HookInMouth

I'm no expert by any stretch, but the Kaku Voodoo is only 35" wide and standing on their platform (seat) is done relatively easy. Or so braver people have told me haha.

Yeah that Zulu looks very cool. I just have no interest in a peddle kayak.

The new Vibe is the Shearwater 125. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDLBYkQSlek

It's nonsense to say that people who prefer kayak fishing just can't afford a boat. I had a boat and sold it. I now have a kayak because I enjoy it more (I mainly fish shallow rivers). I'm sure the affordability is a draw to some, but that blanket statement is just false. There's something about the kayak that I just love. And I can afford a boat.

One of the first things I learned getting into this was to never tie yourself, your child, or your dog to the boat. That's a disaster waiting to happen.

My wife wants a Wahoo 12.5. It's every bit as fast and stable as they say. You really can't go wrong with Kaku.

Yep. Figured it was odd enough that it might be useful to have in this thread.

Kaku Voodoo Hull No idea how it compares with other kayaks as far as stability and paddling efficiency/speed but it's known for both. I know 300lb guys stand on it all day long. I also know that I don't have any issues paddling for longer stretches and I don't feel "slow". When I stop paddling it goes straight. Plastic is thick and tough. High quality. Couldn't be happier with it myself.

Ah. Well. I think you would be fine with either the Kaku Kahuna or the Vibe Maverick. My personal preference would be the Kaku. Very well made. Thick, tough plastic. Very well thought out designs. Owner is very involved and will most likely answer you personally if you contact them with questions.

I haven't been out on mine yet but hopefully will this weekend. I can only tell you that the owner believes it to be a lot more stable and better for standing. I've seen photos of 280lb plus guys standing and casting off of the seat. But from what I gather the Mavrick and Kahuna are both stable in their own right. Just not as stable as the Voodoo. Stability means different things for different people so I'm not sure how stable you need to feel comfortable. I went with the Voodoo mostly because I'm a big clumsy oaf.

I know you asked for experience with the Maverick 120 or Kahuna so feel free to ignore me... but if that's the road you're going down (and I think you are on the right path) have you looked into the Kaku Voodoo at all? It's basically the full-on hybrid. Not a paddle board at all. Awesome seat and the stability to not use it lol.

50 south of the Burgh would put you... Washington County area? or More California PA? I'm 30 miles north-east of Pittsburgh and usually go North to fish so I'm not much help there. If you are where I think you are Cross Creek is supposed to be a decent fishery and would be kid friendly. That's really the only South-of-Pitt lake I'm familiar with. You have the Monongahela River right there too.

Nice. Been eyeing the Diablo Amigo. Like the simplicity of the layout. Could pick up two of those (one for my son) and still be less than a jon. I could probably grab those this year and ponder the larger family boat the following year.

I'm still wavering. I'm not entirely sure I'm even ready to pull the trigger this year (Disney vacation with the family sucking money out of my bank account) so I might have some time to mull it over yet. The more I think about it the more I'm leaning toward specific boats for specific waters. I might grab a pontoon for the family with a 60-115HP and just dock it on the river, then add something smaller for my son and I to use on the restricted lakes. Heck, my answer for the restricted lakes around here might even be kayaks. I live right beside the Kiski river which is too shallow for motor boats but is a great fishery. Problem is getting around on some of the larger lakes with a Kayak seems near impossible. Might need to do a jon with a 9.9 or maybe something like the V14 Guide from Tracker.

How would you steer a kicker on a pontoon boat?

Sounds like a plan to me. Thanks guys.

Thanks for the responses guys. Some good info here, as usual. I'm really not seeing where a kicker motor would install on a pontoon boat and internet searches aren't turning up much. I might be stuck avoiding the 20HP lakes as I've pretty much decided to go with a bigger motor (probably 60HP).

I'm sure I'm showing my ignorance, but how does that work. Do I need to alter the boat to mount a second motor? I did have a pontoon back about 15 years ago but it just had an old 40HP Evinrude and I didn't mess around with it much.

What kind of boat are you using? Would the trolling motor on a 20' pontoon boat be enough to get me around on say, lake Arthur? 3,225 acres. I am leaning toward getting a 60-90HP and if I can figure something out for Lake Arthur so be it. If not, I'll fish elsewhere.

Not sure if this should be in the boating section or here but I'm really looking for PA-specific advice so... I'm ready to buy another boat. Because of my family's needs I've decided on a Pontoon Boat rigged for fishing (like the Lowe 212 or Bass Buggy 18 DLX). What I'm running into is how big of a motor I need on an 18-20' pontoon boat and how much I should weigh in the ability to use it on HP restricted lakes. I would really like the ability to fish Lake Arthur and Pymatuning but those are 20HP lakes in PA. If I go with a 20HP motor on a 20' pontoon boat though, will I be happy with the performance outside of those lakes? Pulling the kids on a tube would be a nice option too but I would think I need at least a 60HP for that. Have any of you PA guys faced a similar conundrum? How important is the ability to fish restricted lakes for you?

Don't feed dem ducks. Dey got disease.

I haven't been up to Mahoning in forever. Almost forgot about that.

I grew up camping in Tionesta and spent a lot of time on that lake in a boat. Also had pretty good luck fishing the mouth of the outflow creek. I'll check those lures out. Thanks for the tip!

Any active members fishing in Western PA? I mainly fish the Kiski River, Allegheny River, Crooked Creek, and Tionesta area. Northmoreland Park lake is close but I've never had any luck there. Finding it difficult to find spots on the shore since selling my boat a few years back (not a bass boat, a 24' pontoon that I used for fishing). Been having some decent luck on the Kiski. Caught a few the other evening, (two around 10" and one around 15") and missed a few. We were only down there an hour or so.

Haha. Yinzer indeed! Where did you pull that one out at, the Kiski? Good advice. Will do.