2 person kayak

can anyone recommend a good/reasonably priced two person kayak? thanks for any input.

If you have one near you I'd check out a kayak rental place. They often sell off kayaks, and you can get a good deal. good luck!

Tandem kayaks have earned the nickname "divorce boats" for good reason, I paddled one once, won't do it again. And, if you are going to fish from it with another person in it ... good luck. It would be better to get 2 solo kayaks and just paddle close together. The Old town Loon series and the Perception have gotten good reviews in the entry level boats. See [url=http://www.paddling.net:b5aa0]www.paddling.net[/url:b5aa0] for kayak reviews and prices. Also there is a "for sale" section for used boats.

Hey Dpenrod,

I agree with Kbobb. A single yak is the
sportscar of paddle craft, whereas the
tandem is the family wagon. Many of them do
not perform well with solo paddlers should
your partner not be available. Harder
recovery getting two folks plugged into a
kayak in the event of a capsize. A lot more
options and versatility IMHO with the solo
yaks. Warm regards, Jim

Yeah, My girlfriend and I were warned about the divorce boat reputation of tandem yaks. (From a salesman) One wants to go slow, one fast, one deep, one shallow... You sit very close together- making it hard to both fish, let alone flyfish at the same time. We got a canoe so we have more space, and wade fish and use a small tin boat on occasion. Good luck, Jim

------------------
"Knowledge is knowing, wisdom is understanding"

Costco sells a single and double kayak each spring at a great price and all rigged with seats and paddles. Not high performance, but a good utility/casual use/bulletproof boat. I have owned one of each of those for severeal years. I have 8 kayaks and have owned a few others too. Yep singles are best. Doubles are good for hauling non paddling passengers, dogs, lots of gear, or for traveking to camp with two paddlers.

Nothing like a high performance single though to experience the best of fly fishing from a small boat. I like kayak fishing even better than fishing from my pram. My best kayak is carbon sit-on-top and has taken me 14 miles in 6 hours fishing along the shorelines in the Pacific ocean. It cruises at 4 MPH without chugging, has GPS, a rudder, sonar and fly rod holders etc. It is reall a fun kayak.

Most plastic "tupperware" sit-on-top kayaks are all dogs compared to rigid hulled kayaks. But these plastic boats are what just about everyone has these days. They are relatively inexpensive. There must be over two dozen great kayak fishing sites on-line. Just search them up searching on google with "Kayak Fishing". You will busy for a month reading all of the kayak reviews and rigging pages..Have some fun!

Renting is a good idea to form an opinion on the different models. They are all different in some way. There over a dozen brands and dozens of models for each brand.

I'd recommend a sit-inside kayak for touring and sit-on-tops for fishing and casual summer fun. Wear a good PFD-no matter how hot it is!! The doubles are great for taking kids under 10, or for your kids to use together. The others have already warned you about the SO and doubles http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/biggrin.gif

Rich

That "Divorce boat" theroy goes well with Canoes too,I am now kicking myself for selling my old town discovery,for those "one wants to go fast the other slow" type things with my ex bro in-law...should have hung-on to my canoe.....get two singles...you'll truely be glad you did in the end..trust these men,they know and have been where you are now http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/wink.gif

------------------
"I've often wondered why it is that so many anglers spend so much money on,and pay so much attention to.the details on the wrong end of the fly line.If they took as much care in selecting or tying their flies as they did in the selection of the reel and rod,They might be able to gain the real extra edge that makes it possible to fool a fish that has,in fact,seen it all before" A.K.Best

"Wish ya great fishing"

Bill

I too did not like the tandem kayak experience. Timing is everything and if you are not together with your kpaddling partner it can be a disaster. WIth a kayak you don't have the space between people that you do with a canoe and you constantly hit each others paddles.

My wife and I went the two kayak route and are still married http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/smile.gif We also have a two person canoe and that works fine as well.

jed

Some interesting thoughts here.

I have both solo and tandem and will add they are all rigged for flyfishing. My tandem is a beast. Approx. 16' long and 70 lbs. it actually has the third middle kid seat. It's a ocean kayak cabo sit on top (all mine are sit on tops). I use it in freshwater. Your paddles are not going to hit when using this thing. You could not flyfish two at once out of it. The bow person flyfish's the rear holds position or uses a spin rod. If your getting it for flyfishing you want some space between the two paddlers so don't get one of those solo length tandems.
My solos are always the first choice for fishing. The tandem is nice because you can cover ground fast and easy say.......on one of the Great Lakes for Smallies.
I have not found a canoe I feel comfortable in yet compared to a sit on top wide kayak.
I don't know what to tell you ? The tandem yak is not my favorite rig. It is very heavy compared to a canoe. A canoe really kills my knees with the seating as compared to a yak and like the yak it would be very hard to flyfish two out of it at the same time.
I think you need to try both. A 14' - 16' wide stable sit on top yak with seats and a wide stable 16' or larger canoe with seats & back rests. Again you will not be able to "flyfish" two out of either.

thanks for all the good info. i am planning on using this with my son who is soon to be eight. he doesn't flyfish (yet) so i don't know if this will make the kayak more practical or not. they are definitely less expensive than canoes in my neck of the woods, so that is a plus.

My wife and I rented a tandem last week in Cape May, NJ, and didn't have any problems (either with navigation or marital). We (I mean "I") didn't fish, so I can't offer any suggestions for fishing tandems.

But... I am planning on getting two singles (I'm this close from finishing a cedar strip one) because I want to go alone sometimes.

If you haven't, check out this site: [url=http://kayakfishingstuff.com/:069c1]http://kayakfishingstuff.com/[/url:069c1]
They specialize in fishing kayaks and could give you some great pointers if your looking to primarily use your kayak for fishing. They highly recommend talking with people that fish out of kayaks for opinions and not general kayak shops as there are certain characteristics that make a great fishing kayak.

Dpenrod

Hextall has provided sage advice , with a refernce to <<http://kayakfishingstuff.com/ >> . As stated on their website, they take into consideration the weight, utility, and more importantly the fishing into consideration. Most kyack websites - are just that (!) , kyack users who may want to fish. But if you intend to fish, and the kyack is your means of transportation, then the fishing is most important and the kyack is the means to get you there. And you need to select the kyack according to your fishing needs.
I never thought much about secondary stability, much less , what it is. My biggest issue was to chosde a SIK (Sit In Kyack) as opposed to a SOT (Sit On Top). Other issues such as having a 'wet well' , 'skegs' or 'no skegs' ,or storage capacity,or whether to have scuppers are discussed; fishing from a kyack is not just a matter of adding a 'rod holder'.
Thanks Hextall - you have saved me from probably making a several hundred dollar mistake. Thats what this forum on FAOL is all about - mutual help / education / fellowship.
Dadflyer

Could you please expand on the reasoning between a "sit in" rather than a "sit on" kayak? I'm shopping currently and before I go any further I have to resolve this question.

Thanks.

JC,

Are those guys primarily kayak salesman? I couldn't find anything on their website that had anything to do with fishing... why'd they sponser here?

I'm not sure if you've been able to check out the link I had above, or talk to the guys who run that site, but I talked with them at the Sommerset NJ flyfishing show, and they really know there stuff (maybe a future sponser?).

J. Castwell

"As we do have a kayak company who was willing to pay for sponsorship here on FAOL would you please take a look at his page on here? I was hoping at least one of you guys would suggest that by now"

Mr. Castwell, I for one was not aware of that. With that said I do not feel it is my job to point such things out anyways. 95% of my replys are simply helping others by answering questions on subjects, I may have knowledge on. Thats my contribution, making sure sponcors are "suggested" or acknowledged is not. I would think that job would be for those who promote / sell the sponsors space.
Regards,
Bill

openrod,
check out this website; [url=http://kayakfishingstuff.con/default.asp:168b3]http://kayakfishingstuff.con/default.asp[/url:168b3]

Lots of good info with a BB on Kayak fishing


------------------
Don

JC,

That's great they are successful... but irrelevant to my question. I couldn't find anything on their website that has anything to do with picking a kayak that will primarily be used to fish out of.

Besides paying the fee, why are they a sponser?

I know this question borders on being rude and accusatory, but I'm really being genuine in my question. I know you've said that you screen and invite sponsers, so why'd you invite them to sponser your ff site?

With regard to the solo/tandem debate, does anyone have experience with kayaks that are both solo AND tandem? I am refering to the Widerness Systems Pamlico in particular. It allows the seats to be moved within the cockpit to allow for one or two paddlers.
[url=http://www.wildernesssystems.com/kayaks/rec/pamlico160t.php:bdb49]http://www.wildernesssystems.com/kayaks/rec/pamlico160t.php[/url:bdb49]

This would seem particularly useful in my case where I'd like to take my son sometimes, but not everytime and can't really afford two separate kayaks. Thanks!

------------------
"Dad can we go fishing?"

"Yes. Of course we can."

Say yes, always say yes.

Steelie D,

You do not want to put your son (I am assuming he is fairly young) in a tandem "sit in" kayak.

You are both new, recovery should you dump with gear etc. could be bad.

If you go with the tandem kayak, a wide stable sit on top is much safer (hard to dump,safer during the event if it happens, EASY to recover if it happens).

Recovery in a rec. sit in takes some practice. PLUS you will have a kid in the water.........hopefullt right side up. It won't happen with a fat wide sit on.

Either that or go with a fat, wide, flat canoe. Either is also much more comfortable to flyfish out of.

In regards to the other reply......pitch, for K.F.S. and their website. First it's a online store with a forum. Second I really don't care for one of the owners and his BS. Third any large shop LIKE THE SPONCER LISTED is going to be able to answer all questions in regards to yaks. Just remember you want wide, stable and safe for flyfishing and let them know that. I don't think a kayak shop has to be flyfishing only. Yaks and yak like crafts have been used for fishing for hundreds of years...........its not new like some of the boards want you to think.

For Bill1227

Re:"Either that or go with a fat, wide, flat canoe. Either is also much more comfortable to flyfish out of."

In regards to a canoe with those characteristics, for two tall adults 140 & 215 lbs. respectively & gear for a day trip.
Mostly mid to large lakes, some mild moving water, no salt.
Would you have any recommendations for specific makes & models?

Thanks, Dave

I doubt it fits into your inexpensive category, but I would recommend looking into the Folbot Greenland 2. I have heard a lot of great things about it.

Another alternative, and its not necessarily cheaper than buying an already made one and it will mean giving up a few weekends of precious fishing, but you could build your own, which allows you the option of building into it what you would like in the perfect FF kayak. I have some plans on a Yahoo group that I am the owner of. I don't believe any are for tandems, but that can be remedied by increasing the distance between forms to lengthen the boat and also increasing the cockpits. Of all the plans on that group (and there aren't many) probably the only one worth attempting would be the King Canvasback, which is a skin on frame kayak. People have fished out of SOF kayaks for centuries, so don't listen to anyone saying "don't do it", just know that there is always the risk of puncturing the hull with the hook, but any hole should be small enough not to cause too much worry (yes, I would still get to the nearest shore to check things out if that were to happen)and the skin can be easily patched. (Note: the plans are in the Files section, also you'll have to "join" but acceptance is automatic)
[url=http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kayakcanoeplans/:28d9b]http://groups.yahoo.com/group/kayakcanoeplans/[/url:28d9b]

Also a company that I bought kayak plans from and that has turned into one of my current projects is Clark Craft. The website is [url=http://www.clarkcraft.com,:28d9b]www.clarkcraft.com,[/url:28d9b] I believe.

None of these plans that I mention are state of the art in kayak building, but CC and the King Canvasback are wider than the modern plans and should be pretty stable for fishing from.

If you (or anyone following this thread) are interested in this approach, contact me via email (through the Yahoo group above) and I can provide a couple of very informative links and also provide answers to some questions (I'm not all that knowledgeable myself, so I may have to direct you someplace else for the answer) and some of my opinions/suggestions if you choose to build the King Canvasback (like not using 3/4" plywood for the frames, per the plans, due to that being a big cause in making the kayak very heavy, 1/2" should be sufficient based on the CC kayak I am building of a similar design, but the design calls for using 3/8" plywood, I am using 1/2" since I didn't buy Marine Grade plywood, etc.).

Paul

just an update. i contacted reps of kayak fishing stuff as suggested, as well as the kayak shop that sponsors this site. both were very helpful, but the sponsor of this site does not carry sit on top models. the guys at kayak fishing set up a package deal for me, but also advised they had a kayak that was significantly less expensive that was coming in and would fit my needs better. they advised they were going to test it out and see how it paddled and get back to me, all while holding the original kayak for me. overall, very impressed with the guys at kayak fishing. will post an update on the final decision.

Dave E. No Dave I really can't. I fdish out ofd them now anfd then but, am really a yak guy. You shoulfd be able to finfd some canoe flyfisherman on the net. There is a canoe & yak fishing site out of Florifda also. Can't remember the name. Old Town Canoe seems to focus on the sportsman pretty well.

dpenrod. "but the sponsor of this site does not carry sit on top models" WOW ! Thats just crazy. I guess they don't know fishing (sorry)sounds like a touring kayak shop. Good luck you are on the right track !