Forum/Kayak Fishing/Sit in or on?

Sit in or on?

2,199 views·14 replies·by Macks
M
MacksFREE2019#1
What type do you guys use sit in or sit on,looking at a Slightly usedHobie quest 13 sit on,they are asking 800 for it,what do ya think? I'll be useing it in relatively calm waters..
First MateOriginal Crew641 postsSince 2019
pequa1
pequa1MOD2019#2
I thought that was a great price for a Hobie than realized it was a paddle, not pedal. $800? Meh. I would never get a sit in.
the ease of hopping on and off on a beach (don't need no stinking dock!) and to go clamming. Putting ones tootsies over the sides on a hot day. I fish off Matzahpizza, lots of boat wakes and with south winds a moderate chop and no problems with stability. I sold my 13 year old Hurricane Phoenix 14' for $360. and bought a new Hurricane Skimmer 128. Hurricanes are made with a lighter plastic, finish stays glossy and for an extra 30% or less in price they are 30% lighter, which for me is an asset I must have.
CommodoreOriginal Crew7,027 postsSince 2018
pequa1
pequa1MOD2019#3
Some additional thoughts-
I sold my Phoenix through Facebook Marketplace.
Age, previous kayak experience, height and weight, means of transporting all are considerations. While i am pretty bare bones, some of the guys in this forum could be sponsors or go professional if there was such a thing
CommodoreOriginal Crew7,027 postsSince 2018
Rick67
Rick67FREE2019#4
Depends on age. If it has new style seat then its a good price. If old you'll be sitting in water all the time. Then again it's a kayak and its a wet sport. The quest is a revolution with no drive or rudder. Tracks ok but not great with no rudder. Is good in surf though.
(Self Rescue) Its hard enough for most to upright a sit-on and climb back in. Stay away from sit ins for a while.
CommodoreOriginal Crew6,088 postsSince 2019
M
MacksFREE2019#5
Depends on age. If it has new style seat then its a good price. If old you'll be sitting in water all the time. Then again it's a kayak and its a wet sport. The quest is a revolution with no drive or rudder. Tracks ok but not great with no rudder. Is good in surf though.
(Self Rescue) Its hard enough for most to upright a sit-on and climb back in. Stay away from sit ins for a while.
This one is like brand new only been in the water once,comes with a two year warranty,being sold by a dealer,I think it has an attachable rudder of some sort.i tried chewing him down a bit with a cash sale,he won't budge,didn't really wan,t to spend that much,thinking about it!
First MateOriginal Crew641 postsSince 2019
M
MacksFREE2019#6
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First MateOriginal Crew641 postsSince 2019
Rick67
Rick67FREE2019#7
All I can say is. Its half price, it doesn't have new style seat ($500) your not pedaling and that's when all the support is needed. Two year warranty a plus. The rudder is $$$ but you can't miss what you never had. You should be able to break even if you sell in couple of years.
The paddle you may or may not want to change if you decide your going to keep at it.

If this is a first for you congrats. Use a PFD always. Dress for water temp. Plan to go swimming.
CommodoreOriginal Crew6,088 postsSince 2019
Roccus7
Roccus7MOD2019#8
I'm a sit on top fan, mostly because I get on/off from a dock and I'd be swimming more often than not with a sit in...
AdmiralOriginal Crew21,694 postsSince 2018
pequa1
pequa1MOD2019#9
I see the only advantages of a sit in is you are lower in the water and supposedly more stable, plus it is a drier ride...until. (You get wet from your own paddle, fish, etc. anyway.) IMHO, the ease of getting on and off whether from a dock or beach outweighs any advantages. That and you may need to keep a hand bilge pump available on a sit in since they are not self draining.
CommodoreOriginal Crew7,027 postsSince 2018
KayakFisherman
Two thoughts on that. The first relates to sit-in vs. sit-on-top, the original topic. I have one of each and I outfitted them both for fishing. I've outfitted in 8 foot sit in Perception Kayak that I used for the first seven or eight years that I kayak fished. The lower center of gravity makes it less likely that you will tip over. That's the upside. The downside is that if you do tip over, You're screwed. Even with bulkheading and a hand pump there is no way you will ever refloat that kayak and be able to re-enter it. Conversely the sit-on-top has a higher center of gravity making it more likely that you will tip but easier to re-enter after you have falling in. When people would ask me which is better I would really prefer to their fishing habits. If you are more of a big surf stronger currents person who's more inclined toward ocean fishing then you're going to want a sit-on-top and probably one with a pedal drive. If you don't plan on launching into the surf and you are more of a calm water Bay Pond or lake kind of guy then I would say save yourself a few hundred dollars and just get a sit-in kayak. Regarding the second part of the thread, whether that kayak should be a Hobie Quest or not, I would recommend not spending the money. I used to sell Hobies and I never cared for the Quest very much. If you have $800 to spend on a Hobie spend $1,300 and get the new Hobie passport that comes with the drive. I just bought one for my son.
MateOriginal Crew183 postsSince 2019
KayakFisherman
I built an electric bilge pump into both my sit-in and my sit-on-top because I've come very close to sinking in both. Usually, it's because a drain plug came loose or was never replaced after draining, but I've had a crack in the hull take in water and I've read in books that a lot of guys lose their hatches in rough conditions. Never had that happen.
MateOriginal Crew183 postsSince 2019
M
MacksFREE2019#12
Two thoughts on that. The first relates to sit-in vs. sit-on-top, the original topic. I have one of each and I outfitted them both for fishing. I've outfitted in 8 foot sit in Perception Kayak that I used for the first seven or eight years that I kayak fished. The lower center of gravity makes it less likely that you will tip over. That's the upside. The downside is that if you do tip over, You're screwed. Even with bulkheading and a hand pump there is no way you will ever refloat that kayak and be able to re-enter it. Conversely the sit-on-top has a higher center of gravity making it more likely that you will tip but easier to re-enter after you have falling in. When people would ask me which is better I would really prefer to their fishing habits. If you are more of a big surf stronger currents person who's more inclined toward ocean fishing then you're going to want a sit-on-top and probably one with a pedal drive. If you don't plan on launching into the surf and you are more of a calm water Bay Pond or lake kind of guy then I would say save yourself a few hundred dollars and just get a sit-in kayak. Regarding the second part of the thread, whether that kayak should be a Hobie Quest or not, I would recommend not spending the money. I used to sell Hobies and I never cared for the Quest very much. If you have $800 to spend on a Hobie spend $1,300 and get the new Hobie passport that comes with the drive. I just bought one for my son.
Thanks for the info,wasn't crazy about spending 800 and 1300 is out of the question for a first kayak,might just get one from Walmart or west marine for a few hundred and then take it from there..
First MateOriginal Crew641 postsSince 2019
pequa1
pequa1MOD2019#13
Some questions to ask yourself:
Where am I putting in ? (If a boat ramp probably no cart necessary.)
How heavy can you go in kayak weight (I can put a Hurricane kayak up on my pickup's TrakRak- no way if they weighed 70 +.
The longer they are, the better they track. the longer they are, the more they will weigh. Get a lightweight paddle.
I never wanted pedals and a rudder, but will you ?
Consider going to Captain Kayak or The Dinghy Shop if you haven't already. (The Dinghy shop charged me the exact same amount for my tandem Perception Tribe as West Marine.)
Will you be able to mount rodholders, etc. if it doesn't come with them ?
How far from your put-in are your fishing grounds ?
Did I advise to get a lightweight paddle, lol ?
CommodoreOriginal Crew7,027 postsSince 2018
Capt13
Capt13FREE2019#14
I have both. I love my sit on top. If you are on a budget, this might be worth looking into:

Field and Stream Eagle Talon
CaptainOriginal Crew2,530 postsSince 2018
M
MacksFREE2019#15
I have both. I love my sit on top. If you are on a budget, this might be worth looking into:

Field and Stream Eagle Talon
[/QUOTThis is what I ended up buying,used in excellent condition,it's going down to onancock,maybe get a better one next year..
First MateOriginal Crew641 postsSince 2019

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