I'm looking to purchase a pair of fishing kayaks in the near future, preferable something stable enough to stand it. They don't have to be crazy stable, just stable enough. Is there anything in the $4-500 price point thats stand-up worthy? If not what are the best sit on top kayaks in this price range?

This will be my first time owning kayaks. I probably won't know the difference on how good/bad they track in the water so that's not really a concern.

Another thing to make this more difficult, the roof rack on my car has a total weight limit of 150lbs so each kayak can't exceed 75lbs.

 

Thanks in advance

 

You're probably not going to be able to find a kayak that's stand up capable in that price range anymore.  A few years ago maybe, but even on the used market that will be tough to do these days.  That, and finding one that's stand up capable and under 75 lbs will be tough, though not impossible.  

 

In that price range, I'm going to suggest looking at Pelican and Lifetime kayaks if new, or check out what's used locally in your area.  Lifetime and Pelican are the two largest makers, and due to their scale, they are going to offer you the best value at that price point if you're buying new.  They are not, however, the best makers out there, with noted problems with quality control and often not the best designs.  They are also blow molded instead of rotomolded, which means they can have random thin spots in the plastic.  You get what you pay for. 

 

Though I have a Lifetime Yukon (same as the Teton Pro) and have fished it regularly for four years, and it's held up well.  I like it a lot, but at 85 lbs, it's both out of your price range and too heavy.  But it does remain one of the cheapest and lightest stand up fishing kayaks available new.  That and the Pelican Catch 100, which would meet your weight requirement, but will blow by your price range.  

If I might offer a suggestion - if you really want to fish out of a kayak don't take any shortcuts because you'll regret it. You'll get so frustrated getting blown around, not tracking well, having to really work to get anywhere, etc. that you'll give up and wasted that money.

 

I get it - trust me. I had fished a few times in paddle kayaks that I rented and it wasn't all that fun. But I took a leap of faith on a pedal kayak and I couldn't be happier. Still, I could not get myself to plunk down $3k on a Hobie or an Old Towne. I spent $1,500 on a Seastream Angler 120 PD.

 

So here's my advice to you - you can take some more time and save for a better, new dedicated fishing kayak or even better, start searching online for used kayaks. You may have to spend a lot of time looking on eBay and a hundred other sites, and you have to search every day and be quick about pulling the trigger, but you're bound to run into someone that for whatever reason decided kayak fishing was not form them and they just want to get rid of their kayak. You can always haggle and barter as well.

 

I think if you're patient and buy the right kayak that you'll be much happier in the long run and really fall in love with the sport.

 

Lastly, no matter what you spend on a kayak you're always going to end up spending more on things like roof racks, kayak cart, fish finder, rod holders, storage, cleats, bungees, coolers, safety flag, and more. Budget for those as well.

You can find Used kayaks in that range that you can stand up in. The 12T and 128T from Ascend. I've owned a 12T, 128T and a 133X. I haven't had any issues with them. All Stable enough to stand in. Their draw back is they are heavier, but the 12T is 77lbs. I'd bet you can can find these used in that range. Shoot I only have $500 in my 133X.

On 5/23/2022 at 8:09 AM, Bankc said:

You're probably not going to be able to find a kayak that's stand up capable in that price range anymore.  A few years ago maybe, but even on the used market that will be tough to do these days.  That, and finding one that's stand up capable and under 75 lbs will be tough, though not impossible.  

 

In that price range, I'm going to suggest looking at Pelican and Lifetime kayaks if new, or check out what's used locally in your area.  Lifetime and Pelican are the two largest makers, and due to their scale, they are going to offer you the best value at that price point if you're buying new.  They are not, however, the best makers out there, with noted problems with quality control and often not the best designs.  They are also blow molded instead of rotomolded, which means they can have random thin spots in the plastic.  You get what you pay for. 

 

Though I have a Lifetime Yukon (same as the Teton Pro) and have fished it regularly for four years, and it's held up well.  I like it a lot, but at 85 lbs, it's both out of your price range and too heavy.  But it does remain one of the cheapest and lightest stand up fishing kayaks available new.  That and the Pelican Catch 100, which would meet your weight requirement, but will blow by your price range.  

So you mentioned the Pelican Catch 100. I actually found a deal on one that’s not much over my price point. If this is a kayak that performs well I may consider going this route. But so far the reviews I have seen are pretty mixed. Some people say stability issues, some people love it. But mostly everyone says it’s kind of a tank to paddle.

 

Anyone have some experience with this model?

The other kayak I am really considering is a Lifetime Kenai angler 100. This kayak is a newer model from Lifetime so not many reviews but the few reviews are good. It’s not designed for standing, but it looks to have more of a stable pontoon style haul unlike the tamaracks v/flatish bottom.

 

Any chance someone has experience with this model? Thanks 

Just a guess as I've not been in either, but the Catch being 4" wider should be more stable. 30.5" vs 34". If I wanted to stand in a yak I'd want the wider.

 

In general, a narrower boat will paddle better then a wider one, at the cost of stability. Both are 10' so I'd expect about the same for tracking.

Anything you can stand up in that's also light weight will be a barge in the water.  With kayaks, everything is a compromise.  In order to make it paddle well in the water, it needs to be skinny.  In order to make it stable enough to stand in, it needs to be wide.  In order to make it do both, it need to be really long, so its width to length ratio is smaller, and then it's going to be heavy and harder to turn due to its length.  A flat bottom hull will be more stable, but very slow and get blown around in the wind.  A V hull will track well and handle the wind and current well, but be unstable.  A pontoon hull will be more stable than a V hull (but less than the flat bottom) and be faster in the water than a flat bottom (but not as fast as the V hull), but also not cut through waves or track well.  A tri-hull will cut through waves and track better, than a pontoon, but not be as stable. 

 

In order to gain anything, you have to give something up.  Kayaks are all about compromise.  None are perfect, no matter how much money you spend on one.  

 

The Pelican Catch 100's are noted to be very slow.  They're typically best with a motor as they're not much fun to paddle.  They also don't handle rough water very well.  The Lifetime Kenai looks like it's probably not going to be stable enough to stand up in, but it should be a bit faster (which means easier to paddle) in the water than the Catch 100.  

 

Another thing you'll want to deeply consider is the seat.  The Lifetime Kenai has a cheap molded (and padded) seat.  It won't be comfortable for long.  The Pelican Catch 100 has a much better stadium seat.  

 

GREAT point about the seat.  in my experience, it is much easier to stand up from a good seat than a bad seat.  I need to push up off the seat back with my right hand to get up from the super low position.

21 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

GREAT point about the seat.  in my experience, it is much easier to stand up from a good seat than a bad seat.  I need to push up off the seat back with my right hand to get up from the super low position.

That was my biggest issue.

I actually had a kayak that could easily be stood in but getting to the " stood " position was a fiasco.

Advice to the OP, get a yak with a high seat or simply refuse to get old.

If you're near San Jose, CA I can sell you my Ride 115 for $600

Thanks to everyone that gave input and suggestions. I ended up going with a pair of Lifetime Tamarack pro's 10'3". 

I have only taken them out a couple times so still getting a feel for them. They seem fairly stable for what they are. I was able to stand up easily in light current and chop. Setting the hook while standing might be another story, I'm going to wait until the water is a little warmer before giving that a go. In the meantime I am going to purchase some 3" seat risers to elevate myself slightly. The seat does sit you up high enough to do everything you need to but a little higher couldn't hurt for roll casting a hook sets, but so far happy with them.