# Sit-ins vs sit-ons: What is your experience



## troppo (Feb 1, 2006)

If you have fished and/or done some touring from sit-in yaks AND sit-on yaks, please take the time to describe your experience. What did you like about the SIK? How about the SOT?

[I am not after discussion about what is theoretically 'right' for fishing or expeditions, but your opinions on what worked or didn't for you in your situation.]


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## JD (Jul 2, 2006)

Hi Troppo

I've got a Perception 370 Acadia sik that I've used for a few years. Great for a paddle but a bit restrictive when fishing. I also have a problem with the idea of rolling it and then having to wet exit. The exit is easy but not the re-entry. But I do still like the kayak. I've kept it for my wife to paddle as she's not into fishing.
Now I have a Swing and there's no comparison as far as I'm concerned. I don't think I'd go back to sik even if I didn't fish. The older you get the easier the sot is.

John


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Troppo, I have paddled Siks for many years. their inherent limitations as far as fishing goes stopped me from becoming a exclusive yak fisho until the p15 came on the scene. They are FAST, lack secondary stability generally and create more complex self rescue scenarios. I love my SOT for fishing (even if it is slow by comparison) and love the Mirage 580 for a pure paddling boat.

Catch ya Scott


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Hi Troppo, both are great in my humble opinion , i have a TK1 which i love to paddle with other tks or k1s, they are just the smoothest , i have a SEA WASP sea kayak which is fast and great to paddle and also very smooth, i occasionaly like to fish out of the sea kayak, but its really only a troll of a lure or two at a fairly fast clip, or a throw of a few lures on a sand flat, not really conducive to serious fishing , too restricted and the thought of an unceremonius entry into the drink does not grab me a lot, as reentry is a drag, and since i had the back surgeries , eskimo rolls are no longer an option, then there is the espri, great to fish off and paddels pretty well, and if i go for a dive , who cares , just crawl back on, so really , like them all , just depends on the mood at the time


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## Clarkos (Oct 11, 2006)

I've been fishing from my sik for about 18 months now. Never been on a sot so can't compare, but here's a few observations.

A little cramped when it comes to free space/access. Just means you've got to be organised, which I'm still coming to terms with. Not as stable as sot's from what I hear, and although getting out when they flip is easy, getting in again is a drama. This is why I'm a flat water, close to land speciallist. :wink:

On the plus side, I was paddling on Eucimbene (must learn how to spell it) yesterday with a bit of a breeze blowing and my legs were nice and warm while my hands were frozen. They are also much faster if you need to be somewhere or out of somewhere in a hurry.

Hope this has been useful to someone.

Cheers, Steve.


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Hi Troppo,

Mate, here are a few of my thoughts for what they are worth.

Until recently, I have paddled and fished exclusively from a Sik but was swayed in the direction of a SOT by the many posts here singing their praises.

To this end, I went to a fair degee of trouble and expense to build my own SOT that I believe is at least the equal of most of the SOTS that are available here. Having paddled and fished it in varying conditions now, I think that as a fishing platform, it is superior to my SIKS. However, there is much more to kayaking than just fishing from one.

When I want to do a lot of miles in a day to get to locations further afield, I will take my sea kayak and put up with the reduced convenience of not having a tankwell etc. The centre of gravity in a SIK is much lower and this makes them much more stable, even with a narrower beam. the narrower beam makes them quicker and easier to paddle with better glide and less affected by wind.

If going off-shore in a SIK, the ability to self rescue in deep water is a vital but not difficult to learn skill.

So here are my personal choices for the types of fishing I do.

Skinny water with short distance - pirogue

Skinny water - long distance - modified TK1 SIK (wanderer)

Open water - short distance SOT

Open Water - Long distance modified expedition sea kayak (mermaid)

While I realise that not everybody can have multiple boats, the list above is ideal for me. If I could have only one boat that I wanted to use for all purposes, two SOTs readily spring to my mind as being very good compromises. the Viking Predator and the new Hobie Revolution even though they are (gasp) plastic


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## troppo (Feb 1, 2006)

Fellas, those are fantastic posts. Spot on info like I was seeking. I loved reading ya experiences.


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## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

hairymick said:


> If I could have only one boat that I wanted to use for all purposes, two SOTs readily spring to my mind as being very good compromises.


Still cant make up your mind can you Mick!


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Mate, I really, really want one of those lovely high tech Reolution thingamees.


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## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

I drove a new Revo last week and have been lusting after it ever since.

Anybody want to buy a fully accessorised Outback? :?


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## fish_for_me (Nov 5, 2006)

i bought a sit on, simply for the reason if fishing offshore and you have a sit in and you cabsize out there, it would be likely to fill up with water and sink. Has this ever happened before?


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

G'day Fish For Me and welcome aboard mate.

Sea kayaks and most touring kayaks have either bulkheads that make watertight compartments or additional floatation or both.

Generally speaking, if the cockpit of a sit in kayak fills with water, the boat will not sink.

A plastic SOT is a different proposition alltogether. Few, if any, have bulkheads or even come with additional floatation as standard. If the hull is compromised and fills with water, it will sink. Many paddlers here choose to add pool noodles to the interior of their plastic SOTS to help to keep their boats afloat should their hull be breached.


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## troppo (Feb 1, 2006)

hairymick said:


> Many paddlers here choose to add pool noodles to the interior of their plastic SOTS to help to keep their boats afloat should their hull be breached.


I got my pool noodles from the local chinese foodstuffs shop run by a lovely Asian couple. They assured me the noodles were pool ones and said they were "velly glood". I put about ten of the 125 gm packets in through the front hatch of my yak and now I feel absolutely safe when I am 10 km out from shore and it feels like me yak is coming apart in the waves.


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

Oh dear, :lol:


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## knot-too-fast (May 21, 2006)

> I got my pool noodles from the local chinese foodstuffs shop run by a lovely Asian couple. They assured me the noodles were pool ones and said they were "velly glood". I put about ten of the 125 gm packets in through the front hatch of my yak and now I feel absolutely safe when I am 10 km out from shore and it feels like me yak is coming apart in the waves.


[/quote]

Oh well Troppo at least if you start sinking you won't go hungry.


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## Daveyak (Oct 6, 2005)

knot-too-fast said:


> Oh well Troppo at least if you start sinking you won't go hungry.


Adds a bit of flavour variation for the sharks too!


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## Clarkos (Oct 11, 2006)

When I tipped my SIK over between Bobbin Head and Apple Tree (the really deep part) it completely filled with water. Once I righted it, the bouyancy kept the deck and cockpit above the water. The rear compartment is waterproof (with the hatch fitted correctly), and the front has a plastic float fitted in it. Worked pretty well. Meant I could swim the yak to the oyster encrusted shoreline with little effort. I could also hang off it quite easily without it going under.

Steve.


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## Freckles (Sep 19, 2006)

Hi guys
I have no experience with SOT yaks. My own yak is a SIK and I love it. It has heaps of room each end and is very stable. It is also quite a dry craft with the fore and aft deck and the highish carlins around the cockpit. It very fast to paddle and wont sink when filled with water. it has inbuilt floatation. I can put it ashore and turn it over to form a wonderful cover to sleep under on overnight trips and keep dry from rain. The very best thing I love is the amount of room for all the gear. I also use the rear deck to clean all the fish on. If it fills up with water, I can empty it out with a bucket or climb in and paddle ashore. I have never had to empty the yak out while fishing, even in seas over 2 feet high.
PS, I love my little 8 ft paddle.  
Freckles


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## Phoenix (Jan 12, 2006)

I have tried both SIK & SOK - I'd always reccomend a SOK for fishing.


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