to dump the dry hops into a spare soda keg, and purge with CO2.  If the keg doesn't leak they will last for years.

Friday night I tried a Bridgeport Hop Czar.  I didn't think one could brew a fruitier beer than their IPA without the actual abomination of real fruit, but it seems they have done it.  Not an "easy" brew, and one that should probably be paired with a heavy meal.  It did pair well with a rather spicy cigar and a cheese plate.

Thanks again Spot for the help.


demonick

I have Willamette, Nugget, Kent Goldings and Sterling. I made a hop trellis out of some old steel tubing I had laying around. It almost did not make it into the back yard as it was so big but me and some friends got it back there. We had to move all the neighbors cars and it was up against my house very tight. I love my welder. I have been giving them away fresh. The guy then drys them in a food dehydrators and vacuum seals them. I work close to Widmer Brothers Brewing in North Portland. I can smell them making it all the time. Yes I also like a good cigar. A nice maduro one for me. 

Hey Frank,

Welcome.

Give me a call or swing by the shop anytime. I'm happy to help you find the right gear, and you're welcome to demo behind the shop any time for free. I'm usually at the Jantzen Beach shop Wed-Sat if I'm not on the water.

-Jason

503-285-0464
http://www.aldercreek.com
http://www.kayakangler.blogspot.com

Hello Jason,

Thank you for the offer. That would be nice to try one out. What are your hrs that you are there? You can pm me if you do not want to post it here.

Thanks again
Frank
 

Yes I also like a good cigar. A nice maduro one for me. 

Then try one of these:
http://www.demonick.com/cigars/Reviews.Non-Cuban/Cusano.18.Paired.Maduro.Toro.htm

Hello Jason,

Thank you for the offer. That would be nice to try one out. What are your hrs that you are there? You can pm me if you do not want to post it here.

Thanks again
Frank
 

I'm there 9-6 Wed-Thurs. 9-7 Fri and Sat. We're kind of low on SOT stock right now. I've got WS Tarpons, Native Ultimates, and Feelfree Mokens, but I'm out of OK SOT's right now.

J

hey guys,
 
  i am also new to the sight and i am in the same boat as frank. currently fishing out of an ok drifter and also a ok malibu 2. i prefer the drifter but it is a very wet ride. i am thinking of selling both and getting either a hobie mirage or the T13. i just saw hobie here in pc and that drive system is sick, but i really love the storage in the T13. any thoughts?