# Owning kayaks and motor boats



## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Just curious how many guys have both. 

I got a kayak because I didnt have a boat or a truck to pull one. I was stuck to the bank and the river is hard to access with a 4 door car. So kayak was a choice of desperation. I love fishing from my kayak but is that just because it beats my other options. 

If you had a kayak already and buy a boat do you ever go kayaking anymore?
If you already had a boat and then buy a kayak did you enjoy the new option of skinny water?

Hopefully there is a shinny new Nitro in my future but even just looking at the cost of an upgrade to a new kayak or getting a John boat, they are comparable. 

I just wanted to see if the kayak guys have other boats and pontoons dont count. But that may be my best option. I could see myself getting pretty comfortable in a pontoon boat while catfishing lakes and the family would enjoy it.


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## 1basshunter (Mar 27, 2011)

I was saving up for a ranger bass boat when life got in my way so i got a yak it's 2 week old a cuda12 and i do like to do it, but I do nead more time on the water with it


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

I have both and the kayak now sits in the yard. I believe I might use the yak more often if it was not such a bear to put on top of the SUV. Supposedly, this guy I work with is going to sell me his jet ski trailer. We'll see if that makes a difference in using the yak. I also think if I put a better seat in the yak I might use it more. The one I have now is killing my back and just is not comfy. Needs to be a stiffer back I believe. Thinking of trying a piece of plywood in the back to see if it makes a difference before I spend the cash on a better seat. I love my power boat though. To be able to stand, move around is awesome.


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## mstaaf (Jun 15, 2011)

I started shore fishing and then I got the boating bug.

I bought a 14' aluminum v with a 5.5 old johnson to start.
A few years later i purchased an older bass tracker 17
and i never touched the 14'er again. It wasn't because i didn't
want to, it just took an equal amount of effort alone and if
I had a buddy that day we went on the bass boat.

I missed fishing the skinny waters though and purchased a kayak
this year. I still take the bass boat out almost as often as i did
last season but the kayak has made taking advantage of 
last minute or limited time trips less of a headache.
Truly, it has made me appreciate both boats more,
It is the perfect one-two punch for me.

My mad river canoe and the 14' aluminum are gone'rs
the kayak/bassboat has definitely made them both obsolete. 

Good luck in what you decide!


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## RebelWithACause122 (Mar 29, 2011)

I got a motor boat before I got a kayak. It wasn't much of a boat really... a very old 14' fiberglass boat and a little 5hp outboard. I put a trolling motor on it as well and I went fishing from it a few times a month. When I got my first kayak, I realized that I could get out on the water more quickly, I could get into more places such as lakes without ramps, I could still catch plenty of fish, and I could get some much needed exercise while doing something I enjoy. I sold my boat and motor & bought a second kayak. I kayak 3 or 4 times as often as I took my "real" boat out. If I were to have both, I would probably use the motorboat 6 times all year (ok, I'd use it more than that if it was a really nice boat... but I can't afford that anyway). Kayaking is the way to go for me. I catch more fish than I did from my bigger boat, I fish more peacefully, and I'm 50 pounds lighter and in way better health since getting into kayaking. Not saying that it's for everyone, but that's the direction I went.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

I got both and hardly take my boat out except to take the kids out. I don't really enjoy fishing lakes I like skinny water so the kayak gets more use. I am hoping to upgrade to a coosa next year. My yak now is a piece of crap but it gets the job done.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Im afraid of this very topic. I was planning on getting a boat next year, but I have fallen in love with yaking. Im not sure I can pull the trigger on a boat now.....in fear of letting the yaks collect dust. I may just get a couple more yaks and a new truck instead.

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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

I originally wanted a motor boat of some sort, something that could handle Erie. When I first decided I wanted a boat, I thought about the different types. Kayaks were quickly written off, because I didn't see how it could work. After realizing that I'd have to buy a truck to pull a bigger boat, the expenses of upkeep and watching a few kayak fishing videos, I revisited the idea of using a kayak. I'm glad I did! Kayaking has been amazing the last couple of years, the fishing hasn't been too bad either. I'll still probably buy a power boat and a truck to pull it down the road, but I don't see it getting more use than the kayak(s). 


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## T-180 (Oct 18, 2005)

I have both. I have an older 19' walleye boat w/ 150 & 9.9 and a couple entry level kayaks for stream fishing. Use the boat much more, but really enjoy the peacefulness of a float in the yak. Also use it to treat weeds in the pond.
My son also has a 16.5' bass tracker w/ 45 hp that we use to bowfish & sometimes fish out of. It sits in my barn too & I sometimes take it out since it's way easier to handle on inland lakes than the bigger boat.


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## Zachthebear (Feb 5, 2013)

I owned a jon boat for quite a while and took it out maybe twice a year. I sold the boat for kayaks and have NEVER regretted it. I have been on my kayak nearly every weekend and would go everyday if it wasn't for work. Easier to haul, cheaper to maintain and store. Plus exercise and the ability to fish less pressured waters seals the deal!

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## shwookie (Jun 15, 2007)

A boat won't get me to the water I like to fish.


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## Dovans (Nov 15, 2011)

SeanStone said:


> Im afraid of this very topic. I was planning on getting a boat next year, but I have fallen in love with yaking. Im not sure I can pull the trigger on a boat now.....in fear of letting the yaks collect dust. I may just get a couple more yaks and a new truck instead.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I545 using Ohub Campfire mobile app


Yaks don't require money for upkeep. So if you do get a boat and find your not using them, its ok. They wont rot. They wont rust.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Pretty much what I was thinking. I would much rather put $1500 into a kayak than a buy $1500 boat. I may just fix up the old boat I have if it turns out the motor is any good. If not, the more I think about I can see myself getting a pontoon for catfishing lakes and family time. 

Anyone ever fish out of a pontoon for anything other than catfish? 

Sean I dont see you giving up on those creek bass anytime soon. But I think the catfishing issues have been from bad luck not the kayak. Lets see if we can change your mind.


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## lotaluck (Dec 17, 2009)

I have a nice champion bass boat that has been neglected since I caught the yak bug 2 years ago. Really like the boat but the yak gets much more use. Really dont have anything to do with a boat preference its more of a water preference. I am addicted to creeks and have very little interest in fishing lakes at this point.


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## Lima Eyecatcher (Aug 13, 2008)

I use to have a nice tracker deep v for eye fishing but wife hated it so sold it for a bow rider and turned it into eye fishing boat. I got tires of the expense of gas and winterizing coat so sold it and got a sit-in yak and used it for 3 years trolling for eyes and salmon. Now I just bought a hobie pro angler. I have trolled reservoirs for eyes, got into bass fishing the bkft leave for Michigan salmon trip next week.And planing a erie eye/perch trip sept 26 weather permitting ( pm me if ya want to go). The thing is amazing to fish from and I don't think I will ever go back. I can fish the same waters I did before and now the rivers and skinny waters. And yes I have fished Indian for eyes from brotherinlaws pontoon. It was comfy but awkward to control in wind at slow speeds. 


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## Lima Eyecatcher (Aug 13, 2008)

And there is nothing like being pulled around in the yak by a big fish. You don't get that with bigger boats


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## bassyakker (Feb 12, 2013)

hey rusty. I owned a very nice 16.5ft lowe bass boat. fished out of it all the time, until i bought my first yak last year. the boat holds its purpose but i stopped taking it out of the garage because the yak was much easier to throw in the truck and fish... ant the maintenance is MUCH easier. I did have troubles standing in the yak so this spring i sold the boat and bought a native mariner propel yak. LOVE IT!!! i can go anywhere a boat can go and lots of places a boat cant go. i'll get a pontoon soon for some family floating but i am sold on kayak fishing.


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

rustyfish said:


> Anyone ever fish out of a pontoon for anything other than catfish?


LMB, SMB, KSB, gills, crappie, stripers.

Got the pontoon first, kayaks two years later, for reasons already stated here. My personal reasons were 1. physical fitness 2. fishing in foul weather year round. My goal is 6 quality yaks so the whole family can go out.

Pontoon is great family fun too, you can get more people, they are more comfortable and I can still pull a tuber.


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## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

I bought my kayak when I was still in High school and couldn't afford a boat. A years or so later I bought my first boat from my boss. It was just a small 14 v bottom with a 15 hp Evinrude. Another year later I traded that boat for a nice old 15 foot Procraft bass boat with a 75 HP Evinrude. All the while I still had the kayak and I still used it. I have since sold the bass boat and while I still wish I had it or another one, I still have the kayaks. I guess I will always have them. I find it is easier to get out on the water with the yak. The boat just always took more effort. I also fish river a lot that are too shallow to get out on with a boat. The boat obviously had more room to move around and carry gear. It was also more comfortable to fish out of. But there is something about fishing out of a kayak that is nice too. They both have their place.

My Ideal situation would include a nice fishing yak, a pontoon, and a 20 foot Lund. I have a long way to go !! LOL!


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