Best Fishing Kayaks for the Big & Tall
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ก.ค. 2024
- What are the best fishing kayaks for big guys? We break down seven of the most stable fishing kayaks with high weight capacities for bigger anglers. Whether you are tall or thick boned, there is a fishing kayak right for you.
If you are a heavier, or tall, person, kayak fishing can still be for you. Here are kayaks that big guy approved:
3 Waters Big Fish 108: ecofishingshop.com/products/3...
Wilderness Recon: ecofishingshop.com/products/w...
Jackson Big Rig: ecofishingshop.com/products/j...
NuCanoe Unlimited: ecofishingshop.com/products/n...
Old Town ePDL: ecofishingshop.com/products/o...
Hobie Pro Angler: ecofishingshop.com/products/h...
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We are your one-stop resource for all things fishing kayaks. Watch, listen and engage with kayak anglers like you. Our experts cover everything from kayak fishing for beginners, fishing kayak accessories to fishing kayaks with a motor. Whether you are new to the sport or an experienced kayak angler looking to learn new tricks, the Kayak Anglers Resource aims to help every kayaker of all levels of experience.
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Social Media Links & Resources
Travis Randall (Host): @travisrandallefs
Johnathan Dominguez (Host): @cprozarks
JT McClanahan (Producer): @the.driftless.kayaker
Eco Fishing Shop: @ecofishingshop
Eco Fishing Shop Blog: ecofishingshop.com/blogs/eco-...
Shop all things fishing kayaks and kayak fishing accessories at Eco Fishing Shop: ecofishingshop.com/
0:00 Introduction
1:34 Factors to consider as a tall/big angler
2:19 Find a place to demo one
2:34 Kayak capacity defined
4:09 What role does length play?
6:19 3 Waters Big Fish Series
7:34 Importance of a swivel seat
9:04 Wilderness Recon
12:44 Jackson Big Rig
15:55 Jackson Pedal Drives for Rivers
16:25 Old Town ePDL+
18:00 Sliding seats for taller anglers
20:20 NuCanoe Unlimited
24:20 Length matters OUT OF THE WATER too
25:30 Hobie Pro Angler
28:20 The main factors to pay attention to
30:35 Best place to ask specific questions - กีฬา
6’5” and at the time of purchase was close to 300lbs (now sub 250). Purchased my current kayak (and my first EVER) Recon120 spring of 2023 from you all at ECO Fishing. Absolutely love the stability and all the room this rig has to offer!
Thank you for sharing! It is awesome hearing from actual anglers with experience with some of these rigs we talked about. There are definitely others out there, but these are some of our favorites. We have never heard a bad thing about the Recons. Congrats on the weight loss as well. More room for gear and accessories now?
@@hookedthekayakanglersresou9904 ABSOLUTELY!
I’m 6’5” and 350. Bought my Nucanoe Unlimited from Eco and am very happy! Great kayak, great service! And 650lbs of weight capacity
Amazing the accessories you can throw on it as well!
6'1 285lb here... my dad just passed away (im 40) and when i was a kid we fished a lot together in my adolescent and early teen years. After he passed i wanted to relive things we did and fishing is one of them. I really got into it and want a kayak now, but i have definitely run into a dilemma trying to find a budget paddle kayak that will hold my big self and my gear.
I dont have much room to store a kayak so id really like a 10-11ft single person kayak
First, we are really sorry to hear about your dad's passing. Losing anyone is tough, but a parent is especially hard. We love that you want to honor your dad by reigniting something you both did together. What a great tradition to carry on in his honor.
You are definitely honing in on a select group of kayaks. We are going to throw multiple options your way and explain each a bit. Keep in mind when you are looking at a kayak's weight capacity, you need to take into account the generalized "70%" rule which basically means take the max listed capacity and the real usable capacity is 70% of that. You can go over that amount, but you'll feel more "tippy" and be at a higher risk of capsizing.
We will start with a few Vanhunks kayaks. The advantage of these is they are stable, come with a lot of features at a lower budget and also have the ability to add a pedal drive later if you want to upgrade them. However, the Pike and the Shad's biggest drawback would be the kayak hull shape makes them a bit tougher to paddle. They are pontoon-style, so they are really stable, but take more effort to paddle only. Here is the Vanhunks lineup. If you are hoping to stay under 11ft, you will want to look at the Pike, Shad and Zambezi: ecofishingshop.com/collections/vanhunks-boarding.
Other kayaks to consider:
Old Town Topwater 106: ecofishingshop.com/products/old-town-topwater-106-fishing-kayak
Old Town Sportsman 106: ecofishingshop.com/products/old-town-sportsman-106-fishing-kayak-1 - This model lists the usable capacity for you
NuCanoe Frontier 10 - ecofishingshop.com/products/nucanoe-frontier-10-fishing-kayak-package
NuCanoe U10 (Brand new in 2024) - ecofishingshop.com/products/nucanoe-u10-fishing-kayak
All of these kayaks are great options. If you are committed to paddling, the Old Town and NuCanoe options are superior to the Vanhunks options because they are much easier to paddle. The NuCanoe lineup has the highest capacity and the most deck space. NuCanoes are really unique in that they are blank canvases that can be customized any way you want. You can add motors or even a pedal drive later on as well. They have an elevated seat, a wide open cockpit and tons of accessory tracks to add whatever you want. They are really efficient to paddle as well. Old Town is one of the most trusted brands on the market and the Sportsman 106 PDL (pedal) is one of most frequently purchased fishing kayaks on the market.
Let us know if you have any other questions. These are the kayaks we'd recommend, but they are not the only ones out there. Take a look at these and let us know what you think. If nothing looks like what you are looking for - let us know and we can throw a few more your way. Just think about where you want to fish (what water will you be on), how you want to fish (sitting, standing, or both) and if you'd ever want to upgrade it with a pedal drive in the future (Vanhunks and NuCanoe allow for this) or a motor (almost any kayak now can have a motor mounted).
Please do a budget kayak for the big guys.
Kind of funny that this is a show about big and tall users. The first boat you show is the 3 waters kayak with a video of a guy that is about 125 pounds using it.
We understand that some of that footage may not match the description perfectly - but we are using footage that we have available from our past projects. And to be completely forthright, we wanted to remain respectful rather than seeking out individuals to "star" in this particular podcast. It is a delicate balance in this situation on a topic that some may find offensive.
However, the stats on the kayak remain unchanged - the 3 Waters Kayak is still a great fit for a larger angler. The angler in the 3 Waters kayak is over 6' tall as well. Thank you for watching!
No native watercraft love!?!? Seriously guys? The Titan X 12.5. Swivel seat. Huge capacity. Super wide. Crazy stable. Probably the best pedal drive in the business. Why didn’t you mention that kayak? And can you please give us your thoughts on it. It’s one of the most popular models out there.
In this episode, we commented on kayaks that we have available to us so that if anyone showed interested we could help them in more detail. Obviously, they are not the only ones out there! This is why we tried breaking down some of things a big & tall angler should look for (so they could apply it to brands/models beyond what we shared): Width, weight capacity and swivel seat.
The Native Titan is large platform and has a weight capacity of 500lbs. It would be another great fit based on the traits we talked about above. Ultimately, it comes down to a few factors like budget, weight capacity and if you want a pedal drive of some sort. It's not that we slighted Native, we just didn't want to record for 5 hours!
Hm so im about 310 lb would recon 120 be good kayak? For my weight? Dont really want to spen more than that i had pelican catch mode 110 it seem to do pretty decent it was little wobbly
The Recon 120 would be a great option. It has a capacity of 450lbs. Just be mindful of how much gear you are packing. That would be a great kayak to start paddling and be able to add a pedal drive later on down the road.
To get your true capacity, take the manufacture’s stated capacity - the weight of the boat itself. Recons capacity is 450 boat’s weight is stated as 95 so true capacity is 355 lbs.
I'm 6'1" and probably 270-280, currently in a Predator PDL. I have problems with it not tracking straight, and not as stable standing as I'd like. Wondering if it's something I'm doing wrong, or if I just need to upgrade? It's also aggravating when I get in skinny water that the lower unit/prop drag, but I can't stand/pushpole bc it's shaky...mainly fish big lakes and some inshore
This may sound like a vague answer, but it isn't intended to. The Old Town Predator/BigWater PDL is a great platform - fast and agile for it's size. Like we mentioned, the Predator became the BigWater. And, by its name, it shines in bigger open water - it can cut through waves really well. The Old Town pedal system is also one of the best, but one if its only flaws is not having a kick-up feature like a few other models (Jackson kayaks in particular).
So to get back to your concerns. Standing in the BigWater can be a bit trickier in general. It is a narrower kayak with a more traditional v-shaped hull. V-shaped hulls are typically more stable while moving than while at rest in comparison to a tri-hull or pontoon-style hull. The BigWater does have pretty good secondary stability, which is the point past that shakiness where it grabs hold again before tipping all the way - but this can be unsettling and you can start to get that rocking back & forth feeling.
There is not much you can do about the shallow water with the pedal drive other than anticipating it and lifting the pedal drive up beforehand. The not tracking straight can be frustrating, but the Predator/BigWater should track relatively well - sometimes it can be as simple as the rudder not being straight, but it is not a perfect science and can be affected by weight distribution as well.
The really hard thing about your particular situation is there is no one kayak that is perfect for every type of water. Jackson kayaks are kind of known as the go-to river kayak, but they aren't the only one. We talk about them at 15:55 and 29:20.
Long-winded answer without giving the perfect answer to all of your issues. But, in short, it can be a slightly difficult kayak to stand in and is really meant for big open water with waves. It can definitely work as a river kayak, but you need to pay attention and manually raise the drive if you can before encountering shallow water.
my dog and I were pushing the limit on my kayak and it was a very sketchy ride.
You can definitely tell when you are past the point of the weight limit. You can feel really unstable and the kayak will ride too low, won't respond as well. If you don't mind us asking, what were you riding in and on what kind of water?
@@hookedthekayakanglersresou9904 it was a lost creek angler/ mako riot 12. was on a very calm lake. max weight is 475 I think. with just me in it, it rode wonderfully.
The dynamics change a lot with a little extra weight, but also the movement of another individual or animal. It is like a tandem bicycle, you have to have some trust with the rider you are sharing your vessel with!
Perception Outlaw 11.5 should’ve been on the list I think its stupid stable looks incredible and i can stand on my yeti sight fishing and its stable as can be. My buddies I go out with they are jelly over their ascend and pelicans
These kayaks are definitely not the only ones out there that work. Really, it comes down to the weight capacity and length (for taller people). More width is a bonus as well. Length doesn't mean more stability, but it does mean a bit more cockpit space and the ability to cut through waves a bit better.
The kayaks we featured all had pedal drives of some sort as well, but if you don't want a pedal drive, you can save a bit of money by getting the non-pedal versions of a few of these models as well.