# speed testing on kayaks ???



## catofish (May 15, 2010)

G'day all, i am in the market for another yak to fish from, the outlaw is a great yak, super stable and a huge payload but it comes at the price of being a bit slow for longer trips and suffers badly from hull slap pushing into the slightest chop, i did some speed testing not long ago with a friends 54lb elec mounted on the side just behind the seat, i reached 6.4klm/hr on full juice. Ditched the motor and battery and tested just paddling, average crusing speed about 4klm/hr with a burst reaching 7.2klm/hr, in saying that i think 5mins burst pace would just about kill me.I was surprised that the elec couldn't push the yak quicker. So rather than fork out for a new 2-3hp outboard to power the yak i was looking for something a little faster and more ocean friendly to get me where i want to go on longer trips of around 12-15klm return but still be able to carry a bit of tackle,etc My resarch thus far has narrowed me down to a few contenders.

1 viking profish 45
2 hobie revolution
3 rtm key largo
4 ok prowler 13 or elite 4.5

I'm curious to know what speed the above mentioned kayaks can comfortably cruise at as well as max speed you guys can achieve in ideal conditions.Also if i have missed a yak which fits into this category please feel free to comment...still searching


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## Samboman (Sep 6, 2010)

Howdy mate, i own a Hobie Revo and love it!  I can comfortably cruise around at 4 to 5kmh all day.... and if i really pushit have got it to around 10/11kmh..... this is what my sounder is showing....

*****


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## Southerly (Apr 20, 2007)

If your after speed go for one of the stealths or other long skinny glass yaks.

I have a revo, it won't win any sprints or surfing competitions but I can peddle it all day without fatigue and if I had to do 10kms into a headwind it would be my first choice.

Horses for courses.

David


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## catofish (May 15, 2010)

the revo does look appealing, dont think there is a dealer Around the townsville area that has them, Anyone know if a profish will keep up with a revo?


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Nearest Hobie dealer is Sunstate Hobie down at Cooroy, got mine from there but there may be others who stock them also, thought I heard there was someone at Hervey Bay who stocked them but not sure.

I know a guy who used to have a Prowler Elite and used to paddle it offshore quite a bit. Got sick of getting dead arms trying to keep up with the guys in Hobies and bought a Hobie Adventure, can pedal it all day he reckons with less effort....and it slices through chop really nice.

You may want to compare some of the features such as rod holders etc between brands...if that's important to you at all. Some have more than others and in more/less convenient locations and the same with storage compartments or anything else you consider important.


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## bundyboy (Sep 6, 2009)

Samboman said:


> Howdy mate, i own a Hobie Revo and love it! I can comfortably cruise around at 4 to 5kmh all day.... and if i really pushit have got it to around 10/11kmh..... this is what my sounder is showing....
> 
> *****


I second that...comfortably cruise at 4-5km/h just about all day and have got over 10km/h flat out. I have got the ST Turbo fins and find crusing speed is just right...a bit faster for less peddles (compared to the original fins) with out having too much resistance that it knocks you up quick. Have no experience with anything other than Hobies though so can't offer comparative comments to other types of yaks.

Hands free fishing though...don't think I could even imagine anything else.


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

Prowler Ultra, pushing it 10 kmh maybe more but I'd die from exhaustion after a few minutes

Seriously though, cruise at 6 - 7 Kph easy all day.

Cheers


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## montedane (Aug 9, 2008)

Hi Guys,
To set this scene, I am 6'3, 134kg, have a office job and do little in the way of exercise.
I have a Hobie Revolution with turbo fins & sail kit with outriggers.
On sunday 3rd I went down to Murray Bridge S.A., the wind was blowing 20-25kph straight down river.
using a garmin gps, I recorded the following.
Using the sail only, 8.7-9.6kph, when peddling as well 10.8 - 12.4kph max.
approx 40min. I had travelled 8.6km.
On the return trip (peddling only), straight into the wind & against the current 3.8-4.4kph.
But tacking back & forth across the river with sail & peddling 5.8-6.3kph.
approx about 2hrs. I had travelled 10.2km (extra distance due to continuously tacking).
Summary: Great to use the sail to the max., Lots of fun, but lots of concentration & effort required, outriggers were working overtime.

On saturday 9th I returned to Murray Bridge S.A., and travelled upstream. I was a perfect 25deg day, no wind, so I left the sail home.
Peddling upstream 5.8-6.6kph, lost approx .5kph when on the outside of a bend due to faster current.
approx 2hr 15min, I had travelled 12km.
stopped on riverbank to stretch my legs about 10min.
On return trip (with the current) 6.8-7.8kph (8.8kph max. on a outside bend)
approx 1hr 40min, travelled 12km. (total 24km in 4hrs)
Summary: fantastic day on the water. can peddle for much longer distance when listening to music. odd, but boat seemed to increase in speed by .4 kph when the surface of the water was roughend by a slight wind instead of when mirror smooth. legs were a bit weary that night but fine next day.
went for another peddle with the wife & her revolution for approx 4km next day.

It's great to see the water level so high in the river, approx 2 metres up from this time last year.
Hope this information helps.
Regards, 
montedane.


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

Of the paddle yaks you mentioned, I'd say the RTM Key Largo. It's apparently got a similar speed of the RTM Tempo but manouverability of the Disco. The Tempo is based on almost exactly the same design as the scupper pro which is a very fast plastic jobby. If the Key largo has Tempo speed, it should be the fastest paddle only yak you listed.

However... If you're a bigger guy (maybe over 85kg's) you may be a bit uncomfortable sitting in an RTM so test the entire fleet.

I'm about 70kg's and on my scupper Pro I'm usually sitting at somewhere around 7 to 9.5km/h (I often see 8.1 km/h on my GPS) at a solid cruise in perfect conditions.
Also check out the Wilderness System Tarpons, they're pretty quick by all accounts too.

It doesn't end there, if you want a quick yak to take into the ocean, look for one with low gunwhales and big scuppers. If you come off it'll be easier to reboard at sea. Through the surf it'll catch less wash in the cockpit, it'll drain quicker and you'll be a lot safer than some of the bathtubs people float around in.

If you want speed the Kaskazi Dorado is an absolute rocket and the Stealth Evo 495 follows. The new Stealth Splash 550 may top the speed list when it arrives but who knows.

Finally, if you want the best performance from a yak, get a decent paddle.


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

doesnt matter what yak you get, you'll ALWAYS want it to go a little bit faster..Don't worry about top speeds of each model, as you wont be able to maintain the cadence required to push it along at that pace for more than a couple of hundred metres anyway.

When I first got my Prowler i thought it was a rocket - now I think its a barge. Gentle crusing speed on flat water/no wind is around 6.5km/h. Flat out, maybe 10-11km/h over a short burst.

If you want a speedy paddler, look at the fibreglass jobbies. If you want pedal power, Hobie Adventure is probably the quickest


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## catofish (May 15, 2010)

Thanks for all of your replies, i Guess the main trend i am seeing is that of the yaks listed most of them cruise at a comfortable speed of around that of my outlaw at full throttle around the 6.5klm/hr mark. Barring the glass ones mentioned. So doing those longer trips should be relatively painless I guess now my biggest dilema is deciding wether to go paddle or peddle. I guess i will have to try one of the hobies out, problem being the nearest dealer to townsville is in bloody noosa heads!! Bit of a long road trip to test, does any one know of any members around the NQ region who may be willing to allow a test paddle in a hobie, particulary a revolution, would be much appreciated. Whilst on the subject do you hobie owners paddle your yaks much or is peddling your main way of getting around. Cheers


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

If you take off at a remarkable speed , that puts trolling out of the equation ,. unless your trolling for marlin or Wahoo , so slow down and troll to your spots and catch extra fish and enjoy the scenary


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## Dan85 (Oct 27, 2009)

I hear the Pro Angler is a ROCKET SHIP!!!! and i know of a ripper of one for sale right near you!!! but i may be biased given its mine for sale hahahaha :lol: ive been looking at the malibu x-13 and the malibu stealth 14 they have in at bcf they look fast and capable and a decent price but not sure really. Id like to buy a sleak paddle yak but im not chasing top speed as i wanna get a tandem island so that will be my fast ship :lol:
I just need more room!! so many yaks so little space!


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## catofish (May 15, 2010)

Dan, just replied to you in another post, i got to test paddled the stealth14 from a bloke at bcf a few months ago, he worked there, his name was steve he was selling one that he had won in a raffle or something, very stable but large and cumbersome to move around out of the water, The thing that detered me was the warranty only covered the origional purchaser. Also did some resarch on them and found some stuff on youtube in regards to their hatches leaking a bit. in the end got a great price on the outlaw from 727 bait and tackle. About $300 cheaper than i could buy direct from the mob that makes them.


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## Southerly (Apr 20, 2007)

catofish said:


> Whilst on the subject do you hobie owners paddle your yaks much or is peddling your main way of getting around. Cheers


Not if they can avoid it, Red seems to be the expert on this one, those with Hobie quests seem happy. I find the revo paddles quite well but it feels awful compared to using the mirage drive. The standard hobie paddle while neat fitting on the side of the yak I find tough to use.

david


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## spooled1 (Sep 16, 2005)

catofish said:


> Dan, just replied to you in another post, i got to test paddled the stealth14... very stable but large and cumbersome to move around out of the water.


Are you talking about the plastic Malibu Stealth 14 or Stealth in South Africa who make the two fiberglass skis I mentioned? On the Stealth brand Stealths that I've used, the hatches leak a bit but it's only usually an issue when the ski is upside down rolling through the surf. In the end it just means your gear gets wet which it always does anyway. That hatch is made a lot better with a strip of door seal.


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## Dan85 (Oct 27, 2009)

I think we are talking about the malibu stealth 14


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## catofish (May 15, 2010)

yeah the malibu stealth 14


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

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## roskobosko (Oct 1, 2010)

Here:
http://www.rapidascent.com.au/asp/kayak ... ortii.aspx
you'll see very interesting results regarding speed of kayaks (SOT, Sit-in, surfski)


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## Zed (Sep 18, 2006)

My speed for trolling a big-lipped cd14 or 18 or similar is 4mph, in good conditions. Trolling baits I'm @ 2mph in all conditions.
To me trolling speed is what counts. If you want get up and GO, you'll need a motor. Kayaks are for stealth, not speed re fishing.

I graduated from a Cobra Explorer which is 11'4", doesn't track well and is a tub to paddle. It still got it done at the same trolling speeds.
The P13 is more fun and stable in surf, IMO. I prefer the turn radius of the 13 over the P15. My friends Tarpon16i is a terrific straight line paddler for those long distances, but the radius it loooong and surf is dicey with pearl diving common.


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## Scruffy (Nov 9, 2008)

If it is in your budget test out the Hobie adventure Island.It would have to be the best all round kayak on the market.
Of course I am biased I just got one. Paddle, Pedal or sail it does the lot and safety wise it is hard to beat.


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## Musty (Oct 12, 2010)

Hi mate,

Ive got the OK prowler elite 4.5 and they go very well. When i fish with mates in smaller stumby craft such as viking nemo's and the like, i pull away quite easily without major effort. In calm conditions with not alot of current and no wind its like a decent walking pace, obviously u can put ur whole upper body into it and go much harder and faster but u will die on the arse much sooner. I go hard for short periods then move back to a casual paddle and mix it up a bit.
The main reason i went paddle was for upper body exercise. I have a mountain bike so i dont need a bike yak... Having said that i must admit, watching guys cruise past me in peddle powered hobies they seem to be maintaining slightly better speed and doing it alot more effortlessly! I havnt tried one myself and dont plan to but im sure they definetly have their advantages. The Hobie to me is like using an electric reel...will do the job AWESOME, but really? LOL :lol: Like others said its horses for courses... The yaks u have listed are some of the best. Its hard to go wrong either way. ;-)

Musty


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## HAWKEYE3 (Jan 8, 2009)

Hi Catofish,

I am over on Maggie.

I would like to know how the new yak performs.

I hope you have had an enjoyable Christmas.

Regards

Hawkeye3


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## gibsoni (Jun 22, 2009)

Glass is nice!

If you arent bashing around rocky creeks and want something to cruise in, you cant beat it (except for carbon!)

I have paddled the Stealth Splash and Evo 465. Very nice indeed.

The Stealth splash has a brother coming out with a fish box between the legs. It is a lighter craft, faster but the fish box/rod tube is smaller than the evo. Its called a 'FISHA' Well worth looking in to. Dont rule out either craft.

New shipment arrives mid Jan.

Iain.

DISCLAIMER: Just a fan.


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