Hey team,
I'm looking for a pedal kayak to upgrade my years old paddle kayak from my teenage years.
I have a few options, including:
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Used Hobie Revolution 13 for $2,000 AUD / $1,300 USD (2016 model with the raised seat)
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New Hobie Passport 12 (thermoformed type) for $2,000 / $1,300 USD
-
Used Kayaks2Fish 11.5 (local brand) with a Lowrance hook reveal 5 + some rail gear for $2,000 / $1,300 USD
-
Used Native Slayer 13 or 12.5 between $1k – $2k AUD
I am mostly fishing in South Australian waters, most common spot is my local metro beach a few k's away which is mostly a pretty protected, shallow, and weedy spot.
Because of the weed, I'm leaning to the fin type (hobie) than propeller, just from what I've heard, they can be a pain. I do deal with surf launches but try to pick calm days if I can.
We don't really see many of the common US brands like Old Town, Jackson etc down here. New Hobies are generally very expensive here, though the Passport is being phased out so in a discount.
I am mostly cartopping so weight is a consideration. I have a Rhino universal loader which helps. I generally fish pretty light, maybe as a consideration for my little 3m kayak atm – I take a tackle bag, two rods (legal limit here anyway), a cool bag and a couple of ring type crab nets. This setup won't change much even if I have a big boy kayak.
Long term I have some goals catching Kingfish etc but I can do that inshore in certain spots – unlikely I am gonna do any big ocean voyages although I'm not against covering some ground.
The top three options seem best to me. The Rev is probably more ocean-y than I need if I'm inshore 90% of the time, and would require some upgrades, rails, etc. The Passport seems decent for a new kayak, I wouldn't have paid $3k for it (retail) but I think it will need a fair few upgrades to bring it up to speed. The Kayaks2Fish looks good to me, I hear a few mixed reviews about them but lots of weekend fishers love them here too. It's certainly more decked out as is than a Passport or Rev.
The Natives seem really heavy for cartopping, and the propeller drive makes me think twice about them here.
Posted by insanopointless