Pedal kayaks for big guys

[Boomstick]

I'm considering making the jump to a pedal kayak. As a larger person (6'3/300lbs) what pedal kayaks should I be looking at?

 

Today I looked at the Old Town Sportsman 120 PDL and the Native Propel Slayer Max. The Old Town is generally a safe bet and probably my cheapest option and I know the kayak is stable and good to stand on. What I really didn't like about it is I cannot lay down a rod on the front quickly anywhere and no back handle. The Native Propel Slayer Max gives two rod holders on each side that are out of the way when pedaling, although one will be rendered unusable once I mount my fish finder and anchor wizard on the rail. There's tons of space in the back of both units. If I could find a way to center mount the fish finder on the Slayer Max and not block the horizontal rod holders, I could find another place for my anchor wizard and I feel I could set it up pretty nicely.

 

Others on my list:
Hobie Pro Angler 12 or 14

Jackson Knarr

Jackson Coosa FD

Bonafide P127 - although the pedals get in the way of a lot of my favorite SS127 features, making the Sportsman or Slayer Max look promising.

 

I've ruled out other Hobie models because while they're probably fine boats, I feel pretty claustrophobic in them, the area my legs go is a bit narrow.

 

Is there anything I'm missing?

 

 

[Darth-Baiter]

The Hobie mirage drive is powerful. I had to tow a Native against a tidal current and wind.  He was making zero progress.  I moved us both. 

[Boomstick]

27 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

The Hobie mirage drive is powerful. I had to tow a Native against a tidal current and wind.  He was making zero progress.  I moved us both. 

I don’t think the Native is the fastest kayak to begin with, but I hear it’s quite stable. Some of it I’m sure is the drive but hull shape makes a big difference too.

 

I fish freshwater but I wonder what I’d see in a difference in speeds? Also is the 360 drive worth it or am I better with the tried and true 180 drive if I go that way? The 180 almost seems like it might be quicker to switch when fighting a fish or blowing into a tree

[Darth-Baiter]

16 hours ago, Boomstick said:

I don’t think the Native is the fastest kayak to begin with, but I hear it’s quite stable. Some of it I’m sure is the drive but hull shape makes a big difference too.

 

I fish freshwater but I wonder what I’d see in a difference in speeds? Also is the 360 drive worth it or am I better with the tried and true 180 drive if I go that way? The 180 almost seems like it might be quicker to switch when fighting a fish or blowing into a tree

this guy was in a Native.  it looked like it was 13 feet long.  he was doomed.  he was pedaling as hard as he could and he was not moving forward.  he was probably slipping back.   i was kinda shocked when we held onto each others boats and i could move him alone with my pedal drive.  when he joined in, it was easy peasy.   you dont need fast if you are in lakes.  but if you forsee a river or maybe a tidal water situation.  i think you should consider something with more juice.    wind too.  

 

i only have the 180 drive.  i have the turbo fins.  i can go 4 mph for a veryvery long time.  3 mph forever.  i dont even get winded at 3mph.  the mirage drive has a (best description) a holeshot.  many times i am tying a knot and not looking around only to find myself about to get washed into a tree or something.  i can kick once twice an i am moving along.  it holeshots when you pedal.  

 

my friend has the PA12 with the 360 drive.  he loves it.  he had to warranty his hull once already when it cracked at the mirage drive hole.  it is pretty elaborate.  my 180 is simple by comparison.  going forward and reverse took some getting used to, but i can swap super quick now.  

too add.  i took my friend's PA12 out for a spin.  it felt like it was nose heavy.  the seat is not a seat.  it is a friggen chair.  comfy, and it sits high so standing up is just like standing up from a camp chair.  you just pop up!!  but the boat is big and heavy and you feel all of it.  i didnt like it coming from my Hobie Outback.  it felt like a raft, compared to my boat.  

 

but if i had started with the PA12, i bet i would have loved it.  i am just used to what i am used to.   Stabiltity on the PA12 is almost a joke.  it is like a raft.  truly.  

[Boomstick]

1 hour ago, Darth-Baiter said:

i only have the 180 drive.  i have the turbo fins.  i can go 4 mph for a veryvery long time.  3 mph forever.  i dont even get winded at 3mph.  the mirage drive has a (best description) a holeshot.  many times i am tying a knot and not looking around only to find myself about to get washed into a tree or something.  i can kick once twice an i am moving along.  it holeshots when you pedal.  

It's funny, you always hear people say you can go at least twice as fast on a pedal kayak. The Pro Angler seems to be the fastest kayak on my list (yes there is faster but I go for stability first). Yet 2.5mph on my Bonafide SS127 is a slow casual paddle for me. I've paddled about a mile and a half at about 3.3-3.4mph and felt that was maybe a swift casual. Yet I was unable to break 4 that very same day.

 

While the Outback is a fine boat, I didn't put it on my list because I have seen them in stores and sitting in the seat, I feel pretty claustrophobic. If I had shorter skinnier legs it probably wouldn't be a problem.

 

[casts_by_fly]

Tis not a difficult add on. 
 

[Darth-Baiter]

21 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

It's funny, you always hear people say you can go at least twice as fast on a pedal kayak. The Pro Angler seems to be the fastest kayak on my list (yes there is faster but I go for stability first). Yet 2.5mph on my Bonafide SS127 is a slow casual paddle for me. I've paddled about a mile and a half at about 3.3-3.4mph and felt that was maybe a swift casual. Yet I was unable to break 4 that very same day.

 

While the Outback is a fine boat, I didn't put it on my list because I have seen them in stores and sitting in the seat, I feel pretty claustrophobic. If I had shorter skinnier legs it probably wouldn't be a problem.

 

you calling my legs "short and skinny"?!  

 

 

hahahah...yea i get it.  i am built like a fat woodland elf.  

[Boomstick]

On 7/10/2023 at 2:52 PM, casts_by_fly said:

Tis not a difficult add on. 
 

I feel like I might miss the rack and drop a rod in the water knowing me or knock one off landing a fish on the right side.

[casts_by_fly]

We’re you reading my latest trip report?

 

 

in all seriousness, I’ve been using it for my third year now and this is the first incident. I keep the rods left and land fish in my right hand/net. I always dock on the starboard side. It’s great if you’re going through low overheads.  Gotta watch I’d you’re around docks up tight. 

[Boomstick]

On 7/11/2023 at 8:32 PM, casts_by_fly said:

We’re you reading my latest trip report?

Actually I didn't see that, I just saw rods over water and that looks like an accident waiting to happen.

[casts_by_fly]

3 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

Actually I didn't see that, I just saw rods over water and that looks like an accident waiting to happen.

 

I can see why you'd say that.  That said, I've had exactly one issue over the past ~3 years using it.  Its probably 1000 hours that its been on the boat.  There are elastic straps on each holder if you want to strap them in.  I do that when I first load the boat at the ramp and when I'm making a run across rougher water.  The rods don't bounce in any way like in a bassboat in rough water, but just in case a bad wave comes in or (worst case) I flip they are held in place.  Again, I've never even had a close call in those scenarios but you never know when something will come up.  And for me, the benefit is too nice.  I'm standing to fish and using spotlock all of the time.  I can turn any direction and cast without worrying about rods behind me.  And when I want to swap rods I don't have to sit down and grab one out of the crate behind the seat.  I can bend over, swap rods, and be fishing a new thing instantly.  

[Boomstick]

11 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

I can see why you'd say that.  That said, I've had exactly one issue over the past ~3 years using it.

It sounds like you have it setup right. But keep in mind I am talking about me. I’ve missed the rod slots in my blackpak before, fortunately I caught it before it fell.

[Boomstick]

On 7/9/2023 at 7:50 PM, Darth-Baiter said:

The Hobie mirage drive is powerful. I had to tow a Native against a tidal current and wind.  He was making zero progress.  I moved us both. 

I demo’d a couple Hobies today, an Outback which was more for my kid and to try the 180 drive and a Pro Angler 14. The Hobie drive definitely does have a lot of power to it. The Outback is super quick and nimble, if I was smaller I’d buy one and never look back. The Pro Angler 14 also had a good top speed but took longer to get there and definitely took more room to turn but it was a 360 drive so I could go in any direction.

[flyfisher]

One thing to consider is going with a motorized kayak instead.  I know people are into the pedals and it works for a lot of people but when I was looking into propulsion I couldn't get past a good paddling baot with a motor instead of a poor paddling boat with pedals.  Not to mention you could probably save some cash in the process

 

I will also say demo them all if you can because the pedal motions can be really strange, I personally hated the hobie motion but that may be because I was an avid cyclist for many years

 

[casts_by_fly]

yeah, you're doing the right thing and just trying them.  I've said it elsewhere but if you're new to kayaks generally or new to fishing from a kayak then the best way to figure it out up front is to use a reputable store and try a couple if you can.  See what the different stabilities look like (primary, secondary, etc) for different boat types.  See what propulsion feels right for you.  There are a lot of options out there so if you're going to spend the money you should spend the time up front to get it right.  Its a different way than buying the cheapest thing to get you on the water to see if kayak fishing is for you.  Both can work but both have caveats.

 

Glad you like the hobies. Now you've tried the stairstepper drive, try a pedal type.  If you ride a bicycle then it might be a lot more natural to you.  That said, to flyfisher's point, if you're going to spend nearly $6k on a PA14 360, I would seriously consider a motorized at that point.  An AP 136 will be more or less the same stability (different style but still super stable) but have the spotlock motor built in.  Add a battery and you're at $5500 for a motorized/spotlock kayak to do what you want.  You can even tow your son to spots and then both fish from there.  If tight areas are a thing for you the AP will turn 360 degrees on the spot.  The 136 would need about a 14' wide creek/cove to spin 360.  Hard rudder one way and spin the motor.  Its super cool.  Then again if tight is your thing, a 14' boat isn't it.

[Boomstick]

21 hours ago, flyfisher said:

One thing to consider is going with a motorized kayak instead.  I know people are into the pedals and it works for a lot of people but when I was looking into propulsion I couldn't get past a good paddling baot with a motor instead of a poor paddling boat with pedals.  Not to mention you could probably save some cash in the process

 

I will also say demo them all if you can because the pedal motions can be really strange, I personally hated the hobie motion but that may be because I was an avid cyclist for many years

 

Yeah I know. My SS127 would work well with a motor too and everyone says this. I like the idea of getting some exercise so I refuse to put a motor on mine. Tell me to go exercise and I’m like meh but tell me to exercise to get to the next fishing spot and I’m gone! You know the second that motor goes on it, I’ll be using it to go around the lake until the battery dies.

 

8 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

yeah, you're doing the right thing and just trying them.  I've said it elsewhere but if you're new to kayaks generally or new to fishing from a kayak then the best way to figure it out up front is to use a reputable store and try a couple if you can.  See what the different stabilities look like (primary, secondary, etc) for different boat types.  See what propulsion feels right for you.  There are a lot of options out there so if you're going to spend the money you should spend the time up front to get it right.  Its a different way than buying the cheapest thing to get you on the water to see if kayak fishing is for you.  Both can work but both have caveats.

 

Glad you like the hobies. Now you've tried the stairstepper drive, try a pedal type.  If you ride a bicycle then it might be a lot more natural to you.  That said, to flyfisher's point, if you're going to spend nearly $6k on a PA14 360, I would seriously consider a motorized at that point.  An AP 136 will be more or less the same stability (different style but still super stable) but have the spotlock motor built in.  Add a battery and you're at $5500 for a motorized/spotlock kayak to do what you want.  You can even tow your son to spots and then both fish from there.  If tight areas are a thing for you the AP will turn 360 degrees on the spot.  The 136 would need about a 14' wide creek/cove to spin 360.  Hard rudder one way and spin the motor.  Its super cool.  Then again if tight is your thing, a 14' boat isn't it.

Yeah the PA14 definitely handles like a larger kayak. If I followed the same path I did on the Outback I would have to pedal backwards to not hot the shore. On the other hand all the rough days I’ve been out with a paddle it’s nothing I can’t handle.

 

That said a boat came by and said that thing really flies, so eventually it gets up there in speed too.

 

I’d love to demo a SlayerMax and Sportsman 120 too. I know the Sportsman is quite stable. But I’ll never get the same kind of setup either.

[Boomstick]

So I demo’d an Old Town Sportsman 132 Bigwater PDL today. I absolutely loved the boat’s performance. It was very fast, turns on a dime and I could stand and it wasn’t very rickety at all - maybe a little more so than the 120 (which is the gold standard for remaining stable in chop imo) but less than my current Bonafide or even the Pro Angler.

 

Not as great of a layout as the Jackson Knarr or Hobie Pro Angler, but I should be able to fit a good amount of gear and up to a dozen rods easily. And Old Town dependability, I know it will hold up for me.

[CDMTJager]

Just for your consideration

Its called the baby whale peddle Kayak by Hammerhead Kayaks

https://www.hammerheadkayaks.net/s-projects-side-by-side