Looking for first fishing kayak 9 to 12 ft

Hi I'm Rick from Whidbey. I'm a stones throw from Cornet Bay and Deception pass. We also have Cranberry Lake, Pass Lake, and a couple more nearby.  But I'm really looking for a SOT for fishing Diablo Lake (Colonial Creek). Recently, I've been using a Sea Eagle 360X (I think) inflatable kayak. It works OK but I'm tired of all the hassle of putting it together and taking it down (twice for each camping trip). It's a bear to clean and get dry!

So, I'm thinking a hard SOT angler would make life easier. But, here's there is a catch... We have a Dodge Sprinter long and tall that's been home converted to a simple camping van. It's too tall for transporting a kayak on top. There are two vent covers and a solar panel up there already anyway. So, I need to carry the kayak inside!

I'm pretty sure I can comfortably get a 9 to 12 (maybe 13) footer inside.

I weigh about 170 @ 5.6 ft tall and I usually don't carry much for trout fishing. But I think I'd like to try in and around Cornet Bay in the future. I've never even been in a hard kayak before....

Kayaks I've been drooling over:

OK Trident 11 Angler
Mini-X fish n dive
Malibu Stealth 9
Cobra fish n dive
Malibu explorer

I'm torn between a short fat kayak or a thinner longer one.  I guess I'm trying to do both flat lake and maybe salt with the same yak.

I'd like to hear from anyone that might have a used kayak that might fit the bill. I just hate the thought of paying retail for that first experimental yak only to find out I could have got it used for half the price (yeah I'm cheap)....lol

Thanks in advance for your assistance! I've learned a lot from reading the posts on this group already 

Rick
Whidbey Island

Check out the classified section. There is a sweet Trident 15 and trailer that you can get for less than the price of a new boat! Great guy too!

Welcome to "the cure" Rick. You can drool over kayaks, and most of us will drool over your Sprinter. You might consider Funngunnin's advice. A longer kayak and trailer might be the way to go. You wouldn't have to take your kayak out to camp, and you wouldn't have to store wet/sandy/muddy/fish bloody gear inside your Sprinter.

 

I'd suggest 12-13 feet a minimum if you plan to play in the salt.  Either will be plenty short for lakes, rivers and ponds too.

I agree, the trailer sounds like the best method being that you have a tall roofed van and hardware already up there. 
With a trailer you could add additional storage boxes and such for all your other outside gear, firewood, LP, stinky fishing gear, yadda yadda.

I tend to agree about getting something a little longer than 9ft.  I had a mini-x (9ft) and it served me GREAT!  Several saltwater kings, a few halibut even!  But that lasted about 3 months and I upgraded to a 12 ft mirage outback.  Having said that so far, my score is mini-X ($400)= Bunch of nice fish
Outback($2,000)=nothing so far...

I will say that the mini-x is 10 times more portable than my outback.  I can overhead lift myself easily to load on a 2dr civic.  It fits INSIDE my Honda Pilot if I am the only passenger.

But the upgrade wasn't just about the inconvenience of how slow I moved and the effort.  I can get over that.  We have 22 hours of daylight now! 

It was more a safety issue since I tend to fish in windy areas with a LOT of current.  Once the wind overpowered the current and I had to beach and walk 2 miles to my car.  Had that been two miles out to sea, I would have been just screwed.

well if you want to see some of the fishing I did with my nine ft mini-x, you can check my blogs out at guidesak.blogspot.com

I have an OK Caper that I use in both salt and fresh. It's 11 feet long, and 31 inches wide, so it is very stable. Not the fastest yak, but I like it. It also fits inside my Dodge van. At 45lbs empty, it's very easy to launch almost anywhere.

Hi and thanks everyone for your feedback so far.

I just went out to the Sprinter and measured inside tail to 15 feet. If it could fit under the bed then the bow would be between the two seats in front. It may not fit under the bed due to limited space between bathroom and battery box. So, it would then need to go on top of the bed. I've already assured the wife that the boat would be sqeaky clean and dry prior to putting the yak to bed!

I do have an 8'X4' utility trailer with top rails that I could use for day trips. But I'm really trying to avoid taking a trailer while camping. That's why I'm going with a kayak versus a row boat... Later we plan on buying a toy-hauler but that's after retirement $$$.

Maybe I'll be needing 2 yaks!  The first being a lake yak.  I think then the 9 to 11 feet would be fine. 

I did get a couple of leads on 13 and 15 foot yaks but those may need to be for salt use.

I posted an avatar so you could see where I need to put the kayak.

I'll keep learning from you all and looking for that perfect yak (or maybe 2)   

Thanks for your support!

Rick

Another option is the Thule Hullavator

Yea , the highlight of my kayaking day is always lofting that 14' 65lb ish kayak 6' in the air and onto the rack for my truck. Its only going to take one mistake to regret not having a trailer or nice low car. Soon I plan to get a glide n set for my yak,then just lift one end and glide the rest in place....assisted by a securing rope for the bow end so it doesnt fall backwards.

At 12' x 30" , maybe look at the wilderness systems tarpon 12 too. Nice yak and fast for its length.

I thought about a lift system for the van but.... (I'll post a pic of the top sometime).

Yep, I think a Tarpon 120 would fit the bill not unlike the OK Trident T11 Angler (especially the 2011 edition).

Rudy, you are a wild man with the Mini-X!!!  Love your BLOG! I think the Mini-X is going to be my lake yak unless an 11/12 footer presents itself soon. Anybody know where to get a Mini-X cheap???

Thanks
Rick

A Fish'n'Dive should really fit the bill as well. I have owned one for a couple years now and can tell you she is pretty much a jack of all trades (except speed). She's spent many a day fit with a downrigger trolling for salmon to flipping jigs under docks for bass while standing/paddling like a stand up paddle board. With a 650lb payload, she's SUPER stable and dry too. The Tarpon 120 is a pretty versatile boat as well.

ravdakot,

Which Fish'nDive maker are you speaking of? Malibu or Cobra?

The "Fish n' Dive" kayak is made by Cobra and is their high weight capacity model in their fishing kayak line.  Some dealers of Malibu Kayaks may offer a "Fish n' Dive" package, which simply means that the kayak you buy comes with extra hatches and rod holders factory installed.  I can see how one would get that mixed up - it's a little confusing. 

I love my Mini-X so I don't blame you for wanting one.  That thing is great for small water applications like ponds, small lakes and smaller rivers.  It's tough to find them used though since 1) they haven't been around for a long time and 2) Malibu doesn't really put much effort into the PNW so they have next to zero market share of the region.  Malibu makes good boats but they must not care about the big picture.  Hobie and Ocean Kayak are by far the most relevant brands of fishing kayaks in the PNW and they both have their ~9ft. models.  There are several other brands that are sold locally - your fingers can do the walking. 

Welcome to the forum!!

ravdakot,

Which Fish'nDive maker are you speaking of? Malibu or Cobra?

Like Rawkfish said......Cobra

We just returned from Oregon with our new to us OK Prowler 13!  Thank you Jesse for giving me the opportunity to try out this new adventure!

Now I'm fiddling around shining things up and I'm going to try it out in a nearby lake (as soon as I get that State Pass).

I hope to be catching trout from the yak very soon! Thanks for everyone's support!

PS: I'm still looking for a Mini-X or similar 

Thanks
Rick
Whidbey Island, WA