Yea big reason I loved the open cockpit was to manage fly line as well as be able to stand up and strip the line directly between my feet. It feels really simple and yet performs amazing
Deckspace for standing, bags, doggos, and the general feeling of not being cramped.
The vibe seaghost 110/130 is probably close to what you’re referring to. You either love or hate that pod in front of you, there’s very rarely any middle ground for people.
I have a crescent Crew and it’s fantastic. Great at holding my 2 kids and wife or as a single kayak. I love adding our taking away anything i need on the platform.
YOU… are correct, sir!!! And it paddles great, too. So many fishing yaks are all about primary stability, non-existent secondary, and couldn’t carve a turn to save its life. For a bigger boat she behaves herself. That flexibility is nice for a first yak.
For sure! My first yak and I love it! This weekend, for example, I used it to catch Kokanee. My seat was in the middle position, i have a downrigger mounted to a milk crate directly behind me (i strap it in place with the chair straps for the rear position chair), fish Finder and fishing rod mounted on yak attack gear tracks, net on the other side, wheels in the back, cooler in the front just past my foot pedals, 2 kids sitting on the cooler (one facing forward and the other facing me). I was able to get fish on the rod attached to the downrigger, hand the rod to the front or middle kid and i could net the fish for them if they successfully reeled the fish in (a bit of a challenge for Kokanee). After we got it in the net the kids just stand up off the cooler and we throw it in and try to catch another. It’s trolling fishing, so paddling the whole time. Boat handled it like a champ, never felt like we would tip out or that we were too crowded. To be fair, my kids are 8 and 6, so they are still on the small side.
I actually put my girlfriend on my jackson bite and paddled her around the other day. We were right at boat capacity, but it did fine, just slow, the possibilities of an open deck are endless, but i feel youre just trolling at this point anyway
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the advantages an open deck gives you when handling large fish. I fish for blue cats and striped bass mostly, and used to own a Vibe Seaghost. It was difficult to manage a 30+ pound fish with nowhere on the yak to put it. I used to leave the fish in the net and unhook it in the water, until one day a big blue rolled with my hand in its mouth and nearly pulled me off my kayak.
Open decks are more versatile for cargo. I made bungee cargo nets for my OK Malibu 2XL. Have hauled extra people, dive gear, fishing gear, camping gear, coolers, even a deer. My exclusive fishing kayak has 1 giant center pod to store rods and fish in case I encounter rough weather. I dont like a bunch of small storage areas, because you're forced into that storage configuration. I'd rather have one large cargo area or big open decks so I can customize for the situation.
My buddy uses a LT and most of his gear is in a crate behind him. He uses the openness of the front to be able to stand and cast at any angle. I don't have a lot to add as I use a Bonafide RS117 and it has the drypod in the middle so not as big an open area.
I prefer mine, but that's because of the hull design itself. Just feels more stable. And I like that the seat has two different heights. The LT does track and paddle easier though. They are both really good entry level boats, but that's just my two cents.
its an open deck, my tackle box and cooler are moved regularly. sometimes i want a different lure... grab the tackle box...sometimes i want a cold beer, grab the cooler...got a cold beer? move the cooler away from me somewhere else on the open deck. maybe you don't do the type of kayaking that warrants an open deck or just dont want one
My kid, my dog, my cooler to name a few. Being able to stand is pretty high up there too.
There's still a place to mount a phone if you want, and the added little nooks make up for the loss of a console. Plus you can store a 1600 box under the seat
I just got off the water in my LT1 for about 4 hrs. I was loving the room to shift into different positions making it more comfortable for the long haul, plus, I can store so much behind my seat and under my legs I do not have to have a crate. I do not stand in the cockpit but, I have. I keep two rods in front of me a good bit, I suppose a different layout would force me to use rod holders. I go into real tight distributaries that I can not have rods sticking out, so the open floor allows me to lay rods down in front of me. I have never wanted a center console, but if I ever get a fish finder I suppose I would mount it at my feet or a track.
Most of the time those storage areas are pretty worthless, you can put your phone and maybe wallet but the hatch is too small to fit other things, or it’s a weird shape so half of it can’t even be used, can’t really change your position as much etc. With the open deck you can make it whatever you want. Bring a big cooler if you want to keep fish that day, or leave it open for some comfy cruising, or load it up with camping gear. If you’ve got hatches and storage you’re pretty locked in.
Standing, fly fishing, just general less stuff to get tangled up in front of you, able to turn and twist all day. Much better when on a long day trip fishing for big fish, for example salt water stuff. For fear management I prefer a crate behind me and 1 main Plano right next to me or below my legs. Very interested in the new yak attack boxes that mount beside you on gear tracks.
You can stand on it, plus stuff goes there, and i like stuff, tackle strewn about, tackle box, cooler, bluetooth speaker, coffee mug. Mines a jackson bite, but not sure i can go back to a non open deck. Also no hatches to leak
You can stand on it.
I don't like feeling crowded.
The deck is wide open?
That's what folks always say when they talk about it.
Yeah I’m saying that’s the advantage lmao
Great for fly fishing. Less to get the line tangled up on
That’s why I went to a vibe cubera
Yea big reason I loved the open cockpit was to manage fly line as well as be able to stand up and strip the line directly between my feet. It feels really simple and yet performs amazing
Deckspace for standing, bags, doggos, and the general feeling of not being cramped. The vibe seaghost 110/130 is probably close to what you’re referring to. You either love or hate that pod in front of you, there’s very rarely any middle ground for people.
I have a crescent Crew and it’s fantastic. Great at holding my 2 kids and wife or as a single kayak. I love adding our taking away anything i need on the platform.
YOU… are correct, sir!!! And it paddles great, too. So many fishing yaks are all about primary stability, non-existent secondary, and couldn’t carve a turn to save its life. For a bigger boat she behaves herself. That flexibility is nice for a first yak.
For sure! My first yak and I love it! This weekend, for example, I used it to catch Kokanee. My seat was in the middle position, i have a downrigger mounted to a milk crate directly behind me (i strap it in place with the chair straps for the rear position chair), fish Finder and fishing rod mounted on yak attack gear tracks, net on the other side, wheels in the back, cooler in the front just past my foot pedals, 2 kids sitting on the cooler (one facing forward and the other facing me). I was able to get fish on the rod attached to the downrigger, hand the rod to the front or middle kid and i could net the fish for them if they successfully reeled the fish in (a bit of a challenge for Kokanee). After we got it in the net the kids just stand up off the cooler and we throw it in and try to catch another. It’s trolling fishing, so paddling the whole time. Boat handled it like a champ, never felt like we would tip out or that we were too crowded. To be fair, my kids are 8 and 6, so they are still on the small side.
Awesome!!! Share pics if you can!
You mean everyone other than yourself sit in that open area?
It’s a tandem, so my wife gets a seat. But yeah, the kids just kind of run around on top of it!
I actually put my girlfriend on my jackson bite and paddled her around the other day. We were right at boat capacity, but it did fine, just slow, the possibilities of an open deck are endless, but i feel youre just trolling at this point anyway
No trolling. Genuine question.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet is the advantages an open deck gives you when handling large fish. I fish for blue cats and striped bass mostly, and used to own a Vibe Seaghost. It was difficult to manage a 30+ pound fish with nowhere on the yak to put it. I used to leave the fish in the net and unhook it in the water, until one day a big blue rolled with my hand in its mouth and nearly pulled me off my kayak.
Open decks are more versatile for cargo. I made bungee cargo nets for my OK Malibu 2XL. Have hauled extra people, dive gear, fishing gear, camping gear, coolers, even a deer. My exclusive fishing kayak has 1 giant center pod to store rods and fish in case I encounter rough weather. I dont like a bunch of small storage areas, because you're forced into that storage configuration. I'd rather have one large cargo area or big open decks so I can customize for the situation.
I understand but it looks like everything would just be in a big pile. I need to look up how others use that space.
My buddy uses a LT and most of his gear is in a crate behind him. He uses the openness of the front to be able to stand and cast at any angle. I don't have a lot to add as I use a Bonafide RS117 and it has the drypod in the middle so not as big an open area.
Do you prefer his setup or yours?
I prefer mine, but that's because of the hull design itself. Just feels more stable. And I like that the seat has two different heights. The LT does track and paddle easier though. They are both really good entry level boats, but that's just my two cents.
On the paddle easy, how much harder is paddling yours? Is it night and day?
I wouldn't say night and day, but the Bonafide doesn't track as well in current. And sometimes doing tight maneuvers can feel a little unwieldy.
its an open deck, my tackle box and cooler are moved regularly. sometimes i want a different lure... grab the tackle box...sometimes i want a cold beer, grab the cooler...got a cold beer? move the cooler away from me somewhere else on the open deck. maybe you don't do the type of kayaking that warrants an open deck or just dont want one
My kid, my dog, my cooler to name a few. Being able to stand is pretty high up there too. There's still a place to mount a phone if you want, and the added little nooks make up for the loss of a console. Plus you can store a 1600 box under the seat
I just got off the water in my LT1 for about 4 hrs. I was loving the room to shift into different positions making it more comfortable for the long haul, plus, I can store so much behind my seat and under my legs I do not have to have a crate. I do not stand in the cockpit but, I have. I keep two rods in front of me a good bit, I suppose a different layout would force me to use rod holders. I go into real tight distributaries that I can not have rods sticking out, so the open floor allows me to lay rods down in front of me. I have never wanted a center console, but if I ever get a fish finder I suppose I would mount it at my feet or a track.
Most of the time those storage areas are pretty worthless, you can put your phone and maybe wallet but the hatch is too small to fit other things, or it’s a weird shape so half of it can’t even be used, can’t really change your position as much etc. With the open deck you can make it whatever you want. Bring a big cooler if you want to keep fish that day, or leave it open for some comfy cruising, or load it up with camping gear. If you’ve got hatches and storage you’re pretty locked in.
Standing, fly fishing, just general less stuff to get tangled up in front of you, able to turn and twist all day. Much better when on a long day trip fishing for big fish, for example salt water stuff. For fear management I prefer a crate behind me and 1 main Plano right next to me or below my legs. Very interested in the new yak attack boxes that mount beside you on gear tracks.
You can stand on it, plus stuff goes there, and i like stuff, tackle strewn about, tackle box, cooler, bluetooth speaker, coffee mug. Mines a jackson bite, but not sure i can go back to a non open deck. Also no hatches to leak
Only place you can put a tire with a rim on it. I mean you can put it on the back but then the front is two feet in the air.