Christmas present for myself?

sniperfreak223

sniperfreak223

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Joined
Apr 17, 2010
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643
I've been wanting a better watercraft than my float tube, and I have holiday pay and a quarterly bonus coming to me very soon, so I'm thinking about grabbing this:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sun-Dolphin-Journey-12-Sit-on-Fishing-Kayak-Olive-with-Bonus-Paddle/21015144?findingMethod=Recommendation:wm:RecentlyViewedItems

anyone have any experience with these? is it worth the price?
 
its not a brand i'm familiar with but its about $200 cheaper than the Ocean Kayak Prowler angler which is 13 or 15 foot.

i know a lot of people use them Prowler and like them. i'd check on paddling.net for reviews of both the sun-dolphin and the Prowler and also see if there's one for sale in your area or nearby.

you might find some on craigslist too.
 
Id say you are better off going with a better yak. personally I don't trust or like the yaks they sell at walmart or dicks. they are knock off brands and are made of cheaper material and not as well planed out designs.
I would go with a trusted name brand like ocean kayak, wilderness systems, Jackson. there are a few more. other question your have to ask yourself is to you want to stand in it? they make yaks now specifically for standing on. I can stand in my OC prowler 13 but it would be hard to fish from.

what is your price range?
how high and weight? I am 5'8 and 210 my 13 is perfect size for me. if you are taller id go at least 13 maybe 15. the longer the yak the better it tracks in the water and in wind.
do you plan of doing long paddles?
just in lakes and streams of do you plan on hitting the salt?

all these are important factors. I wouldn't want to spend that amount of money and not like the yak. you can demo them at some shops in the area. finally craigslist is your friend. I got my OC kayak prowler there. only one year old. regular retail around 1000 bucks for 400. yea there were a few scratches but the thing is a tank. I have taken it through the surf. two foot waves in the bay and lakes and streams.

buying a yak is something that should be thought out. there are all kinds of yaks on craigslist and IMO sit on ops are the way to go.
 
I agree with the sentiment the others have expressed. You can find some really good deals (within your price point) on used, and sometimes lightly used high quality kayaks, that will serve you better over the long term. With any boat you're mostly paying for hull integrity. The cheaper brands use low quality materials that won't hold up to the abuse it is sure to endure. It will be better to have a quality used kayak with a few scratches than a new poorly built one.

Craigslist is good. Some outfitters that rent kayaks will also have sales this time of year to rid themselves of the old kayaks to make way for new ones. I know Shank's Mare on long level does this. Good luck and enjoy the kayak! It will really open up a lot of new water and when fishing is slow its fun to just go for a good paddle sometimes.
 
I'll try craigslist first and definitely look into the Prowler, and I'll make this my last resort. I want it primarily for fishing larger stillwaters in my area, as well as the slower parts of the North Branch of the Susquehanna River near my workplace. I don't foresee any salt use, but it may happen. As to other concerns, I'm 5'8" and 195 pounds, and I don't plan on standing in the boat. I'm hoping to keep the price under $500, but I can go as high as $650.
 
How about the Emotion Mojo Angler kayak? I found one for pretty much the same price as that one, and it looks pretty good specs-wise...is this 'yak any better?
 
I have read ok things about them never paddled one. look some reviews up. one thing regarding tracking. the 13 foot yak is a good size for you. it will track straight I have been in a 12 and it was not bad but not like the 13. I find it to be one of the most annoying things about yaking. you can also install a rudder but they run 200 bucks.

I was also looking last night at yaks on craigslist. I did see a wilderness systems ride. I know they are very nice yaks. I think is was under 700 but not positive.
 
Sniper, I actually have a mojo angler. It's 4-5 years old and i've beat the snot out of it. It has some serious battle scars but its still watertight and going strong.
It's a super stable kayak that will hold a lot of stuff (even 2 people in a pinch). You can stand up in it, but it's not practical to do while fishing imo. I've never flipped it while in use. You'll fall out of it before it flips.
Emotion's customer service is great too. I lost the knob for my console and they sent me a new one, no questions asked, free of charge. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one of their kayaks. Let me know if you have another questions. If you can get down to my neck of the woods i'd even let you test paddle mine.
 
marcq wrote:
Id say you are better off going with a better yak. personally I don't trust or like the yaks they sell at walmart or dicks. they are knock off brands and are made of cheaper material and not as well planed out designs.
I would go with a trusted name brand like ocean kayak, wilderness systems, Jackson. there are a few more. other question your have to ask yourself is to you want to stand in it? they make yaks now specifically for standing on. I can stand in my OC prowler 13 but it would be hard to fish from.

what is your price range?
how high and weight? I am 5'8 and 210 my 13 is perfect size for me. if you are taller id go at least 13 maybe 15. the longer the yak the better it tracks in the water and in wind.
do you plan of doing long paddles?
just in lakes and streams of do you plan on hitting the salt?

all these are important factors. I wouldn't want to spend that amount of money and not like the yak. you can demo them at some shops in the area. finally craigslist is your friend. I got my OC kayak prowler there. only one year old. regular retail around 1000 bucks for 400. yea there were a few scratches but the thing is a tank. I have taken it through the surf. two foot waves in the bay and lakes and streams.

buying a yak is something that should be thought out. there are all kinds of yaks on craigslist and IMO sit on ops are the way to go.

+1^

I would just keep saving till the spring time . Skimping on a yak is never a good thing especially if you will be fishing out of it . If you plan on doing allot of fly fishing out of it I would try to get one that has a raised seat off the water . Also if you can stand and fish off of it its always a plus .
 
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