South Florida Paddling

I had a Hobie Outback for awhile. It was great for what it was but it didn’t take long for the drawbacks to outweigh the positives.

First off, it’s not comfortable for long trips. Yes the seat is one of the best but it just is murder to sit like that all day. You can stand but it’s not comfortable because you are always on guard to not fall. Oh, and I did fall!

Second biggest problem for me is if you cant cover a lot of water. I like to fish from spot to spot often miles away and with the kayak it’s a lot of work. Especially if you ever have to go against the wind and current.

Third, it’s not as light as they say. It does fit in a truck bed but getting in in and out isn’t as easy as you would think. Biggest problem being you have to empty it every time and make multiple trips from the kayak back to your truck to get your seat, rods, cooler, paddle, life jackets, stakeoff pole, etc. etc. I guess I’m spoiled because launching and loading a skiff is sooo much less work. Make sure your heart is strong if you have to drag it any distance across sand to launch.

Fourth, it’s expensive! I really think they are waaaay overpriced for what they are. I had fun in mine but in hindsight a cheap Jon boat or gheenoe would have been better.

My favorite part was how stealthy it was. Fish wouldn’t even know I was there. It was great for stalking the mangroves and docks.

As crazy as this may seem I would prefer a simple canoe if I do it again. In fact, I wouldn’t mind having one to fish the refuge.

I hear ya. I had a Hobie Outback and loved (and hated) it for all the reasons you’ve mentioned. I intend to bring my canoe down to the Everglades area…primarily to fish all those mangrove creeks and canals that I always pass by on the way to the boat ramp. I have a flats skiff but feel like I’m missing out on some of the smaller water. My canoe is a 30 year old, restored Stowe canoe…47lbs.

Check out Kaku Kayaks up in Tarpon Springs. Kevin is owner/designer/builder and you can speak directly with him. If you’re willing to drive there, you can also demo everything he offers right there at the facility and have a beer with him afterwards.
If solo fly sight fishing is your goal, the voodoo is sneaky. The Zulu has the option to peddle or power, and takes chop better. The Wahoo is a more traditional sit on yakk. I’ve owned all of em, but like boats, there is no perfect yakk.
For me, I prefer the Wahoo, it paddles easy, handles chop, stays dry, is really stable, but fly fishing off of it is kinda of pain. The Voodoo gets wet in chop and is a bit of a bear to paddle, but it’s stealthy and crazy stable. Plus the chair and deck space keep it comfy and much more fly fishing friendly.
The Zulu does everything the voodoo doesn’t, it’s also a harder paddle, but the pedal option negates that. I did a rear mount trolling motor and that turned into a fishing machine, but lost that yakk feel. I ultimately kept my Wahoo and the Kahuna which is paddle board hybrid, which also another great option. Just not as stable as the rest of the fleet. But it’s the lightest and easiest to handle.

Nollie, the canoe is a great tool for fishing our glades back country, only thing is it can be a bit more of a task then a kayak from a fishing while solo standpoint. I pole a canoe and duck hunt/fish out of it but when I want to do some real paddle fishing, the Native Ultimate has been the best of both worlds between yak/canoe, I've found. Having an anchor trolly system is key for days when the breeze picks up, or the current is moving good. The Ultimate paddles great in the wind, has low freeboard and tracks great too without a rudder. I was out last weekend, slicked out calm and had a blast, ventured further than intended do to perfect paddle conditions except when a nice little thunder cell popped up back towards the truck...that thing started blowing wind at me and I was thankful to be in the Ultimate (or any yak) compared to huffing it in a canoe with the singles blade paddle into the wind.. the anchor trolly system on mine is so nice to have for posting up.. they are also easy to stand and sight fish from.. the newer Ultimates are a little heavy and not cheap, but if you can find a 1st gen one used on Craigslist or wherever they are well worthy of a look.. the seats are amazing as well your ass will stay dry and can sit it em all day long

Here is what I did. Built 12 x 3 38 lb foam hybrid. I load it on top of my Xterra by myself all the time. Have a 100ah lifepo battery 18 lbs, and tiller 55 lb trolling motor.. I think my range is 12 to 15 miles, maybe more. Probably goes 5/6 mph. Getting server error trying to load pics, I’ll try later.

I've had, and have, many canoes, Kayaks and a few SUP's. Current inventory is 14'4" Wenonah Vagabond solo canoe, Native Ultimate 12 Elite kayak, and an old beater Riviera SUP. A lot is about weight for me at 73 and I carry them on the roof of my Honda Civic.
Weights, SUP 34 pounds, Canoe 38 pounds, and Kayak is 40 pounds.
Paddling 1st choice is the canoe, its made to paddle but very sketchy for standing. Its very light, kevlar, easy to load or hump to/from water car. Floats in spit and can get over the skinniest of flats.
I Had for many years a 14' Mohawk canoe about 75 pounds, tandem, it was good for paddling and standing, but had a helper son to help with the loading part. Also had a 12' INdian River Otter for a few yeasr, also about 70 pounds, better for standing and poling than paddling but great for the flats.
Old Town make some pretty nice canoe now with fisherman in mind.

For stand up fishing I go back and forth on the SUP or the kayak. I like the SUP its light, easy to handle, easy to paddle standing or sitting on a cooler as well as standing using a 12-14' push pole.
The Native Ultimate has a comfy seat but seat is low to water unlike the more modern heavy wide kayaks available today, its much lighter, easy to load and hump to/from. This kayak is very easy to stand and paddle or pole, it paddles very well, I think an ideal all purpose kayak is the Native Ultimate 14, no longer made but can be found if patient on the open market.. they weigh about 50 pounds, can be found in solo or tandem, and tandems that easily convert to solo by relocating one seat and removing the other They paddle well, track straight better than the 12, easy to stand and sight fish, and not overly heavy when handling. Kayaks like Canoes also have the advantage in skinnier water due to most SUP's having some sort of fin for tracking.
Canoes and Kayaks are pretty easy to load/unload and carry in a PU as you want, with one of those T bar bed extenders. My son had some Thule racks that mounted on the bed rails of his F150 , they raised and lowered easily and carried his kayak extehde over his cab rather than out the back of the bed.

SUP's are great for Stand up fishing, stealth, paddle pretty ok when standing, or using a push pole., some have lawn type chair, or Larry chair, for sitting, or you can have a cooler to sit on. To sit and stand you will need either 2 different paddles or an adjustable paddle. I use an adjustable paddle but they are heavier than non adjustable. Most SUP's paddle OK, so ling as it's not windy.
I also had a DragonFly 13'6" which was a very good SUP for Standup Sight Fishing, weighs about 55 pounds. THis model is built by boat builders, same process 2 piece mold vacuum infused gel/glass, designed with Fly fishing in mind. It paddles very well has a V bow like a skiff so it paddle well in about any wind. They offer an optional shallow water fin, that is about 4" deep so it can get pretty skinny but not as shallow as the canoe or kayak.
Another great design is the Live WaterSports SUP's, Ge;coat/Fiberglass, cat type hull, paddle or pole very well, get pretty shallow, in the mid 50 pound range, lots of flat deck space.
Hard shell SUP's tend to me more delicate that kayaks or canoes.

There are a few hybrids kayak/sup designs today on the markey, one mentioed in prev. post, that are poly-plastic, on the heavier side. These paddle of=k, many don't have a fin so they get as shallow as a kayak, and have the lawn chair type seat.

I spend 90% of my paddling time on shallow flats or in mangrove creeks and tunnels, where pedal powered craft struggle to get so I can't speak to them.

I have two Live Utility SUPs and they have been great, catamaran design so super stable, but not nearly as heavy as the L2, the Utility is only 30 lbs.

I put a cooler on it secured by two turnbuckles in the mounts on the board, and I can stand or sit depending on what I'm doing or how I feel. And unlike sitting down into a kayak you sit up like on a chair and it's WAY more comfortable especially for someone like myself with back issues. I keep an 8lb mushroom anchor right behind the cooler with a bungee anchor line and it keeps the board static when needed. Have been fishing off of SUPs for awhile now and I can't say enough about these boards, for paddling they are the best of both worlds imo and blow away any kayak or canoe because of how versatile and comfortable they are.

This is my son on one of them, we are taking them both to the keys the beginning of June for a week, can't wait to hunt for some Bonefish!