Kayak fishermen....

[Handsome Rob]

Long shot (and yes, I placed a want ad) In looking very seriously for a Nucanoe. 12 footer & either a Freedom or Classic. I find myself taking more & more trips into the flats & marshes around the coasts of Florida, Louisiana & now Texas & I'm looking for a small, truck top or bedable boat & several folk have pointed me towards these. 

If any of you yak guys happen to hear of, or see one for sale, sub $800, please keep me in mind. 

If anyone actually HAS one & can give me more thoughts & opinions, I'd be very interested to hear about them. 

[kwe45919]

As a kayak"er"......I can honestly say there are more choices out there that will serve the exact purposes you need/want. Don't settle

Wilderness, Hobie, Old Towne, Perception,Wilderness systems, Jackson etc. All are great kayaks and all have their plus or minus. I personally have never used a Nucanoe but the others listed above I have. Everywhere from swamps in Louisiana/Mississippi to Gulf coast waters to the Mississippi River and places like the Ocoee or Beaver creek in Knoxville. I've been kayaking for over 15 years and I absolutely love it. Paddle or pedal, as long as I'm on the water and fishing, I'm happy. 

I get it, if you have to have a Nucanoe, good luck and I hope it serves you well but if you find something else in your price range, consider it cause you can always sell it later when you find your "precious" 

[jpx2rk]

I have had 2 or 3 yaks, the last being a Nucanoe which I liked the best as I put a small 30-35# hand controlled trolling motor on, did the extended steering mods, etc., fish finder.  I enjoyed all of them but the Nucanoe the most as it was least "harsh" on my lower back due to the seating position, a bit more elevated than the other brands listed above, and I didn't have to be concerned about the wind as much.  Wind can be in your favor or against you, so...... 

I found a small boat trailer and the Nucanoe rode on it, towed, launched and loaded almost like a small tin boat.  Never had to lift the hull, etc.,   everything rode in the nucanoe with some bungee cords to hold it all in/down.  The hulls are somewhat heavy, awkward to handle but if you have no health/back issues, putting them in the bed of a truck is not hard, but loading it on a small trailer is a snap.  You don't need a small truck if you go the small boat trailer route as the trailer is the heaviest thing in the whole setup.

They also have some of the pedal models, which may or may not be  your style.  Most dealers have "demo" days, or they used to before C19 came to be.  

[Handsome Rob]

The main reason I'm looking at Nucanoe is the width.  

There's a lot of me & not a lot of kayak! It's not going to be a regular use item, I've really zero interest in fishing locally (I'll never understand the bass obsession...) I just want something super duper basic I can truck along with me when I go to the gulf, or Atlantic coast. I'm far more interested in stability, than fishability.

[OldIronFan]

14 hours ago, Handsome Rob said:

The main reason I'm looking at Nucanoe is the width.  

There's a lot of me & not a lot of kayak!

Width is a small part of stability and capacity. Hull design and seating position play a larger role. My wider Native is less stable than my narrower Wilderness Systems. That is partly due to the higher seating position of the Native. The Wilderness System has a lower seating position that gets me closer to the waterline. At 6'3" 250lbs+ I have not had a real issue in either but the WS is faster, more stable, and less susceptible to wind. I have managed to flip a supposedly ultra stable Hobie in a Florida bay chasing reds in some wind and chop. 

All that said one of the most comfortable and stable kayaks I have paddled is a Kaku Wahoo. The seating position was fairly high. The open deck was really nice and overall it was very nice to paddle. I was on a 10.5 but they now have a 12.5 option as well.