beginner advice to buying kayak.

[chado]

going to jump into the fishing from kayak thing next season. Plan to use it for salt and fresh water with salt fishing mainly in protected bays and such. Looking for a versitile craft, easy to manouver and fish from both spinning and on the fly. Do not plan to cover a lot of ground with the Kayak, just get to spots that I can't from shore. Also not looking to break the bank. Advice on car carrier and accessories would be appreciated as well. Thanks in advance.

[dlangan]

May I suggest you first consider going through the frequently asked questions. There great info on different models, makes, SINK vs SOK, etc. I know it helped me :-) Then you may have more specific questions. The only advice I'd add is to just assume you will go further and get more use out of your kayak than you initially imagine, so buy accordingly. Now to go throw mine & Joey's back on the car for tomorrow --127-3-

[SamRiley]

Yup... FAQ is a great place to start. As for a yak rack, I never bothered. Just flip mine over on my Thule rack and make a six point tiedown. This has never failed and is easy. Drove to FL last winter w/o issue.

Don't sell yourself short of the range thing though. There are times when you may want it.

[Eddy Merckx]

Paddle as many boats as you can before buying. Lots of dealers have on-the-water demo days in the spring. That's my best advice

[chado]

for the advice, I will check into the FAQs and post any additional questions. Are the Dirigo kayaks any good? I saw them on LLBean and I have always had good success ordering from that company. To be continued I am sure. Thanks again.

[dlangan]

I have no experience w/ Dirigo. But if I do a search on the forum I come up with a few threads where it's discussed :cool:

[notime]

In about a year or two you will grow out of your kayak, so as others have stated, get more kayak than you think you initially need. I think the first question you need to decide whether you want a sink or SOT. If you plan to hop in and out of your kayak to wade, SOT.

[LEFTUS]

Charles River Kayak.Has all kinds.You can demo all you want and find the right one for you.I got a tarpon 160i there.Lefty