what to buy???

[snag]

to all, this has been asked a few times i,m sure but i,ve been working the past week with ot and after tonite i got my kayak money made up,so here goes, there are lots of yaks on the market,sot/sik i,m using it for small places for fishing not on big lakes ,have a boat for big water,small rivers and some fall duck hunting marsh type areas.i,ve seen one at gander mtn.it,s a mainstream brand 9.5 footer,sik, the otter looks to small.some of the top of the line models are nice i,m sure but some are pricey,i,m looking at the four to five hundred range,has anyone heard of the mainstream brand and if they are worth it? thanks for any help on this. jerry

[LittleMiamiJeff]

You might search the threads for mainstream, I think there was a thread earlier this year concerning mainstream.
Enjoy what you decide on, hope to see you on the water!
LMJeff

[snag]

lmj,i,ll have to look around on the different sites,there,s so much out there ,it,s hard to keep track.i,m going to a yak dealer today and chek out theres, then to gander to look at that mainstream one , so i,ll keep looking and checking out other sites.. thanks.....jerry

[Rooster]

I am not familiar with the Mainstream kayaks, but I do know that many companies use the same molds. Every kayak is a compromise, if there were a “perfect” kayak, we would all be using that model! Just determine what is most important to you, and go with a model that suits your needs.

On small bodies of water, maneuverability is much more important than speed (in my opinion). In general, longer = faster and shorter = more maneuverable. Also, the amount of keel will have an impact on maneuverability/speed. For small bodies of water, I would suggest a shorter kayak with as little keel as possible. If you are going to carry the kayak any distance to access the water, I would give a lot of attention to weight as well.

An OT Otter or Perception Swifty is hard to beat on small ponds/rivers/marsh area (especially if you need to carry the kayak any distance to reach the water). In the $400-500 range, you could get either plus a nice paddle, PFD, and some rod holders. Just because they are short doesn’t necessarily mean that they do not have a lot of room. I have much more fishing room in my 9.5 Swifty than in my 10.5 Blackwater.

[snag]

rooster,thanks for the input,i,m probaly going with the mainstream sound,it,s 9.5 sik,there made by the company that makes dagger,it,s just the lower end type not as expensive,for my first one i,ll give them a shot,i,m taking off friday to get it and give it a test run. it,s going to be a fartin around yak to get to a few spots for fishin that nobody gets into. snag....

[LittleMiamiJeff]

good advice Rooster, my 15'4" yak is heavy when I'm carrying it on my head.