I was in the Tulsa academy store couple of weeks ago and they had a couple lower price kayaks there, a tandem for about 340 and a single for about 240. don't remember the brand, wondering if anyone had any experience with these and comments regarding. also would it be a reasonable idea to get the tandem for the extra storage area even if I mainly used it by myself?

Pelican is the brand. I personally don't like the material they are made from. I think you would be better off going to Sam's or Bass Pro. There Kayaks are about $50-$70 more but seem like they will last longer and probalbly track better. It also depends on where you are going to use them. If you will only be using it in small ponds the Yak from Academy will do just fine. Rivers are a different story. Hope this helps.
Dosxx

ok, I know you get what you pay for. I haven't seen them in our local sam's, guess I can check about ordering it though. it would be a catalogue item with the local bass pro also. thanks.

The Academy near me in Austin sells Ocean yaks as well as the Pelican sit-ons. The Ocean is made of seemingly quality materials.

Do you know if the Ocean is any good? At Academy the price is 539 for a tandem.

The Ocean Kayak is a good one. It seems very durable. Great price too.
Dosxx

We have looked at the yaks at Academy
If you are serious about yak fishing, the Pelican will not hold up to the abuse.

We fish every weekend, weather permiting, we really put our yaks to the test.

We have 4 yaks made by Perception & 2 Cobra Fish n Dives.

We love our Cobra's, they will do anything we ask of them to do. No problem getting on the Lakes or Coast with them. Never have tossed one, on purpose anyway.

Look at all the major brands & compare them, especially the warranties.

Brands to consider :

Cobra
Wilderness
Ocean Kayaks
Perception
and others

Just paddle first, if you can't try it out first, don't buy it.

Good luck,
Jim & Nan

yo jim u ever do white water?
we are heading to upper michigan planning on a canoe trip on the sturgeon river baraga and houghton counties. there is a gorge called sturgeon gorge over a hundred feet straight down to a mile of boiling whitewater.
i have pondered that ever since i have been 10 years old.the gorge above it it not even publised, once u leave that gorge u have about a hundred yards before huge waterfalls
i think a kiyaker was killed on the upper gorge last year. that is the reason of it not being publisized. the biggest rainbow trout i ever saw was in a smaller 10 foot water falls same river. i threw a little cleo at the top of the waterfalls and that trout hit in that boiling white water and did his tail walking adventure at least 8-10 feet out of the water 3 times before he shook that heavy lure and it went as far behind me as it was cast. that trout was as big as a mans leg. what are the possabilities of fishing that kind of water from a kayak? thanks
david

You're a brave soul, I like the flat water.
I would be just tooooooooooooooo chicken to even try the whitewater stuff.

Have a great trip & I hope you catch some of those BIG Boy's

Jim

wal, since I am in the panhandle wonder where the closest place would be that Icould look at the cobras, or are there any sites online listing them.

btw thanks for all the replies, I gather that one person trying to manage a tandem is not a good idea.

http://www.packtx.org/links.htm

The link above gives links to all of the major manufacturers who can direct you to local dealers.

I haven't tried it but I am told that a tandem kayak that has the load balanced can be contolled and paddled easily by one.

Good luck. Please report your ultimate purchase and your satisfaction with it.

I have been considering a Hobie peddle kayak. Does anyone know anything about them on a first hand basis?

There are several places that carry kayaks online. Just check out the brand you want to buy and they should have a dealer locater so you can find a dealer close by. Also the Texas Kayak Fisherman website has a ton of information about kayak fishing. They also have a great message board with a lot of very helpful folks.

good sites and good information, I appreciate it.

So trapperben, did you ever get a kayak? If so let us know which one and how you liked it.
Dosxx

No, I am inlcined to get the academy as I will use it mostly for lake fishing, but I haven't decided for sure.

Be sure to try before you buy. Made a difference to me.
P