Sit in or on?

[Macks]

What type do you guys use sit in or sit on,looking at a Slightly usedHobie quest 13 sit on,they are asking 800 for it,what do ya think? I'll be useing it in relatively calm waters..

 

[pequa1]

I thought that was a great price for a Hobie than realized it was a paddle, not pedal. $800? Meh. I would never get a sit in.
the ease of hopping on and off on a beach (don't need no stinking dock!) and to go clamming. Putting ones tootsies over the sides on a hot day. I fish off Matzahpizza, lots of boat wakes and with south winds a moderate chop and no problems with stability. I sold my 13 year old Hurricane Phoenix 14' for $360. and bought a new Hurricane Skimmer 128. Hurricanes are made with a lighter plastic, finish stays glossy and for an extra 30% or less in price they are 30% lighter, which for me is an asset I must have.

 

[pequa1]

Some additional thoughts-
I sold my Phoenix through Facebook Marketplace.
Age, previous kayak experience, height and weight, means of transporting all are considerations. While i am pretty bare bones, some of the guys in this forum could be sponsors or go professional if there was such a thing

 

[Rick67]

Depends on age. If it has new style seat then its a good price. If old you'll be sitting in water all the time. Then again it's a kayak and its a wet sport. The quest is a revolution with no drive or rudder. Tracks ok but not great with no rudder. Is good in surf though.
(Self Rescue) Its hard enough for most to upright a sit-on and climb back in. Stay away from sit ins for a while.

 

[Macks]

Depends on age. If it has new style seat then its a good price. If old you'll be sitting in water all the time. Then again it's a kayak and its a wet sport. The quest is a revolution with no drive or rudder. Tracks ok but not great with no rudder. Is good in surf though.
(Self Rescue) Its hard enough for most to upright a sit-on and climb back in. Stay away from sit ins for a while.

This one is like brand new only been in the water once,comes with a two year warranty,being sold by a dealer,I think it has an attachable rudder of some sort.i tried chewing him down a bit with a cash sale,he won't budge,didn't really wan,t to spend that much,thinking about it!

 

[Macks]

 

[Rick67]

All I can say is. Its half price, it doesn't have new style seat ($500) your not pedaling and that's when all the support is needed. Two year warranty a plus. The rudder is $$$ but you can't miss what you never had. You should be able to break even if you sell in couple of years.
The paddle you may or may not want to change if you decide your going to keep at it.

If this is a first for you congrats. Use a PFD always. Dress for water temp. Plan to go swimming.

 

[Roccus7]

I'm a sit on top fan, mostly because I get on/off from a dock and I'd be swimming more often than not with a sit in...

 

[pequa1]

I see the only advantages of a sit in is you are lower in the water and supposedly more stable, plus it is a drier ride...until. (You get wet from your own paddle, fish, etc. anyway.) IMHO, the ease of getting on and off whether from a dock or beach outweighs any advantages. That and you may need to keep a hand bilge pump available on a sit in since they are not self draining.

 

[KayakFisherman]

Two thoughts on that. The first relates to sit-in vs. sit-on-top, the original topic. I have one of each and I outfitted them both for fishing. I've outfitted in 8 foot sit in Perception Kayak that I used for the first seven or eight years that I kayak fished. The lower center of gravity makes it less likely that you will tip over. That's the upside. The downside is that if you do tip over, You're screwed. Even with bulkheading and a hand pump there is no way you will ever refloat that kayak and be able to re-enter it. Conversely the sit-on-top has a higher center of gravity making it more likely that you will tip but easier to re-enter after you have falling in. When people would ask me which is better I would really prefer to their fishing habits. If you are more of a big surf stronger currents person who's more inclined toward ocean fishing then you're going to want a sit-on-top and probably one with a pedal drive. If you don't plan on launching into the surf and you are more of a calm water Bay Pond or lake kind of guy then I would say save yourself a few hundred dollars and just get a sit-in kayak. Regarding the second part of the thread, whether that kayak should be a Hobie Quest or not, I would recommend not spending the money. I used to sell Hobies and I never cared for the Quest very much. If you have $800 to spend on a Hobie spend $1,300 and get the new Hobie passport that comes with the drive. I just bought one for my son.

 

[KayakFisherman]

I built an electric bilge pump into both my sit-in and my sit-on-top because I've come very close to sinking in both. Usually, it's because a drain plug came loose or was never replaced after draining, but I've had a crack in the hull take in water and I've read in books that a lot of guys lose their hatches in rough conditions. Never had that happen.

 

[Macks]

Two thoughts on that. The first relates to sit-in vs. sit-on-top, the original topic. I have one of each and I outfitted them both for fishing. I've outfitted in 8 foot sit in Perception Kayak that I used for the first seven or eight years that I kayak fished. The lower center of gravity makes it less likely that you will tip over. That's the upside. The downside is that if you do tip over, You're screwed. Even with bulkheading and a hand pump there is no way you will ever refloat that kayak and be able to re-enter it. Conversely the sit-on-top has a higher center of gravity making it more likely that you will tip but easier to re-enter after you have falling in. When people would ask me which is better I would really prefer to their fishing habits. If you are more of a big surf stronger currents person who's more inclined toward ocean fishing then you're going to want a sit-on-top and probably one with a pedal drive. If you don't plan on launching into the surf and you are more of a calm water Bay Pond or lake kind of guy then I would say save yourself a few hundred dollars and just get a sit-in kayak. Regarding the second part of the thread, whether that kayak should be a Hobie Quest or not, I would recommend not spending the money. I used to sell Hobies and I never cared for the Quest very much. If you have $800 to spend on a Hobie spend $1,300 and get the new Hobie passport that comes with the drive. I just bought one for my son.

Thanks for the info,wasn't crazy about spending 800 and 1300 is out of the question for a first kayak,might just get one from Walmart or west marine for a few hundred and then take it from there..

 

[pequa1]

Some questions to ask yourself:
Where am I putting in ? (If a boat ramp probably no cart necessary.)
How heavy can you go in kayak weight (I can put a Hurricane kayak up on my pickup's TrakRak- no way if they weighed 70 +.
The longer they are, the better they track. the longer they are, the more they will weigh. Get a lightweight paddle.
I never wanted pedals and a rudder, but will you ?
Consider going to Captain Kayak or The Dinghy Shop if you haven't already. (The Dinghy shop charged me the exact same amount for my tandem Perception Tribe as West Marine.)
Will you be able to mount rodholders, etc. if it doesn't come with them ?
How far from your put-in are your fishing grounds ?
Did I advise to get a lightweight paddle, lol ?

 

[Capt13]

I have both. I love my sit on top. If you are on a budget, this might be worth looking into:

Field and Stream Eagle Talon

 

[Macks]

I have both. I love my sit on top. If you are on a budget, this might be worth looking into:

Field and Stream Eagle Talon
[/QUOTThis is what I ended up buying,used in excellent condition,it's going down to onancock,maybe get a better one next year..