a friend and i were discussing canoeing down the coast of new jersey. he's wanted to get a wood canoe for a long time. i wouldn't mind a plastic kayak.

unfortunately, everything costs money.

Well I know there are some people on this board who know alot about canoes and kayaks.

They both cost money but wood is way more expensive and much more work than plastic. Dare I say not near as good performance wise.

I'm a SOT kayak guy, it kind of splits the difference between a kayak and a canoe. My Wilderness System yaks are tough as nails very stable and zero maintenance.

You can find a good one used if you look around.

Canoes are fun but have a much larger learning curve to be decent IMHO. I had a very nice Mad River Canoe and parted with it to get the kayaks. I've nver looked back.

why do you prefer SOT? i had to google it, at first i thought it was a brand. i know nothing.

i have to ask this question. in just about every interest i have there is a minimum price you can pay to get something that is serviceable, highly capable, and high quality, though not luxurious. that item that can do everything the expensive models can do, but dispenses with the frills. in heavy bowie knives, that's about $90. in paintball guns, that's about $300. in guitars, $600.

what is that point in kayaks and canoes, respectively?

That is a hard question...

My first WSystem was 350 with a good paddle. It was used but not much.

My second was 600 at a boat show and that was darn near cost. Both are great, the WS Ride 135 is so stable I can stand and cast or carefully shoot my bow. Tarpon 120 is a bit faster and easier to load and unload myself but not as stable. I would rather have the 135 but it isn't that much better for most uses.

Why SOT, they self drain(if you get waves, spill a beer, whatever it just runs out into the water through the holes), I can load a SOT up with a cooler, tackle boxes, whatever I want. People let their dogs ride around with them etc.

My wife actually rode around in the back of mine for about a 1.5 miles of paddling one day. That was kinda hard though and she isn't but 110 pounds.

Also, I can paddle out in the lake/river and jump off when it gets hot and climb right back on. Try that with a canoe or sit in kayak.

A good website for some info is Texaskayakfisherman.com. Craigslist and eBay have deals on kayaks from time to time.

cool stuff. just did some more looking, there are some cool looking ones.

i imagined these to be made like surf or boogie boards. a low density foam that'll float no matter what, with a tough shell or coating. seems there's quite a variety.

this is nice and cheap at $200, but it probably sucks, right? doesn't look too comfortable.

nearly thrice the price, i like the looks of this one.


and this, around $350, was the first to catch my eye.



have any opinions? how bout pics of yours? features to look for?

Ocean Kayak, has some good models. Pelicans are okay, the plastic is thinner and the hull design is lacking from my experience. Shorter yaks don't track as strait. Everytime you paddle it goes a little left then a little right. If I wanted a short kayak I would get a Mailbu Mini-X. A buddy has one and it is very nice. He got it shipped for free too I belive.

What are you going to use it for? The million dollar question! If you want to fish you'd get something different than touring etc. Split the difference perhaps?

Mine looks like this but in "sand" color.

http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/products/angler/angler_ride/ride_135_angler/

I added a fish finder and a few other goodies.

The other is blue, but an older model without some of the goodies.

http://www.wildernesssystems.com/product/index/products/angler/angler_tarpon/tarpon_120_angler/

Wow, those are nice! And they're light!

Imaginefj,
What do you use yours for?

I think he uses it for fishing.