[tasyakker]

Hi all, I am pretty new to kayaking and wondering if somebody might be able to answer a few questions for me as me and my brother are about to buy a kayak each for fishing.
the kayaks are going to be used for small rivers and lakes where I can't get my boat into.
we don't want to get a yak that is too small because we don't want to be to limited on where we go with them, yet we don't want them to big.
I was thinking of the espri for me and the nemo for my brother but not sure if this is the right ones for us.
How many of you have tried or fish out of one of these yaks.
can any one tell me how much I should be paying for one of these because I have been given a price on each which was $1100 each and I have seen way cheaper prices on the net.
thanks
sam

 

[Breambo]

Espris are ok. I bought one a couple of weeks ago rrp $899. for the bare kayak, no paddle etc. $ 1100 might be ok if they include wheels, paddle, rod holders etc etc.

 

[YakAtak]

As Breambo says, what does the $1100 include? I love my esprit, but a few more details would be good, your height, approx weight, type of fish you will be chasing, gear you will be using, methods of fishing etc.

 

[tasyakker]

thanks fellas,
we are both under 6ft and 65kg.
we are going to be chasing bream and trout most of the time in rivers, lakes and esturies and maybe evan chase flaties and salmon in bays.
the price on both yaks were including paddle and he told me a backrest
was $100each extra.
thanks
sam

 

[Guest]

Sam

I recently bought a yak from The Viking Shop at the Sunshine coast in Qld.

Ex from this shop the Espri was 999 with two rod holders and paddle. However I don't know what your location is, so if you are down south your price may include freight.

I was set on the Espri myself , they seem to be a great yak for the money. Because I am a big guy and have a fat bum :lol: I went for the slighter bigger and slower Tempo one for 100 more.

Welcome to the forum, Im only new too, great times ahead fishing from a yak.

Good luck with your decision

 

[The Mariner]

RRP for a base-model Espri is $899 & the retailer will set the price of the paddle... either the 'Quantum' made by Viking or he may package it with a different paddle.

A Viking 'Deluxe' medium-back seat has an RRP of $99.00 or a Sevylor Highback seat with clip-on pocket & water bottle holders is $105. For the small difference in price, go with the Sevylor.

 

[Gator]

Just wondering; Have you had a look at the new Malibu Mini-X?

 

[tasyakker]

duncan, yep checked out the mini-x factor.
not sure about it though because no one knows too much about them.
They look good , love the hatches and four rod holders are a bonus but just not shure about getting a yak that no one has tested.
sam

 

[HiRAEdd]

My first yak was a Viking Nemo (the gf has it now). I was quite happy with it as an entry level yak. The price you've been quoted for the Nemo is way over the top, I bought everything for the yak and rigged it up for fishing and that was all under $900.

 

[Guest]

Heya Sam,

Mate, being down in Mexico I think the price you are being quoted includes an additional freight component. Shop around (if you can) and see if other stores down there have similar prices.

I think whichever boat you choose is going to cost you a bit more than it would on the mainland for this reason.

Re: the Mini-X, I wouldnt write it off completely, even though it is a new model, Malibu are a well established brand so making yaks it not something new to them. I think if the Mini-X has the dry ride that most of the other Malibu models have this might be a plus for you down there. Water temps would be a huge factor in Tas with regard to staying comfortable. You really dont want to be sitting in a puddle of water down there all day mate

The Mini-X is also stackable so transporting/storing two would be possibly a little easier than some others.

Good luck with the decision making.

 

[tasyakker]

hey dallas, do you think a mini-x suit would someone under 6ft and 65kg.
Id rather a viking because I have heared so many good things about them.

 

[tasyakker]

I'm going to get a price from someware else today.
Is it best to pay extra for a better paddle or do the ones thet come with them usaly ok?

 

[Dodge]

I'm going to get a price from someware else today.
Is it best to pay extra for a better paddle or do the ones thet come with them usaly ok?

If referring to the espri, the standard viking paddle is like a couple of sugar scoops on a stick; suggest you would be smart to go for a good paddle early when negotiating your quote

 

[Garfish]

Heya Sam,

The Mini-X is also stackable so transporting/storing two would be possibly a little easier than some others.

Good luck with the decision making.

I'm very interested in the Mini-X, wondering if they have gone on sale anywhere yet in Oz? Where did you pick up the information that they were stackable? I'm interested in buying two - so if i dont have to worry about a set of fold-a-poles on the car roof - it would be of great benefit.

 

[YakAtak]

I'm going to get a price from someware else today.
Is it best to pay extra for a better paddle or do the ones thet come with them usaly ok?

If referring to the espri, the standard viking paddle is like a couple of sugar scoops on a stick; suggest you would be smart to go for a good paddle early when negotiating your quote

I have to agree with Dodge, I have used my stock paddle twice, and hated it. I now use a very old alloy shaft paddle that I found at home. It's not exciting, but it's better than the quantum scoop.

 

[Guest]

Heya Sam,

The Mini-X is also stackable so transporting/storing two would be possibly a little easier than some others.

Good luck with the decision making.

I'm very interested in the Mini-X, wondering if they have gone on sale anywhere yet in Oz? Where did you pick up the information that they were stackable? I'm interested in buying two - so if i dont have to worry about a set of fold-a-poles on the car roof - it would be of great benefit.

Heya Garfish,

Have a look at Malibu's website, each of the stackable kayaks have a couple of giveaway features.

Have a close look at the bow of the Mini-X, and also the rear tankwell.
You can see a little cutaway section in the rear tankwell in the pictures, only reason for this to be there is to accomodate the keel when stacking.
Looking at the bow section, it has a scooped out section at the front with a small flush fitting hatch, also it would seem to accomodate the curved bow of the yak when stacking. There is a similar small cutaway section in the seat section, also to accomodate the keel.

I didnt read anything that specifically mentioned the Mini-X was stackable, but going on what I saw in the pictures I kinda figured it was, especially as they have a couple of other models which are designed to be stackable.

If the Mini-X didnt stack I dont think you would see these little tell tail signs, and they would have opted for a larger more conventional hatch on the front I think as well.

 

[tasyakker]

Got another price today.
Nemo $899 and espri $1100 including paddles.
will be upgrading paddle and getting backrests as well
what do you guys think?

 

[The Mariner]

Hi Garfish,

I'm very interested in the Mini-X, wondering if they have gone on sale anywhere yet in Oz? Where did you pick up the information that they were stackable? I'm interested in buying two - so if i dont have to worry about a set of fold-a-poles on the car roof - it would be of great benefit.

Please do not think 'coz a kayak claims to be stackable that you can stack one on top the other on your roofracks, then toss a couple of tiedowns over the lot & expect them tho stay there. You cannot possibly tie them down securely enough. You need to tie each kayak down seperately. Fold-A-Poles aren't expensive (around $150 pr.) & will cost a lot less than replacing 2 kayaks that blew off your roof into the path of the semi-trailer following you.

All Malibu's are sold direct by the Australian importer, Fishyak in Perth. Go to http://www.fishyak.com.au for details or phone Shawn on 08-9309-6477.

Hi Sam,

As I said before the RRP for an Espri is $899.00 + paddle. The retailer is able to set his own price for the Quantum paddle so you could estimate he'd charge $50.00 for it. The price of $1100 he's quoted may be higher than this due to shipping costs down to Tasmania but you could check this by asking him. RRP for a Nemo is $699.00 + paddle.

 

[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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

 

[tasyakker]

thanks for the replies fellas.
not sure if I should go with these prices or mabey try somone on the mainland and see if it's any cheeper including freight.
would this be a good idea?
can anyone recomend a shop to try?
sam