boats for CBBT

[bassmanpete]

I know lots of guys who fish mostly salt use bigger yaks, like the P13 or P15, and the longer Tarpons. I am likely getting a T100 for my smallie fishing. Anyone ever taken one of these little fellers out along HRBT or CBBT?

I know it would be a slow paddle, but anything bigger doesn't make much sense to me for the places I do 90% of my fishing.

[wpvboat]

It should be like your Caper. Calvin and I use our Capers here and he paddled out to the first island with it. The big difference is they are wet compared to the bigger yaks. Speed is ok. It works fine for me. I would probably get a bigger one if I had the space in my shed but definately not if I did any freshwater fishing like you do.

Tom

[bassmanpete]

I spent a day each fishing from a T100 and a T120. The 120 was a wetter ride for me than the 100, with more water in the footwell area. Dunno why.

[naked goby]

Do yourself a favor and get the 120. The perfect all around kayak.

The Caper tracks a hellofalot better then the T100.

As far as dry, bigger doesn't mean drier.

You retiring your Caper Pete?

[JLannon]

I have the Tarpon 160i, It's not a totally dry ride either. I get some water in the foot well area of the cockpit, and some in the seat area. Its kinda refreshing on a hot day though[wink]

On the other hand , its a sweet boat for longer paddles, and it handles chop better than I do for sure. I'm a newbie, and still learning proper paddle technique. The Yak seems to do very well in the shoals off Lesner when it gets rough. Been through it twice without the slightest problem. The boat is very forgiving in rough quartering chop.

[bassmanpete]

naked goby originally wrote:
Do yourself a favor and get the 120. The perfect all around kayak.

The Caper tracks a hellofalot better then the T100.

As far as dry, bigger doesn't mean drier.

You retiring your Caper Pete?


The Caper will get shelved soon. That hole I popped in it back in March keeps coming back open, despite two professional welding repairs by Appomatox River Company and two self healing attempts by a broken hearted owner.[grin] That spot is now just weak, weaker even than the scupper area is normally, and just wedging the bow on a rock to hold position and fish can cause enough hull flex to over time work the crack back into being.

The 120 I paddled had enough water in the footwells so that I couldn't open the small center hatch in the cockpit without the water draining into the hull when I did. I am not sure I want a boat where that hatch is basically underwater.

[wpvboat]

Calvin has the same problem with the hatch in the floor of his Caper. Knowing that, I got mine without that hatch and it was $50 less too. It's really a useless feature anyway.

Tom

[msaba]

BMP,


a smaller kayak would work well under mild conditions, I use a prowler 15 in rougher fall weather and really have come to appreciate the stability and seaworthiness and speed of the larger yak, under most conditions a smaller one would be fine, just gives me a little more flexibility if the weather is not great. actually, I have the opposite problem, most of the summer I could use a smaller more manueverable yak--so, of course, optimally I would love to have a smaller yak for those occasions. my wife doesn't agree however... may we could yak swap :>

mark

[bassmanpete]

Tom, do you know where Calvin got his Tarpon without the useless hatch? That's a good idea. That spot with the little bungee they install would make a great place to lock down a fly box.[grin] If you're talking about a Caper, mine has no hatch. It would be handy right now to get to my crack from inside the boat, but that spot usually holds a bit of water even when the rest of the cockpit is dry, so I can see it eventually leaking around the rim.

Msaba, I usually come down in the fall for my striper fishing, as I live in Fredericksburg. I visit Va Beach 4 times a year to visit family: April, July or August, and Thanksgiving and Christmas. I've done the CBBT in a Dagger Delta - 12 foot SINK - in early January before and been fine, and went one summer with Chad along HRBT in a 9'6" Necky Sky. That trip had me feeling slightly like a cork in a toilet, but I'm always careful choosing to actually go fishing out in the bay. My Caper did quite well back in Novermber this past year on a day after Thanksgiving trip. I was able to spin and fly fish from it for the fish. It's slower on the paddle out and back than the long boats, but it got me there and back.

Now it's got a hole near a scupper, which has popped 4 times now on floats in the upper Rappahannock from encounters with rocks. I'd swap in a heartbeat[grin], or make someone a really cheap offer. After my last trip Sunday, where I stopped every mile or so to sponge out 7-10 sponges of water, I knew that it was time for a new boat. That water in the boat is extra weight and causes problems when you have to change directions inside a boat length when in a rapid. For use on a lake or pond it would probably do ok with some more welding, but the hull just cant take the pounding required when running class II rapids anymore. I'd be certain to really test it out before going out on the bay. Being at the first island or small boat channel with a leaky boat isn't my idea of fun. Been there done that once.

My other idea was to get my hands on a malibu Pro Explorer when I come down in two weeks and test paddle that sucker to see if it would work for me better than a T120. If I was rich I would get a T100 for up here and a Hobie Quest for down that way, but I can't handle that big a fleet right now.

[Uturn]

BMP..I'm looking for a SOT for the wife...she's full-figgered and doesn't fish except with a pole. Think about what you need to get for the Caper. Rather see it get used than get shelved.
MIKE aka UTURN
757-404-3333

[naked goby]

Pete, Tom was talking about my Caper having a usless hatch. Actually, it is not that useless. My transducer is under that hatch. Godd for access on land for rigging, but useless to store stuff you need.

[Juke]

I'm 6'3" 275 and I fish out of a 120. It hauls me fine as long as I dopn't leave the plug out. When it fills up with water its hard to paddle.

[bassmanpete]

Mike, I'll be down the beach way in about 10 days or so. You're more than welcome to look the Caper over. It's got an STS Deluxxe Fishing Seat on it, which is very comfortable. Tankwell is rigged out with crate and PVC tubes for rod holders galore.