Purchasing a second hand kayak

[juicy233]

Hi everyone, recently I've been looking to buy a second hand fishing kayak for use in middle harbour and was wondering what to look for when buying one off Facebook. I'm on a budget of around $1000 and am wondering if I should look for a kayak with pedal drive or a fish finder. The dream would be both but I've been looking online for a while and having a hard time finding a kayak with both that isn't broken. 

Anyone reading this who owns a fishing kayak, what are some features on your kayak that you would say are a must have?

Also, I've found an alright deal on a kings Kraft kayak, has anyone heard anything about this brand before?

 

[slothparade]

I have a seal mako 3.9m up for sale with motor and speed controller ECT. 

Yeah finding a pedal drive kayak for $1000 is very difficult..I got my Revo 13 old model for 1150 and then got my outback for 1500 again an older model but had been sitting in the shed its whole life so practically brand new. As for must haves, I love the rail blaza star mounts all over. I have 6 per a kayak and love them. I use the g clamps to hold my rods down when going offshore. A good seat is nice but but a ratchet strap also works 😂 

As for fish finder I'd recommend a Garmin Stricker 4. I find that size perfect on a revo as you have limited space. Though on the outback I want something a little wider.  Another consideration is transport. If your using roof racks then your going to want a lighter kayak. For middle harbour I'd recommend something around 12ft or longer. The wider the bottom the more stable, but not as fast while the more v shaped, the less stability and more speed and mobility 

[juicy233]

 

18 minutes ago, slothparade said:

I have a seal mako 3.9m up for sale with motor and speed controller ECT. 

Yeah finding a pedal drive kayak for $1000 is very difficult..I got my Revo 13 old model for 1150 and then got my outback for 1500 again an older model but had been sitting in the shed its whole life so practically brand new. As for must haves, I love the rail blaza star mounts all over. I have 6 per a kayak and love them. I use the g clamps to hold my rods down when going offshore. A good seat is nice but but a ratchet strap also works 😂 

As for fish finder I'd recommend a Garmin Stricker 4. I find that size perfect on a revo as you have limited space. Though on the outback I want something a little wider.  Another consideration is transport. If your using roof racks then your going to want a lighter kayak. For middle harbour I'd recommend something around 12ft or longer. The wider the bottom the more stable, but not as fast while the more v shaped, the less stability and more speed and mobility 

Thanks for the info, how many rods do you usually bring on your kayak?

[slothparade]

2 minutes ago, juicy233 said:

 

Thanks for the info, how many rods do you usually bring on your kayak?

Depends on where I'm going, but on the Revo usually 2 as I only have 2 holders, on the outback, sometimes 3. But I just use clips and have a bunch of pre made rigs and if needed a handline. As long as the leader is light, you can still catch yakkas with 40 lbs main line. I prefer sealed reels as they get splashed a fair bit on a kayak 

[DerekD]

 

[juicy233]

20 hours ago, DerekD said:

 

I've just had a read through these, thanks for taking the time to put these together in the past, these articles had all the helpful information I have been looking for. 

Cheers

[R E G I C Y C L E]

My 2c is to prioritize pedal drive over a fish finder. You can always add a fish finder later, but adding pedals will not be possible.

Pedal drive is a massive benefit for a fishing kayak as it leaves your hands free apart from occasional steering input, and it is much more efficient for travelling from your launch spot to the intended fishing spot than a paddle yak.