What kind of watercraft for flyfishing.

Ok here is the big question. I am looking into purchasing a small craft just for one person to go flyfishing. It needs to be portable enough to be carried small distances to the water by one person and has to be hard shelled. Tried inflatable some time back and the places I go are too rough for that.
Craft would be used for small lakes as well as some narrow streams. Waters are small enough to forgo electric propulsion(I also can use some exercise from time to time).

Right now I'm bouncing back and fourth between kayak and canoe but I'm open to any suggestions.
Which one is more stable? I have boating experience but not with any of the above.

I'd choose the kayak if I only had those choices. Preferably a sit-on-top. Both types of craft are a bit "tippy" due to the narrow beam but you can still fly cast out of them without problems(once you get used to them). How about a small pram or jonboat? You can get them for short change or if you feel adventurous you could even make one yourself. They are definitely more stable.

I like a kayak in the salt, but normally I use my canoe in fresh water.
More room to stretch out, and you can stand if you want to.
I don't think of either of them as "tippy".

Either craft would work well. There are numerous rec kayaks that weigh less than 50 lbs - the OT otter weighs 39 lbs. These would be light enough to carry some distance. If you get one of the strap on wheel setups you can pull one of these along for a good distance pretty easily. OT also makes a one person canoe called the "pack" that weighs only 43 lbs and would be just as easy to pull or carry about as a kayak. I personally use kayaks more often for the rivers and streams here in northern Arkansas. I have looked longingly at the one man canoes though.

Personal preference. Both would work well. A solo canoe would hold a bit more gear, but if you have to carry stuff very far, you won't want to bring too much gear anyway. The canoe will also get blown around more by even the slightest breeze.

If it were me, I'd go with the canoe because I've done a lot of canoeing in the past. It would have to be designed as a solo canoe, not just a short tandem canoe. World of difference. Google Hornbeck boats. Sweet.

Stewart, RW here

I've been using a canoe for almost 40 years now. I've owned about 7 of them in that time, but for the last 25 years when I'm alone I personally like the Old Town pack canoe. Occasionally called the trapper canoe. Twelve feet long, one seat, weights 33 pounds made of Royalite. Almost indestructable. It's rated for about a 400 pound load. You can carry it or transport it anywhere with ease. I'm 71 now and still have no trouble handling it myself. Has the sleek, classic look of O.T's guide model.

Later, RW

I think you should also look at the Hobie Cat 75 or 60. I own the Hobie Cat 75 and just love it! Only weighs in a 33 pounds, easy to row and transport.

www.hobiecat.com

Go down their web page until you come to Hobie Fishing and then look for Hobie Cat 60 & 75

On my Hobie 75 I changed the seat to a swivel folding seat and I put an anchor system on myself.

This is just my opinion, but, I think this may be what you are looking for.

MFinn,

You didn't place a cost limit on this choice. That will have something to do with your final decision, I imagine. A lot of us have gone through the same angst that you are now experiencing. I spent a lot of time, last year researching and trying out different canoes, kayaks and pontoons. You might want to do a search here in the BB for threads about "kayak" or "canoe." There's a lot of good advice, here, and a lot of folks passionate for their choices. In fact, the Paddling board arose from some of those discussions.

I was looking to replace my canoe and was sorely tempted by a number of kayak models. However, I have a nice problem in that my wife likes to canoe even though she doesn't fish so my choices were biased. One thing I definitely wanted was a lightweight craft. I ended up with a kevlar 16' canoe that weighs in at 38 pounds. Darned expensive but I only seem to buy a canoe every 35 years so I think it will amortize out nicely. I added a middle seat to use as a solo or when my wife goes with me we have the normal seating. I think the best advice was from a number of folks---find a dealer where you can try out the boats. Joe Hyde pointed me to a local dealer where I was able to try out boats on a local lake. In fact I went back and went through the different boats on two different occasions trying to make my final decision. I bought my canoe from this dealer and I'm very happy with my choice and have no second thoughts..... hmmmm maybe I should go ahead and get a kayak as well.....

BW

Warren P down in TN is giving you some good advice on the one man pontoon. I have one hang in my basement that I really like, a FishCat brand. I can fish a 30 acre lake without touching the oars, you could mount a trolling motor on it and just about water ski. I was at the Shallow Water Fishing Exposition in GA last week one manufacture has pontoons with casting platforms that slide under the seat and a stablizer bar that can be moved into position to allow you to stand and cast from the boat. My boat weighs about 50 lbs. and can be broken down to fit in a van but fits the back of my little Ranger pickup ready to go. I would recommend a rod rack if you use more than one rod, I dropped a flyrod in the lake when I first got the boat and was trying my hand at rowing.

You might check out SportPal/Radisson. They have a 12 ft. canoe that's a yard wide and weighs less than 40 lbs. Lined with flotation material it also has sponsons just below the gunwales. Quite stable! The configuration won't make it a sleek paddler but it's sure useable. My wife and I fish from a 14 ft. model (after the streams are too warm to fish) and enjoy it very much. In our mid-70s, and fishing in good sized lakes, we opted for an electric motor. The little feller is wonderful.

Good luck.

Bill

"Craft would be used for small lakes as well as some narrow streams."

That is a kayak.

PS It will be more stable than a canoe because you sit only a few inches above the deck.

IMHO forget standing to fly fish in a kayak or canoe. Just get out and wade.

The key part of your question was that you didn't have any experince with either type of craft.

Well, then go try them out. Go to paddling demo's... borrow craft from friends... hang out where people utilize these craft and ask to "try out" their craft for a few minutes... rent different craft for a day or weekend... or ask dealers to demo their boats.

Actually getting in various types and models is the only way top know if that is the right model for you

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MikieFinn

Right now I'm bouncing back and fourth between kayak and canoe but I'm open to any suggestions.
Which one is more stable? I have boating experience but not with any of the above.

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How about a Canoe AND a Kayak:

http://www.nativewatercraft.net

I have the Ultimate 12. It's stable like a Kayak (you can stand in it) and it's shaped like a canoe. It's a very nice boat.

Regards,
Starfish

Another vote for the Oldtown Pack canoe.Only 12ft and 33 lbs,its easy to throw in the back of my pu and hit the ponds.Pretty stable for a small boat also.

There are quite a few different "flavors" of both kayaks and canoes with their own characteristics. So its a bit more involved than "kayak or canoe".

Might I suggest, find a dealer who would allow you to test paddle the various types of craft. The best data source for such a choice would be your own personal experience.

I have a Wenonah Kingfisher 16ft canoe.

It is about 4 inches wider than a "standard" 16ft canoe, its stable enough to stand in while casting.

It has plenty of room for camping gear for you and a buddy. Mine has been in lakes and rivers, scraped across rocks and gone through rapids - and it is still as strong as ever.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by rrhyne56

Might I suggest, find a dealer who would allow you to test paddle the various types of craft.

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For kayak info and demos, take a look at http://www.kayakfishingstuff.com
Their preference is clearly sit-on-top kayaks, but there's lots of info and discussion on sit-on-top kayaks vs. sit-inside kayaks and also kayaks vs. canoes.

Lots of good comments and advice here.

Truth is, no matter what kind of solo watercraft you pick it will deliver advantages as well as disadvantages. You see so many different hull designs in kayaks and canoes nowadays. This is because boat designing has always been a deliberate trade-off: a shape change made here delivers one useful benefit, but does so at the expense of losing or diminishing another useful benefit there.

I have never paddled a kayak, but expect to do so sometime this spring or summer. (As soon as I stop hyperventilating at the thought of doing a half-Eskimo roll...)

What canoes and kayaks offer fly fishers that is so wonderful is SILENCE ON APPROACH, so long as the paddler does his part by employing careful paddling strokes in combination with not rattling his or her on-board gear.

Kayaks have it all over canoes in the category of minimum wind resistance, a definite advantage if the wind kicks up. I use a solo canoe and paddle it from the kneeling position. Kneeling elevates my eyes higher above the lake surface and that increases my view angle down into the surrounding water, helping me spot underwater cover at distances farther away than would be possible if I were seated closer to water level in a kayak.

In a canoe or kayak, you should fish from the standing position only if you have safeguarded your family's future financial comfort by making them the beneficiary of a high-dollar life insurance policy.

I suspect that a person's fishing gear is better protected and kept more accessible if you use a canoe rather than a kayak. (But I could be wrong; again, I've never paddled a kayak much less fished from one.)

I've never rowed a pontoon boat. A lot of people like 'em. They look too tall to me, like they'd be better employed on quiet water, places with minimum wind and wave action.

If you'd rather not buy new right off the bat, a web site you can check for USED canoes and kayaks is:

www.paddler.net/Classifieds/

You can find some good boats and good deals there.


Joe
"Better small than not at all."

I also vote for a Sports Pal Canoe but mine was made here in the USA by Myers boat works. Very stable and I many times use a electric trolling motor to propel it. A very fun craft and I'm over 60 years old.
Hobo

Wow. Must've touched a nerve or something.
Thank you very much for all of the advice. I have decided to start with a used kayak and take it from there. If I do not like it or if I would like to upgrade down the road I'm sure I can "trade it" sor something different in the future.

There is a Dagger Zydeco 9 foot for slae localy and I have begun negotiations.

With temperatures dropping below 0 in my neck of the woods seems like a "perfect" time to look for a paddling boat :-).

MickieFinn, Don't know how big you are, but if your weight is approaching 200 pounds you need to paddle the Zydeco before you buy. During my testing of kayaks, I found that some of the weights listed are far above what the kayaks will comfortably and safely handle.
I haven't paddled a Zydeco, so you may be perfectly safe, but better safe than sorry.
Above all...paddle as many as [possible and for sure paddle a kayak before you purchase it.

Rodgerole
I'd rather be fishing

Mick,
Good for you. I fish from both Kayaks and Canoes. Each has a different feel and different advantages. As you move into the world of kayaking note that a smaller kayak turns more easily than a longer model. With a 9' you tend to zig zag as you paddle from side to side so it uses more energy. If you are paddling less than a few miles during each fishing excursion you should be fine. If you are doing longer paddles against current or across windy lakes it will be less efficient and you will tire faster. Because of the zig-zag you don't point upriver as much and your bow is more likely to catch water and be harder to handle. Conversely it is easier to manoever in small spaces, load and unload from the car and is generally stealthier.

All that being said enjoy it and keep these issues in mind because you'll soon be looking at other boats. :lol: Its a rule, once you get into it you always want another one. Bigger, faster, smaller, lighter better seating etc.

jed

I fish out of a custom designed Cajun Piroque. A boat designer designed it for me and I built it 4 years ago. It is 16 feet long and 3 feet wide in the middle.

Kahuna

No contest. If you want to cover distance, a kayak is the only way to go. I'd opt for a 'Sea' or touring type for lakes and bigger rivers. I prefer the SIK type. The SOTs are fun, but too slow. I use a Wilderness Systems Victory Blast kayak, and I couldn't be happier. This year, I plan to buy a tandem or sea yak for extended adventures.

Semper Fi!

Mikiefinn,i see you said you tried the inflatable boats but the brush was too much for it.I have a pontoon for ponds now,had three canoes,a scott,old town 119 and a esquif mallard,all canoes to me felt tippie,i looked at kayaks but at 6'2" 220 lbs i couldn't get out of the dam* things!I would look at a craft called a creek boat,it is a open designed kayak,the base model around 450.00,you can use a kayak paddel or trolling motor,weighes 42 lbs.

mickyfinn

i have been fishing out of kayaks for about 8 yrs now and do not recommend the zydeco unless you are mainly fishing lakes it does not handle very fast water well. the zydeco is stable but does not track well nor is it good for paddeling any distsance, like to the other side of the lake. being so small it should be manuverable but it's not and that's why it can not easily handle fast moving water like the lehigh river. there are better kayaks out there more appri[priate for your major use, which is fishing. look at a pamlico or pungo by wilderness systems or the blackwater by dagger or the loon by old town. now is not the time to buy a kayak actually because how are you going to try it out? wait for a demo day and try some out 1st or get some friends to let you try theirs. if you come near pittsburgh i have 4 differnt yak for you to try, each has a specific purpose and actually 2 are for sale because their purpose are no longer needed and i'll buy a new one to replace them.

I vote for a canoe. If you ever want to take another person, you can easily accomodate them. If not you're good there as well. I built "outriggers" for mine with 2 swim noodles and some pvc. I can stand in that thing with my lab leaning over the side, and fly cast easily.

Mine is a heavy, molded plastic boat, but suits my needs. I would like a lighter version someday....

I used a canoe for 25 years, but for the last 3 since getting an OT otter the canoe is gathering dust. There is enough room for fishing gear, snack, PFD etc. Kayaks are MUCH less prone to being pushed by the wind, and travel much faster than canoes. This will be important when returning at the end of the day. Paddling a kayak is more intuitive - it takes a while to become a good canoe paddler. Kayaks are warmer on cool days and have a proper seat (back rest). Both are a little tippy if you try to cast too much to the side, so don't decide on that basis. I find the kayak quieter because I am not reaching the same with the paddle. I agree with the suggestions to try each out - but whatever you choose, GET A REALLY NICE PADDLE, because that is what you will feel in your hands.

There are no perfect boats. Having owned several dozen (total) canoes/yaks/prams/jons etc, I can tell you they all excell at one thing and suffer in other areas. Small recreational /fishing yaks 9 10-14') paddle much easier than a canoe and shed wind well. Stability can be good ( if beam is 28" or better) as you sit more or less at the water line. However, this low seating profile makes judging casting distances and casting itself more dificult. ( PS If you go with a YAK, get a Open cockpit or SIT so you don't need to sweat eskimo rolling practice!)
Canoes give you more options in seating height, gear stowage, and casting position ( that aids casting and comfort) but take more energy to move and are troublesome in the wind.

If you stick with either in a wide beam, 12-14' recreation type hull, you should be pretty content in most situations. It's also worth trying a double paddle in a canoe ( if you decide on a canoe) . It's unorthodox but can help ALLOT with controlling a canoe in wind and adds efficiency .
hth

p.s. paddling.net is a good place to review certain boats prior to buying.

All of the crafts mentioned here are top choice for the fishing you discribe....I own and use both a kayak and the Hobie Floatcat 75....Still want to add the Old Town Pack canoe to this myself....I find canoes and Kayaks much more stable than most seem to give them credit for...Canoes are more prone to wind probelems, and that would be there only drawback. If you were to really squint and look hard for one...

I think any of the water craft above would serve you well... What are your thoughts as to storage? Space available? Time you'd be willing to devote to take down of some of the craft mentioned if space is limited...Only applies if selecting certain crafts.....Might want to check out a few of the craft and narrow your seach a bit and drop names of those specific crafts so we might be better siuted to answer specific storage,Price and transportation questions you may have...Just some thoughts...

Bill

We just just bought a couple of Hobie Mirage Drive kayaks and yes I know...they're not really traditional paddle boats, but I'm not worried about tradition, I want ease of fishin and they provide it. I can fish my heart out and not have to touch the paddle as my feet do the peddle. It's stable too though weighs in at 58LBs for the ones I bought, but they do have a smaller and lighter model. Find a dealer and try one out. You may be suprised.

i believe the thing you have to consider about the hobies is how deep of a stream/river you are going to fish. if there are area you have to drag of bounce across the hobie fins may be in for rough time.

I'll cast my vote for a Hobie Cat 75. I absolutely love mine. I can manuever anywhere to a prime fishing spot and really motor with the oars from one location to another. You sit high in the water, don't have to worry about tipping and it's as comfortable as sitting in your favorite easy chair. It also provides a great stripping platform and is easy to carry to the water and launch. Test drive one today and you'll never look back!