Narrowing the choice down.

[bass7858]

Throwing this out for discussion and hope a lot of the devils advocates will show up! hope i'm in the right thread.

I dont intend to get into soloing several miles out in the gulf. Most of my fishing will around Apollo bch, cock roach..maybe over by some of the mangroves within paddling distance of the sky way...local lakes....maybe a few rivers. My fishing partner will most always be my girlfriend. For now we r doing a little wade fishing. I Guess the ideal would always be to each have our own kayak, but she's not into that.
i could buy a boat and motor...but you just cant launch one anywhere u get a hankering. Plus you have license and registration to deal with...insurance, towing etc.

Have not really seen a canoe i liked....just dont get into mushy bendy hulls. So that leaves tandem kayaks.
After a lot of research i came to the conclusion that earlier tandems were kind of novelties. Not really geared towards fishing. Maybe long enuff for 2 people but not really built for stability and storage.

But i have found 2 i am really interested in and hope maybe some of you guys will opine.

1st..Jackson Big Tuna. Really interesting looking boat. Supposedly some of the most comfortable yak seats made....Multiple seating options.... a live bait well...tons of room to bring stuff....14 ft long...about 80ish lbs. i am used to lugging and dealing with 80-100 lb packages so i think i can handle the weight. Would have to try it. Hope to tomorrow.

2nd...Nucanoe frontier. Possibly even more stable than the tuna. With their seat system u can basically have any seat u want at just about any height. Has more weight capacity than tuna. 12 ft long..a little wider. Seberal hundred cheaper than the tuna.
u could actually strap a 2 horse motor on the back of this yak for runnin between fishing areas. if thats heresy i apologize!!

Both of these boats get great reviews as solo paddlers too.
So please...fire away.
Some information that might be useful....i am 6 ft-250 ibs. she is 5'4" and 130 lbs
thanks for any advice or ideas

[kikstand454]

Ok.
If you are going to get a tandem for you and the girl......DON'T MAKE/LET HER PADDLE. You will be broken up in two trips. Just be her guide and let her fish.....get her used to being in the kayak, eventually she will want her own.
That being said.....

We have the perception tribe 13.5 ~ it is awesome. It is a three seater.......but its more comfortable with two. Perfect for an adult and a kid. It is insane stable (fiancè and two youngins stood up in it to peek at some otters before) not heavy, tracks well, and has decent speed. The fiancè hasn't ever paddle much at all, and she can keep up with me in it with her and the kid and me in my tarpon140 (paddling lesurely of course....) with no troubles. It fishes great solo, sitting in the middle seat, the rear seat becomes the 'tank well' where a large walmart crate straps down perfect.

The only cons with it is it sits pretty high, so in a crosswind its a bit of a sail. And it comes with no internal storage, and the only hatches available are 8in. These are more anoyances than anything.

We got ours, brand new with two harmony paddles, and two seats for $630. Can't beat it with a stick.





~Dave

Creatures of Habit, Tallahassee Florida

[Rik]

12 foot with two people fishing....you'd better be very good friends and fishing with debarbed hooks. No one ever has much success with two people fishing from a kayak.

Here's my opinion with the understanding that the old cliche about opinions is very true. Of the two you mentioned, get the Big Tuna. They are well made kayaks with very comfortable seats. Spend time on the water with the goal of convincing her to get her own kayak. Once you get to that point you'll have the Big Tuna which is the better paddling kayak as a single, as your kayak

[bass7858]

Hey!
Tanks for the replys. Great pic and appreciate your opinions.
Rik...understand the importance of care while fishing 2 in a boat. I grew up fishing alligator alley with my dad and uncle in a 14 ft Alumacraft skiff. V bow and flat bottom. 3 bench seats. It got even more exciting when we brought Mom and my two younger brothers in same boat.