Help me choose a kayak. Thank you!

Hi everybody! I'm looking to purchase a kayak because I was interested in entering a couple kayak tournaments this year. My use for the kayak would be in ponds,lakes,rivers, and maybe Striper fishing in the Lower Mystic or Merrimack. I been looking and researching and have narrowed my choices to two kayaks that I like the most because my budget is $800.

Wilderness System Tarpon 100
FeelFree Moken 10 Lite

If you have any experiences with these two kayak or know a better kayak in my price range which one would you recommend me? Thank you!

you cant stand up on the tarpon, and a 10' yak isnt the greatest option unless its peddle powered (waaay more expensive). you can find used yaks for that price brother. great yaks like the ride 115.

Try before you buy.

They both look like nice kayaks but you should really spend some time on the water with one before you buy it.

The ride is a great Yak if standing is important to you but they are heavy. If weight/speed are more important to you then another option may be better.

What are your stats? How big a guy are we talking?

Get a bigger kayak. 12' at least.

Reason I ask it really does change your possibilities.

I like to stand an fish so I needed a kayak I could stand in. I'm 6'2"

I'm also a pack rat. I like to have tons of fear with me when I fish. So I needed tons of storage.

Also, you really do get what you pay for with kayaks. Some less expensive models use a much lighter / thinner plastic.

I bit the bullet and bought a jackson Big Rig. It's great. Ponds, rivers or ocean it's great. And really stable to stand in.

Good advise here, try them out before you purchase one. Although most kayaks look similar, they perform very differently. The length, width, and shape of the bottom make a big difference.
I have two kayaks. A Ride 115 and a Hobie Outback.
I've had the Ride for a couple years, fishing ponds and lakes. It's a great stable kayak for that use, not very fast but really stable. I started striper fishing this past season. The Ride can handle all the waves the ocean can through at it, but it is slow and susceptible to the wind. There were days I wasn't sure I'd make it back to the launch paddling into the wind in the ocean, you have to be smart out there as I learned.
That is why I bought the Hobie. Just as stable as the Ride but it's a peddle kayak. Wind is a non issue with peddling. And you never have to put your rod down to paddle. Hobie's are great for saltwater fishing and I do use it on larger lakes as well. They are more expensive that paddle yaks though.
If you're going in the ocean much, I would recommend a Hobie or longer paddle yak to deal with the wind and current.
You can demo yaks at some retailers or show up to one of the kayak fishing tournaments in the spring and I'm sure a lot of the guys would let you try theirs out for a short paddle.

Hoping to buy this one this year:

http://jacksonkayak.com/jk-kayaks/kayak-fishing/big-rig

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlXDHSl1W4w[/youtube]

Depends on what kind of fishing you plan to do. Small /sheltered waters? Open/salt? Potential for wind and rough water? Current? Do you need to stand?

That said, in your price range I'd vote the best "do all" SOT style would be a Tarpon 120, Tarpon 140 or Trident Prowler 13. All are within your budget if you shop smart.

[quote="kenwood"]Hoping to buy this one this year:

http://jacksonkayak.com/jk-kayaks/kayak-fishing/big-rig

I bought mine & love it. Want to get it out in the saltwater this year too.

I load mine with gear and stay totally dry.

I checked out the Hobies at the boat show last week. They are absolutely sick. I haven't seen the Jackson's in person, but I hear they're good.
The Hobie I looked at - Pro angler 12 I believe, was a dream rig. The chair is basically a lounge chair on a kayak. It sits high and has adjustable levels for height. Its got a lumbar support just like the one in your car! Nice side rails to attach ram mounts to. Plenty of dry storage. Easily set up for a trolling motor if you want that.
I wish I knew about these before I bought mine. I have a Tarpon 120. Fine for paddling, but not my cup of tea for fishing. Just not a comfortable or practical way to fish. The Hobie was like three grand though. I'm currently looking at buying an aluminum Jon boat. Most prices are half of that, but you could take that Hobie anywhere.

Good Luck

Screw the jon boat. The PA12 is the ultimate fishing machine. But if you want a kayak, go with the jackson.

Its a tough call. If I went for a kayak, it would have to be a Hobie. The foot pedal system is a game-changer. The Jackson posted in the video of this thread was real nice, but at the then of the day, paddling and fishing is cumbersome. The Hobie foot pedals are to Kayaks what the foot-controlled trolling motors were to bass boats when they first came out.

For me the difference between a Jon boat and the Hobie, is mostly price. Right now I'm looking at a 14 footer made by Tracker called the Laker Deep-V. It lists for about $1600.00. I will customize it with some marine-grade plywood for a casting deck upfront. I already have the plywood. I also have a trailer for it. I also have fishfinders, trolling motors, and batteries for it. I can probably get it into 95% of the lakes/ponds I want to fish. There are a several no-name ponds in my area that are not accessible with a trailer that a kayak could get to.

The kayak would take up less space in the garage and eliminate the need for a trailer, but I still like the extra space and stability I'd get from a 14 foot deep-V boat. Compromises...

best of both worlds! Access to any pond and never have to put a rod down to paddle. There are bassyak kits for almost any yak, or pretty easy diy as I did. Maybe $300 on top of the price of the kayak. My Ride was $700 Plus $300 for the trolling motor setup, not bad cosidering my hobie was $2,300.
I use the Ride w/ motor for ponds/lakes and the hobie for the ocean. If I could only have one, the hobie outback does it all.

Nice ride. How do you steer the TM, and how do you raise it or put it down?

Steering is done with the foot pedals, you can see the cables coming off the trolling motor. The throttle control knob is right next to the seat by my ff. To tilt it up and down, I just turn around and there is a lever on the trolling motor mount to tilt it up and down. The battery is in the front hatch.

Where do you get that TM?