[baz23]

I know this is not a straight forward question and that getting a Kayak that is good for one purpose may mean it is not so good for another but
I would like to buy a kayak and my needs are as follows:
Must be two person (but also able to carry an extra small child)
Able to be paddled by one
Easy to get on an off of for kids mucking around
Able to be paddled by two for longer distances (adventure racing)
Able to be used for fishing in open water (good conditions)
Reasonably priced.
What Kayak out there would come closest to fitting the bill?
Any suggestions :?:
Cheers
Baz

 

[RedPhoenix]

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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[Guest]

Hey Baz

You want something that will be big enough to fit 2+1, but also able to be paddled solo. I'm not sure there is such a kayak.

From what I've seen there are doubles out there that can be paddled solo, but nothing that also has room for an additional small child.

The Swing Synchro would have been one I'd have suggested, especially from the adventure racing side of things, but you would never get a small child on board with 2 adults. It can be paddled solo but I once asked BillyBob (who sells these and has paddled them plenty) about how well this would work and he said while possible, it was not be easy or reccomended if you were planning on doing alot of solo paddling.

The Hobie Outfitter would be another one, especially when going solo as the mirage drive would make life easy when alone, but again, no room for a child here either, and some in your adventure racing circles might think your a bit strange with your peddle boat

The only yaks I know of which will take 2 adults and a small child are the Ocean Kayak Zest Two EXP, and the FeelFree Triyak 2+1, but both of these models are going to be hard yakka paddling solo, and also pretty slow for your adventure racing.

I dont think you are going to be able to find one boat that will do all these things mate :shock:

 

[baz23]

Thanks guys. The Solo paddle and extra child are really nice to haves but but would be the first things I would drop off the list.
The most important then is really:
Must be double, easy for kids to get on and off of, good for extended paddling &
can be fished close inshore on good days.
Cheers
Baz

 

[Davey G]

as a few have already said, the swing double would be a great yak.

Wilderness Systems also make a Tarpon 130 that is a double and not overly big or bulky. Not sure whether theres a dealer near you though? Check out http://www.wildernesssystems.com

I sometimes take my 5 year old out and she comfortable sits between my legs whilst paddling my T120 single yak, so i reckon that a small child could fit in that way in just about any yak.

Good luck with the searching!

 

[Peril]

I know this is not a straight forward question and that getting a Kayak that is good for one purpose may mean it is not so good for another but
I would like to buy a kayak and my needs are as follows:
Must be two person (but also able to carry an extra small child)

Tempo II is designed for two adults. It can take a small child in either the front or rear well or between the two adults

Able to be paddled by one

I paddle my Tempo II by myself a lot. I would not do this without a rudder (I use the optional leccy as the rudder)

Easy to get on an off of for kids mucking around

There isn't a more stable yak around. The Tempo II excels for this

Able to be paddled by two for longer distances (adventure racing)

Yes, but not a fast yak. I rarely use Tempo and racing in the same sentence

Able to be used for fishing in open water (good conditions)

Yes, I've done this a number of times. Note that the tradeoff for primary stability for the kids jumping off it is that the yak is easily slowed by wind or chop. It is fine with swell

Reasonably priced.

That's a value judgement. You can have a Tempo II with rudder, two seats and two paddles for less than $2000

What Kayak out there would come closest to fitting the bill?
Any suggestions :?:
Cheers
Baz

Good luck

 

[Guest]

Hmmm....

How long would you keep the small child (would have to be very small too) in the tankwell on the Tempo though Peril? Looks awfully uncomfortable even if you did manage to squeeze a kid in there.

I wouldnt be keen to paddle a Tempo II in any adventure racing situations either.....they are about as bargy as they come?

Bombs out on the value stakes as well......

Davey's suggestion of the WS T130 might be worth a look, it has two of the WS integrated seats which are very comfortable (speaking from experience), and a small moulded bum seat in between the two main seats with a couple of eyelets to attach a seat support (not a full seat, but good enough to keep the child comfortable).

If paddling and fishing solo you can also move yourself into the centre seat which should keep the weight distribution better.

The FeelFree TriYak has all of the same advantages of the T-130, and at $1,225.00 it should be more on the budget end of the scale, seeing as you are price conscious, its also narrower (slightly) than the other yaks mentioned above so should not sacrifice as much speed for your adventure racing.

http://www.ausseakayak.com.au/scskc/product.asp?Catid=1&Prodid=9

Check out the Ocean Kayak Cabo at the same internet address as well, could be worth a look. Has good storage, a rudder, good performance.....and still suits 3, dont think you will enjoy paddling this one solo either tho.

 

[milansek]

HI BAZ23 JUST HAD A LOOK AT VIKINGS NEW 2+1 NEMO JUST WHAT YOU MAY BE LOOKING FOR . AROUND $1000
SEE YA MILAN

 

[hairymick]

Hi baz23, Welcome aboard mate. does it need o be a sot (sit on top)?

 

[baz23]

No but I thought it might be easier for kids to get on and off of.
Happy to look at other types, what do you suggest?
Cheers

Baz

 

[Mallard Duck]

A Boat! :lol:

(sorry )

 

[hairymick]

Heya Baz,

check these two out.

Very popular boats, very stable and quick. Well worth a thought IMHO.

http://www.natureline.com.au/kite.htm

When you go here,
http://www.roscocanoes.com.au/kayaks.htm

Scroll down to the cayat.

Both these boats are Aussie made and might suit your needs pretty well.

 

[sam60]

Baz, my 2 cents worth.... I have a swing double or syncro as they are now called. To paddle on your own can be done if you can add some weight to the empty seat to make the kayak sit better. The sit on top is easy for kids to hop on and off and they can help paddle too. we dont have a rudder so cant say how it would handle with one.If you get one with extra hatches you then have lots of storage available like wise if you get the pod but it does cost more and may stretch the budget. I have let my 13 yo daughter and her friend paddle around and they did not have any problems controlling it but the river was calm. I dont know how it would go for adventure racing perhaps a sit in kayak would be better for this. If I was buying the kayak now I would consider a rudder but we manage with out it.
good luck in finding a yak to suit your needs

 

[ScottLovig]

Hi Baz

The Hobie Odyssey and Kona are 2 man paddle kayaks (no mirage drives) that have a third seating position in the middle for single use or squeezing in a child.

Cheers

Scott

 

[Dodge]

Baz

As sugeested by Red earlier the Feelfree Gemini is an economical twin; I saw one working on Moreton Bay near Scarborough a couple of months ago and was not a bad rig and worth a look..see link

http://tinyurl.com/n8qgq

 

[Salty Dog]

G'day baz23, that's a tough one. I was looking for something similar & didn't really get what I wanted.

I have a Malibu 2 by Ocean Kayak which has 3 seating positions but being relatively wide (0.86m) & short (3.8m), it's not fast. The weight rating is about 193Kg but I'd test any kayak I was going to buy prior as these ratings as some may be high, some low.

Prior to that, I picked up a cheap Scupper Pro TW, (again by Ocean Kayak) & set up a seat in the tankwell for my little boy. He used that until he turned 5 & we did get around faster but he was starting to sit in more & more water.

One of the biggest considerations that made me steer away from other tandems was that I would have to be able to get it on top of my car by myself which ruled out some of the heavier ones.

The closest I found to being ideal was the Malibu 2 XL by Ocean Kayak:
http://www.oceankayak.com/kayaks/tandems/malibu_two_xl.html

It has a bit more length (4.1m) so it should be faster & you can fit a large oval hatch in the middle for fishing.

The catch is that they aren't getting imported into Australia by kayak shops unless you organise for it specifically, which means that you would have to wait & you would pay a premium, price was about $1400-1500.

You also can't test it prior, only the standard Malibu 2.

Another kayak that might be worth a look but only has 2 seats is the Cuttlefish by Australis. The dimensions don't look too bad: 4.3m long by 0.80m wide. The weight is listed as 33Kg but sometimes the weights listed for kayaks aren't so accurate either so something that has a lower listed weight may actually be heavier.

Good luck mate. I had a hard time trying to find something appropriate in a sit on top. They were either too fat, too heavy, didn't have a middle seating position...

If you are just going in calm water, you might be better off with one of Hairymick's suggestions. The sit ins keep the kids dry & happier.

 

[Salty Dog]

Link for Cuttlefish:
http://www.australiscanoes.com.au/watercraft-cuttlefish.php

 

[dooyor]

hi baz
i want to get some lures from milan today a member here he sold a new 2+1 nemo to a guy and it just might be what you are looking for.
see ya tommy

 

[hairymick]

Hi Baz,

Re-reading your requirements,

Must be two person (but also able to carry an extra small child)
Able to be paddled by one
Easy to get on an off of for kids mucking around
Able to be paddled by two for longer distances (adventure racing)
Able to be used for fishing in open water (good conditions)
Reasonably priced.
What Kayak out there would come closest to fitting the bill?
Any suggestions

if you are a little bit handy. you might also like to consider -
this -
http://jemwatercraft.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=588

A fast, seaworthy, tandem SOT, capable of being paddled by one or of carrying two adults and a child. Would be much lighter than a comparable plastic SOT, much faster and I reckon could be built using gaboon marine ply and quality epoxy for less than $700.00

 

[baz23]

Thanks guys for all the feedback. The next step (as most of you have suggested) is just to get out and paddle a couple and see what feels good.

If anyone else has an option they think I should consider please let me know.
Cheers
Baz