First kayak on a budget and small car

[sletts02]

I am looking in to getting in to kayak fishing around the Bris north area. However, I am not wanting to spend a fortune in case it does not get used.

I was originally looking at the Angler 3.0 when it was at $499 at BCF but didn't pull the trigger.

Since I've been looking at the Venturer @ $274 and it seems to be decent and reasonably easy to handle by myself (unloading etc).
http://www.anaconda.com.au/Product/Wate ... -top-Kayak


It will be travelling on top of my Hyundai Coupe


Thoughts?

[Lapse]

hmm, In my opinion, decide on the budget, then go for the most kayak you can get for your dollar. Being northern Brisbane, you will want to do things like redcliffe, Caloundra and Noosa offshore eventually - Because of this, I reckon go for something a bit longer.

the angler 3.0 is a heavy bugger I thought, so if your car could carry that it should carry anything.

Perhaps around the 4m mark?
Mission catch 390/420
prowler 4.1
Wavedance Kingfisher
Hobie paddle thingo
Stealth Supalite

You will want to look at 2nd hand - better value and if you do decide to sell it in 3 months time because you dont like it, you will get back what you paid for it. Just give yourself a few weeks - things always come up on here/ebay/gumtree

[sletts02]

I've done some reading any majority repeat your thoughts - get the best you can afford. I guess this applies to every purchase.

I'll measure the length of my roof to get an idea of how long of a kayak I can carry - being a coupe it has a really small useable roof area compared to a sedan so I need to be wary of getting something too long - at least I'd imagine that would be the case? I've never carried anything on my roof.

Max of $500, preferably less for my first rig. I also thought about a K5 or K1 inflatable however I think I'd prefer a small hard kayak. I thought for $275 how could I go wrong? I've been searching Gumtree/here and find it rare to find something for a comparable price.

[Evoids]

For $275 you cant really go wrong for a first yak. But it does depend on what sort of fishing you are wanting to do.

Lapse is recommending great yaks that are particularly well suited to open water fishing. If thats what you plan on doing then definitely look at one of the longer yaks, but I can say that sort of thing would be wasted on me. I live on the brisbane northside as well and I love nothing better than getting into my little nemo and stalking the abundant rivers and creeks that can be found between brisbane and the pumicestone passage.

Your preferred fishing style should definitely be a factor in your decision be it open water, fresh water or estuary/creeks.

[CAV]

i guess it all depends on what you want to fish for.

I've got a Extreme Bandit which is pretty similar to the pic of the one you have up there,
I'm not a big fella (under 6ft and 80kg) and i've had a shoulder reconstruction too, and i find i can quite easily lift my yak on and off my Barina.

I've hit up more exposed waters before on it - i've fished from scarborough all the way down to woody point, as well as the surf side on bribie, and i found while the yak was fine if there isnt too much wind or excess chop around,
the second the wind and chop starts getting up they can become rather uncomfortable and while i'm pretty confident in the water, it can become pretty dangerous out there in bad conditions on a small yak.

So if you plan on just fishing creeks, up the passage and around places like redcliffe on those rare perfect days a smaller yak will do the job,
however if you want to head offshore and fish open water i'd get something a bit longer and stable.

[sletts02]

I don't have a fishing style yet (unless you classify throwing a line in from Woody Point jetty fishing).

I just like the idea of getting out on the water with some fishing on the side. By the sounds of it this little yak will suite fine, at least for the first few months/year. Then when/if I outgrow it I can keep it for the Mrs to have some fun on when we go camping. Win, win? For under $300 it sounds like a great solution.

Second question. Will soft racks suffice? If not, what roof racks can I use on my car for cheap? I don't mind a permanent solution. Would something like this work? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Rola-Roof-Ra ... 500wt_1287

[Evoids]

Sounds win win for sure. If you dont know now once you get out there you'll find out exactly what you want to do on your yak.

I used a pair of soft roof racks on my car temporarily. I always put a towel down under the racks as they have a tendency to scratch your roof. I also wasnt too confident going on the highway with the soft racks so I kept all my fishing local in the time I was using them.

When I got the cash I upgraded to a permanent set of roof racks. I ended up getting Proracks and they work brilliantly. Fix nice and tight to the car with no damage or scratches. Any of the bigger brand racks are good for this; Rola, Thule, Rhino or Proracks.
Just be careful and make sure to check if those particular racks will fit your car. Most of those big brand racks have websites that allow you to enter your car model, make and year and they have a specific set of roof racks that will fit that car, along with any fitting kits necessary.

Good luck!

[Dodge]

sletts02 there are a few Venturers along with other small models on the forum, see in this link

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=39165

[clarkey]

Nice little yak to start out in,a few of the Goldie crew started out in them,
grab a fibreglass paddle don't go for the alloy.

[sletts02]

I've been looking for some racks now.

I think the best way to go is getting false gutters like these



And then getting any kind of gutter roof rack. Would this kind of roof rack be compatible with the above:

[sletts02]

Looks like you guys have been eager beavers! Already sold out

[Evoids]

I've never actually seen those false gutters before so I cant help you there!