I live in Key West Florida and am looking for a dive kayak that i can spearfish from. Need a light one or two person kayak. Any ideas or anyone have one that they are getting rid of?? Also looking for a 50-55 gun (prefferably wood) Riffe or sea hornet of wong. Can be used but can't be too expensive I'm only 15!!
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Lookig for a Dive Kayak That I can Spear From
- Thread starterFeAr_ThE_SpEaR
- Start date
Thread Status: Hello
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Re: Looking for a Dive Kayak That I can Spear From
Basically it is all about sit-on kayaks & he primarily recommends the Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT 1-man or the Ocean Kayak Malibu II for "2 man" ... however it is a little too under capacity for my needs - it will not take 2 men over 200lb! Unfortunately, the bigger Malibu II XL is very big. He also likes the Cobra brand. This is my nutshell summary -- he goes into much more detail & of course it depends on what your specific needs. If you are small, perhaps the regular Scrambler or Frenzy (strangely popular here in the UK) might work? There are some angler/hunter-oriented models & variants that might tickle your fancy.
BTW you get a wet backside sitting on a sit-on kayak ... there are holes in the bottom to let water out and guess what...they let water in too!
A 15 year old with a budget for a kayak & a Riffe & living in Florida -- you are doing well (just don't mess it up by buying a house & getting married, and when you do buy a house and get married, don't have kids -- but when you do have kids - don't forget to take them kayaking & spearfishing! rofl )...and don't move away!
...and when you get that beach front property in Florida, don't forget to invite your British spearing buddies over ;D
Let us know how you get on. We rented one for a couple of hours on holiday, it was fun.
:wave CoincidentlY I have been looking at Kayaks too. Check out http://www.kayakdiving.com. It covers a lot of issues, the main brands & recommends models.FeAr_ThE_SpEaR said:
Basically it is all about sit-on kayaks & he primarily recommends the Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT 1-man or the Ocean Kayak Malibu II for "2 man" ... however it is a little too under capacity for my needs - it will not take 2 men over 200lb! Unfortunately, the bigger Malibu II XL is very big. He also likes the Cobra brand. This is my nutshell summary -- he goes into much more detail & of course it depends on what your specific needs. If you are small, perhaps the regular Scrambler or Frenzy (strangely popular here in the UK) might work? There are some angler/hunter-oriented models & variants that might tickle your fancy.
BTW you get a wet backside sitting on a sit-on kayak ... there are holes in the bottom to let water out and guess what...they let water in too!
A 15 year old with a budget for a kayak & a Riffe & living in Florida -- you are doing well (just don't mess it up by buying a house & getting married, and when you do buy a house and get married, don't have kids -- but when you do have kids - don't forget to take them kayaking & spearfishing! rofl )...and don't move away!
...and when you get that beach front property in Florida, don't forget to invite your British spearing buddies over ;DLet us know how you get on. We rented one for a couple of hours on holiday, it was fun.
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Re: Looking for a Dive Kayak That I can Spear From
Hi,
Do you have the Malibu 2 XL version or the regular version? What is the heaviest load that you have carried? I weigh almost 240lb and my dive partner is significantly bigger than me -- so we are looking at a total load of 500lb+.
Is the middle position intended for an additional small child or is it just a more central position when the kayak has only one user?
Do you have any hatches? I see the divekayak site recommends at least one (fore of the paddler I believe(?)) -- and apparently they add weight. For example, Cobra's 2 seater is supposedly only 58lb (hardly more than a single seater) but the weight does not include hatches, back rests, etc..
Fondueset said:
Hi,
Do you have the Malibu 2 XL version or the regular version? What is the heaviest load that you have carried? I weigh almost 240lb and my dive partner is significantly bigger than me -- so we are looking at a total load of 500lb+.
Is the middle position intended for an additional small child or is it just a more central position when the kayak has only one user?
Do you have any hatches? I see the divekayak site recommends at least one (fore of the paddler I believe(?)) -- and apparently they add weight. For example, Cobra's 2 seater is supposedly only 58lb (hardly more than a single seater) but the weight does not include hatches, back rests, etc..
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Re: Looking for a Dive Kayak That I can Spear From
Apologies, I put the wrong URL in my original post -- I have edited that posting (above) to correct it. The site in question was:
http://www.kayakdiving.com/
and "he" is Mark Theobald. he states his bias for Ocean Kayaks clearly here:
http://www.generalaudiences.com/KDImages/OceanKayakModels.html
...but there is a contradictory opinion here:
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Articles/FishDive/KayakDiving6.html
[Same article, different format:
http://www.sonic.net/~rocky/kayaks.htm ]
Check out this page (note they have new models coming out regularly it seems):
http://www.oceankayak.com/diving.html
You might want to check out the inflatible dive kayaks (sometimes found on ebay) & discussed here:
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=37579"]Inflatable Kayak by Sevylor and spear shaft supplier[/ame]
This is the lightweight Cobra 2/3 seater of which I wrote (they claim the weight is 57lbs & the capacity is 600lb -- which is remarkable if true/realistic):
http://www.gobananaskayaks.com/Cobra/CK_TANDEM.htm
Other links:
http://www.cobrakayaks.com/fishndive.html
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/KayakData/DataMain.html
Apologies, I put the wrong URL in my original post -- I have edited that posting (above) to correct it. The site in question was:
http://www.kayakdiving.com/
and "he" is Mark Theobald. he states his bias for Ocean Kayaks clearly here:
http://www.generalaudiences.com/KDImages/OceanKayakModels.html
...but there is a contradictory opinion here:
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/Articles/FishDive/KayakDiving6.html
[Same article, different format:
http://www.sonic.net/~rocky/kayaks.htm ]
Check out this page (note they have new models coming out regularly it seems):
http://www.oceankayak.com/diving.html
You might want to check out the inflatible dive kayaks (sometimes found on ebay) & discussed here:
[ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=37579"]Inflatable Kayak by Sevylor and spear shaft supplier[/ame]
This is the lightweight Cobra 2/3 seater of which I wrote (they claim the weight is 57lbs & the capacity is 600lb -- which is remarkable if true/realistic):
http://www.gobananaskayaks.com/Cobra/CK_TANDEM.htm
Other links:
http://www.cobrakayaks.com/fishndive.html
http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com/KayakData/DataMain.html
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Re: Looking for a Dive Kayak That I can Spear From
I just got a quote for a Cobra Tandem (2/3 seater) -- 500 GBP for bare kayak. The essential extras (hatch, 2 paddles, 2 "essential" back rests) brought it upto 850 pounds (w/o dive flag, anchor or delivery) = 1,548.98 USD!!! rofl :waterwork [For that, I could buy a decent, fully equipped secondhand RIB (zodiac type dingy) or dorry (flat bottom fishing boat), I know that, because a pal just bought one ]
You can get Ocean Kayaks much cheaper than that in the UK though (I think Cobras are made in Hawaii -- a long way from here/anywhere ). Pity, looked like it would be a good fit for my needs. So...Ocean Kayak Malibu II anybody?!
BTW A.B.Biller/SeaHornet or JBL are cheaper, more readily available than the Riffes & Wongs -- but not really in the same class by all accounts but fine to learn with (or indeed use for decades); I believe there is a muzzle/line modification fans recommend one does to SeaHornets though (check the forums for details & image). SeaHornets & JBLs are common on eBay...and new Riffe, especially metallechs. You might want to consider something like a big Rob Allen (e.g. say a 120-160cm, 2 band Tuna gun with & breakaway rig ), Rabitech or Omer (I think the Omer American series aims to be more Riffe-like by using wood). [From the forums here, it sounds like Rabitechs are cheaper in the US, esp. Florida/Hawaii, than in Europe -- they are hard to find & seem to price themselves out of the market here - try Finland with 22% VAT] The South Africans (Rob Allen & Rabitech) have fish every bit as big as Florida I believe.
FeAr_ThE_SpEaR said:
I just got a quote for a Cobra Tandem (2/3 seater) -- 500 GBP for bare kayak. The essential extras (hatch, 2 paddles, 2 "essential" back rests) brought it upto 850 pounds (w/o dive flag, anchor or delivery) = 1,548.98 USD!!! rofl :waterwork [For that, I could buy a decent, fully equipped secondhand RIB (zodiac type dingy) or dorry (flat bottom fishing boat), I know that, because a pal just bought one
]You can get Ocean Kayaks much cheaper than that in the UK though
(I think Cobras are made in Hawaii -- a long way from here/anywhere ). Pity, looked like it would be a good fit for my needs. So...Ocean Kayak Malibu II anybody?!BTW A.B.Biller/SeaHornet or JBL are cheaper, more readily available than the Riffes & Wongs
-- but not really in the same class by all accounts but fine to learn with (or indeed use for decades); I believe there is a muzzle/line modification fans recommend one does to SeaHornets though (check the forums for details & image). SeaHornets & JBLs are common on eBay...and new Riffe, especially metallechs. You might want to consider something like a big Rob Allen (e.g. say a 120-160cm, 2 band Tuna gun with & breakaway rig ), Rabitech or Omer (I think the Omer American series aims to be more Riffe-like by using wood). [From the forums here, it sounds like Rabitechs are cheaper in the US, esp. Florida/Hawaii, than in Europe -- they are hard to find & seem to price themselves out of the market here - try Finland with 22% VAT] The South Africans (Rob Allen & Rabitech) have fish every bit as big as Florida I believe.
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Re: Looking for a Dive Kayak That I can Spear From
Might also be worth checking out Hawaiian sites. I noticed that several spearos there use kayaks and catch good size fish. There are apparently several cool stores there including at least one on-line store that has an excellent selection.
I believe SA railguns are popular there, as an alternative to the expensive wood guns (Riffe, Wong) -- often customized (e.g. with an open muzzle (to make it more Riffe-like?*). I came across this URL on one of the forums (http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=53060):
http://www.hammerheadmuzzles.com/
*[...although I really don't see an obvious advantage to making this change (perhaps easier to load?). I believe at least 2 manufacturers (inc. RA) have tried this approach and apparently rejected it in favour of closed muzzle.]
...It has some cool images.
e.g. (note the paddles/kayaks & SA spearguns)
http://hammerheadmuzzles.com/Gallery/album10/FH000016_1
http://hammerheadmuzzles.com/Gallery/album10/Big_Reds_Day
Might also be worth checking out Hawaiian sites. I noticed that several spearos there use kayaks and catch good size fish. There are apparently several cool stores there including at least one on-line store that has an excellent selection.
I believe SA railguns are popular there, as an alternative to the expensive wood guns (Riffe, Wong) -- often customized (e.g. with an open muzzle (to make it more Riffe-like?*). I came across this URL on one of the forums (http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=53060):
http://www.hammerheadmuzzles.com/
*[...although I really don't see an obvious advantage to making this change (perhaps easier to load?). I believe at least 2 manufacturers (inc. RA) have tried this approach and apparently rejected it in favour of closed muzzle.]
...It has some cool images.
e.g. (note the paddles/kayaks & SA spearguns)
http://hammerheadmuzzles.com/Gallery/album10/FH000016_1
http://hammerheadmuzzles.com/Gallery/album10/Big_Reds_Day
I use a Ocean Kayak Scrambler XT its worth looking at. Very stable good capacity & inexpensive.
I have a Riffe Island for sale brand new condition $390.00 located in
Ft. Lauderdale.
rickluchesi@juno.com
I have a Riffe Island for sale brand new condition $390.00 located in
Ft. Lauderdale.
rickluchesi@juno.com
I work as a kayak guide and paddle a lot of different boats. The ocean kayak scrambler is not your best choice. It's not as easy to get into from the water as others. Go to this site http://www.wildernesssystems.com/kayaks/sot.php
and look at the tarpon models. I have a tarpon 120 and love it. The 100 is nice too, just a little less storage and no adjustable foot pegs. I fish out of mine and I can tell you it is a great boat. The well behind the seat is molded to hold a 5 gal bucket or a milk create and have room left over. Either a bucket or create can be customized to hold what you want to take with you.
This boat http://www.mainstreamkayaks.com/boats/sportsmanseries/pages/kingfish-s.html is similar to the tarpon. I haven't paddled one but it looks like it would be about the same.
If you want an ocean kayak brand... They have some OK boats but small details that make a boat nice are lacking. Just my opinion...
Try and demo as many as you can and what ever you like before you buy if possible.
and look at the tarpon models. I have a tarpon 120 and love it. The 100 is nice too, just a little less storage and no adjustable foot pegs. I fish out of mine and I can tell you it is a great boat. The well behind the seat is molded to hold a 5 gal bucket or a milk create and have room left over. Either a bucket or create can be customized to hold what you want to take with you.
This boat http://www.mainstreamkayaks.com/boats/sportsmanseries/pages/kingfish-s.html is similar to the tarpon. I haven't paddled one but it looks like it would be about the same.
If you want an ocean kayak brand... They have some OK boats but small details that make a boat nice are lacking. Just my opinion...
Try and demo as many as you can and what ever you like before you buy if possible.