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Kayak Help.....

ImThere said:
Might also deflate you pocket book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your Hobie is the sweetest Kayak I've seen! that thing is Slick!
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Man I dunno. Can’t trust them Hobie guys. Bout as bad as a dude driving a Ford!


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g2outdoors said:
What if you load the Hobie in your Ford?

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You will get there in style and float in style!!!!!
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I came across this flat transom, 11 foot canoe. If I am able to drop the coin on a canoe anytime soon, it is probably what I will get.
http://directboats.com/2011sqstca.h...BEQNI24PehvrDuaOdjp2K5Ls_9ShkX-waAqFDEALw_wcB

I LOVE the Nucanoe, but the dang thing is heavy. I plan on putting a topper on the truck, with drawers in the bed, so I would need to be able to lift whatever I end up with to head height. I won’t ever be able to put a Nucanoe on top of a vehicle by myself.
The flat transom is for a motor of some sort.

For those of you that might have the coin to spare on a motor... you might look at the Torqeedo system. Pricy, but sweet as heck


EDIT:
I would seriously consider a Frontier if I found a decent deal on a jet ski trailer to convert...

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IkemanTX said:
I came across this flat transom, 11 foot canoe. If I am able to drop the coin on a canoe anytime soon, it is probably what I will get.
http://directboats.com/2011sqstca.h...BEQNI24PehvrDuaOdjp2K5Ls_9ShkX-waAqFDEALw_wcB

I LOVE the Nucanoe, but the dang thing is heavy. I plan on putting a topper on the truck, with drawers in the bed, so I would need to be able to lift whatever I end up with to head height. I won’t ever be able to put a Nucanoe on top of a vehicle by myself.
The flat transom is for a motor of some sort.

For those of you that might have the coin to spare on a motor... you might look at the Torqeedo system. Pricy, but sweet as heck


EDIT:
I would seriously consider a Frontier if I found a decent deal on a jet ski trailer to convert...

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@suicyderider is putting a sweet motor system on his Hobie. Maybe he can fill us in on the details when he gets it done. Price isn’t bad on it either. 4 stroke Honda that will fit on a flat transom


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I would watch craigslist and Facebook market place for a while. There is always quite a few kayaks and canoes on there around here. I scored a “Poke Boat” for $150 ($2k new!). It’s fiberglass, 25lbs, and more stable than most kayaks.

Look into duck boats too if stability is a priority. Creek boats, Carstens Industies, Momarsh.
 
I found a used frontier 12 last year for $900. I used it all summer to take my boy fishing. I loved that no matter how much he wiggled, he couldn't tip us over. I wanted to use it for hunting but didn't quite get to it. I put a 50# thrust trolling motor on it and we went wherever we wanted to go. I thought about buying a 2.5hp outboard for it. I looked at the propane ones to eliminate gas fumes but they are crazy expensive.
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Erniepower said:
I found a used frontier 12 last year for $900. I used it all summer to take my boy fishing. I loved that no matter how much he wiggled, he couldn't tip us over. I wanted to use it for hunting but didn't quite get to it. I put a 50# thrust trolling motor on it and we went wherever we wanted to go. I thought about buying a 2.5hp outboard for it. I looked at the propane ones to eliminate gas fumes but they are crazy expensive.
ee8774eea457dc475229ebbf99222ae1.jpg
c3ef2b24235c88064f2f380b9448efad.jpg


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Man that’s good times right there! I wanted everyone’s input as I begin my search, that’s a good deal on that yak. I would stretch my budget if a deal like that came along....... plus I do like the versatility of the f12 all the rails & ability to add another seat.
 
FYI for anyone putting a motor on a yak, in my state once you do that, even electric, you have to register it...
 
I was looking at a native ultimate tandem last year real hard but held off getting it so I can’t give a review on but that’s where my research took me. A little lighter than similar models. The cheaper “fishing” kayaks with the double hall are pretty stable but not much room for anything in a hunting scenario. I have one just to mess around with in the summer. You might be able to get yourself with a bow and saddle somewhere with it if you needed to. I’ve had a couple canoes, currently a sports pal. The way they are making these kayaks anymore I wouldn’t even consider a canoe unless on a tight budget.
 
redsquirrel said:
FYI for anyone putting a motor on a yak, in my state once you do that, even electric, you have to register it...
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Same in every state I hunt in. The only motor I would even think about putting on a hunting yak is a trolling motor - otherwise kiss the whole stealth thing good bye. I personally prefer to use an oar and I often have a two mile paddle across large bodies of water - good workout when the wind picks up to 20 mph in your face.

I will make an updated video on my Nucanoe. Where I position the seat (which is fully moveable) I have over 6 foot of space in the front to toss in a deer, pig, elk, whatever and an additional 4 foot of open deck in the back. I also promote the KISS principle. I do not like a bunch of add-ons that only complicate things and can get caught in brush. I also want to drag my kayak up the bank and hide it so having a bunch of add-ons limits that ability. My pack and sticks are bungeed together and are on front of yak. My bow straps to the top of a tub I keep in back. When I get to where I am going I remove two bungees, put on my pack, grab my bow and leave. I don't like to leave expensive sonar, lights, batteries, motors, etc., on my yaks as there are knuckleheads out there. I personally lock mine up and I hide my oar (which breaks down into three parts) if someone wants it they would have to find a paddle and bolt cutters. if you watch some of the youtube videos where guys use kayaks and canoes to hunt from and they have a lot of bells and whistles on their rigs, one felled tree ends their river journey. I just jump off mine and pull it over log jams or up and around on the bank. I also can get to the very front of my boat and use a saw to remove an errant limb I might encounter on the day of the hunt. We have a lot of flash floods in late summer so too many hunts would be ruined if I had to stop every time I encountered a log jam. with my light weight kayak that is never a problem. With the heavier nucanoe just takes more muscle.


As far as stability, if you hunt 3-4 foot deep creeks, rivers, lakes, where the banks do not allow for a beached landing, you will quickly see the advantage of a stable kayak like the Nucanoe. If you have never tried it, trying to get in a yak from the water is not the easiest things you will ever do. Most yaks want to roll or flip when you try. The Nucanoe is the exception. The reason most yakers don't like to use the storage space behind their seat is because it is a pain in the ass to access on the water and noisy to do so. Most yaks are NOT stable while standing and trying to retrieve something from the back. With the Nucanoe, especially with the original flat seat, is so easy to access any part of the boat while floating. And like I said, the entire boat is open floor so you can move the seat to wherever works best for you. You front or back load a normal yak with 300 pounds of game and it quickly becomes harder to paddle without the ability to relocate the seat to maintain proper drift on the boat. I have had 300 pounds of salt, and another 100 pounds of gear in my Nucanoe and my fat ass, and I was able to move the seat to ensure my bow wasn't up in the air, or dipping down in the water. I have packed out two whole deer in the front of my yak by moving the seat towards the rear more.

I know the 1200 dollar price tag is tough to swallow initially - but it is one of the best hunting decisions I have ever made. When you are on large water, especially when it is freezing, the stability and pack capability of a Nucanoe pays for itself. My smaller kayak dumped me this year in frigid water and ruined a hunt. And having a wide open hull when egressing in the morning and trying to be quiet is a huge advantage. A john boat or wide canoe is also great but they tend to be very noisy. Even the plastic in yaks can make a ton of noise in the early morning dead calm but it beats the heck out of aluminum which is super unnatural and alerts all game that hears it.

There is a learning curve to using yaks for hunting. If all your areas have easy to beach banks then a standard yak is very doable. I love my 10 foot emotions for small creeks and quick paddling, but it is a royal pain in the ass to egress from if you cannot beach it. I have work arounds now but like I said it dumped me one morning in cold water and luckily it was only 5 foot deep or it could have been trouble. Another plus for the emotions yak is it only weight 35 pounds (I believe) and I can drag it across land, cart it in over 1/2 mile (even over rough terrain) pull it up on banks, etc..... Try doing that with a heavier boat/yak and you will quickly see it is not easy over wooded terrain or up steep banks. You will encounter obstacles and need to brain storm solutions to make yaks effective.... but over the course of a few years they become great hunting assets that allow you to reach areas undetected that others wont put the effort to do.... oh sure they will do it once or twice but then the work out weights their effort. Using a yak does NOT make hunting easier for me, in a lot of cases I have to leave much earlier and I have to do a lot of physical activity to get to where I want - but I wouldn't trade my two yaks for anything as I absolutely enjoy the ride.

So in the end I am all about saving a buck where I can - but the Nucanoe is worth every single penny for me. I am 54 years old and I have zero trouble loading it in my truck by myself or pulling it up a bank. I think empty with my mods it weights about 75 pounds.
 
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I second the Nucanoe option, or one of the several square stern canoe options. My particular water access has stumps & logs galore. I borrowed a friends small kayak to experiment and even tried a Hobie Pro Angler. I’ve used a square back plastic canoe with a 950 lb. capacity for close to 40 years. It’s a little heavy but I trailer it. Canoes generally have a much greater weight capacity rating than kayaks. It has floated deer & hogs and a hunting buddy with no problems. I also rigged a removable mount for a foot controlled trolling on the front for fishing up stream. I found a used 4 stroke, 2.5hp Suzuki 4 stroke for it last year, 30 lbs. It’s quiet and weighs less than a trolling motor setup.
 
Kayaks and boats are like saddles and climbing methods. They are highly personal and must fit your style of use.

For strictly hunting, I don't think you can beat a Nucanoe. It's stable, relatively lightweight, and can haul a ton of gear.

If you don't want to spend $1500-$2000 you should probably go with a more traditional canoe. You can pick one up easily on craigslist for $200-$400.

If your boat will be multipurpose, and you plan to fish from it, you should look at one of the larger fishing kayaks like a Hobie or Native Watercraft. These are pedal kayaks which make a huge difference in the fish ability and long range movements.

I've used all of these options. Since I fish a lot, I went with the Hobie. It just so happens to have a 600 lb weight capacity and can handle all the hunting tasks I throw at it. However, if you don't fish, I think there are better options than a Hobie.

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g2outdoors said:
Kayaks and boats are like saddles and climbing methods. They are highly personal and must fit your style of use.Sent from my Galaxy S8.
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Truth. I not longer am in it to compete with others or to keep up - everything I try and put into my hunting arsenal has to work for "ME" alone. And even I myself do not hunt like I did 20 years ago when I had abundant Testosterone flowing through my veins. I am much slower and calculated at this point in my journey and thus my selection criteria is probably a lot different then most.
 
Bigterp said:
My main focus is access, & getting a deer out.... I’ll skip fishing for now. I just have some cool spots that I could come in the back door.
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well those are two contradicting situations in the kayak world... if you want access your gonna want something to get to the skinniest of skinny water but what you make up for in size you lack in capacity.. meaning in order to have the ability to pack out a big trophy buck your gonna need a kayak with a higher weight rating. generally its gonna be more bulky.. however its still a kayak and youre not gonna give up a ton of accessibility just by getting a bigger kayak bc lets face it if it needs to be smaller your probably at a point where its time to walk anyways....
 
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