# Research into ages. All Please Submit



## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Hi guys,

Out of curiosity and in order to arm myself with some facts for when i'm asked questions about yak fishing, i wish to do a bit of research into yak fishers ages and the age distribution. Im not asking specifically for your age just a click to submit your age (honestly) :lol: . I think it would be an interesting view into fellow members over several months of registering their ages, as we can see the ratio of young whippersnappers there are, compared to more distinguished older gentlemen etc. 
You may only vote once.
To make the data a bit more accurate over the next few months, if you are about to have a birthday in the next two weeks or so that will put you into the next age bracket, please submit your age in the higher bracket.
Cheers guys im very interested to see the spread of ages, and i hope you are too.

Dan

P.S. I'll go first, I'm 23.


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## Guest (May 25, 2009)

I think you'll find the average age of members here actually differs somewhat from the average age of people who actually partake in kayak fishing. Whilst I'm unsure what average age will be revealed here through this post, I can tell you that the average age of people buying kayaks for fishing is significantly higher than I would have guessed. The statistics of age groups who watch the videos I create is surprising as well. By far and away the most attentive group is the 45 - 55 age group. Most of the people who fall into this age group aren't forum frequenters either.

At an optimistic guess, I'd say that the active membership of AKFF & KFDU combined is likely to be less than 10% of the true numbers of Aussies fishing from kayaks out there. Whilst some of you may find that hard to believe, I'm willing to bet almost any kayak dealer, of any brand, will tell you the same thing. When I say active, I mean those that participate (ie: post threads or comments). The numbers of readers who 'lurk' (read, research, etc) would definitely be fairly large, but still just a fraction of the real numbers.


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## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Thats a good point Yakass, didnt even think of any of that. I suppose we'll still get a bit of an idea.
I was thinkin 40-50 year age group. Although there seem to be some younger lads kicking about too.

Dan


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## bazzoo (Oct 17, 2006)

Well your right Ant my old mate Richo and i will lead the field in years already enjoyed, 69 here, and hopefully still yaking at 84


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## Guest (May 25, 2009)

> I wonder if your observations are a function of disposable income


Definitely mate, that's part of it. Grey nomads is another. But also I think a lot of it has to do with the emergence of peddle-powered kayaking. It's simply less physically demanding, and I've seen many people on the other side of middle age observe the mirage drive and you can literally see the light bulb moment etched on their faces. Its simply making the concept of kayak fishing much more approachable for those that might otherwise think twice about paddling. Watch the Fishing the World DVD very recently released from Hobie and take in what you are watching. Make sure you watch the end (last words segment).

I did fish with Mike and Den (featured on the vid) 5 days straight, and let me say that I was very impressed that both these guys (both in their 70s) fished hard for 5 days straight, over 8 hours most days, and on the last day we took them offshore and even then we didn't get a whisper of complaint. Another great recent example being that I sold a kayak (sport) to a mid 70's woman a few weeks back. She can actually car-top the kayak on her own, and has been fishing from it fairly heavily. And she loves it. If she had to paddle, however, I think it would be a different story.

In this sense, pedal-powered kayaking has done wonders for the growth of the sport, whether the 'hard-core paddling elite' like it or not.


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## silver19 (Mar 12, 2009)

64 here. 
My partner who won`t let me tell you that she is over 60 :shock: (so I won`t mention it) is a very happy and keen yaker. I would like to know also what was the ratio of male to female actively kayaking.

Cheers John


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## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Yakass said:


> I sold a kayak (sport) to a mid 70's woman a few weeks back. She can actually car-top the kayak on her own, and has been fishing from it fairly heavily. And she loves it.


Good on her!



silver19 said:


> I would like to know also what was the ratio of male to female actively kayaking.


Good idea John, though i'd imagine the boys would take the cake there, despite the strong following from the ladies out there.

Dan


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## mustrumr (Feb 27, 2009)

Interesting poll. Just a poll design consideration - shouldn't the age ranges be like 40-49, 50-59 etc rather than 40-50, 50-60 etc? I'm 50 - which one should I select, 40-50 or 50-60?

Actually, since I'm turning 51 shortly I chose the 50-60 range, but it makes it a bit confusing and might invalidate the results.

Cheers


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## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Yeah Mustrumr,
I can be a bit of a dumbass at times! Lol. I considered that AFTER i submitted the post. Sorry all. :?

Dan


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

danfish said:


> Yeah Mustrumr,
> I can be a bit of a dumbass at times! Lol. I considered that AFTER i submitted the post. Sorry all. :?
> 
> Dan


Fixed it for ya... 8)


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## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Wicked cool Thanks Dave.

This thread is getting really funny

dan


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

leftieant said:


> Dead right on the 45-55 age group and forums - and probably something there about computer literacy as well. I am still surprised with the number of people that do not have basic computer literacy - generally of the older age groups as well. But then there is a big gap between people of our age and the younger kids as well - the computer skills of 13 year old kids blows me away, and makes my ability look fairly ordinary.


I used to think that as well, but as I have got older, and since the advent of what I consider crap - MSMessenger, facebook and Twitter, I now understand that ignorance is bliss!


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## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Hey, look. We have a yakker under 12. That is Awesome! Good work mum and dad. Better than the Xbox! :lol: Like my housemates that CONSTANTLY :shock: PLAY :shock: WII :shock: Forcing me to spend alot of time either buying lures online, searching for accessories for the yak, or making stupid polls into yak fishermen and womens ages... :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Dan


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

bazzoo said:


> Well your right Ant my old mate Richo and i will lead the field in years already enjoyed, 69 here, and hopefully still yaking at 84


Baz unless there has some recent perch falling there are a couple of blokes still ahead of us mate



leftieant said:


> I am still surprised with the number of people that do not have basic computer literacy - generally of the older age groups as well.


Ant there are many old farts who haven't a clue re computers mate because there was no need to have the knowledge in years past...I only bought a second hand computer to play with in retirement and had a first go at 64....when the oldies shine is when you have a blackout and all the computers and adding machines and tills are inoperative, some years ago on such an occasion the only functioning checkout chick at Coles was an old boiler, who was able to open the till manually and all of us totalled our bills with a ballpoint except some products that were barcode only, and the young boss was happy just to see the aisle moving while many others just walked out and no sales


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I'm glad there is recognition of the fact that not all kayak fishers are members (active or not) of this, or any other, forum. I'm sure sales figures would throw some light on the subject, but it's my feeling that there'd be a huge number of people out there that just walk into a shop and buy a kayak, for whatever purpose, and go about their business without having any sort of association with anyone else.

I've fished for many years out of a boat and off land and have been in ignorant bliss of associated forums. It was only when I decided to do research before buying a kayak that this forum came on my radar. Since then I've realised there are forums for everything...I just couldn't be bothered with the rest of them.

If you make an assumption that there are 1.2 kayaks for every member of AKFF that equates to about 6000 kayaks. How many kayaks have been sold in Australia? If you consider forum demographics to be representative of the wider population this poll will give us some interesting information, if we're "different" then the results might reveal something interesting about forum members

Someone else might be able to throw some real numbers in here to add some perspective.

It's getting late and I think I'm start to speak s^it!


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## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Dodge has a great point about the black out, and his comment with the term "old boiler" has me sold (I love that term). Its true though, how tech dependant are we these days. I left my mobile at home today accidentally and all day at work i was wondering if anyone had sent me some dirty picture messages. Think when the last time you went without a mobile phone or internet for more than a day or two (dont count camping trips, thats cheating!)
Back on the subject of old boilers, my ma is fairly computer... whats the word, not good at... but she used to work at a bank and when we have a massive black out that lasts for ages, she can use old timey writing stuff to make me a cheque for a new hobie. I'll tell her its for an ear transplant, she's good like that. Good on the old boilers! Represent!

Dan


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## danfish (Feb 20, 2009)

Barrabundy said:


> It's getting late and I think I'm start to speak s^it!


Yeah BB, too much drink and im talkin loads of it

Dan


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## robbiew (Jul 27, 2008)

Just added my vote, 65 still working,following Kruds lead. I'm fortunate enough to be employed permanent part time ,thus getting away to kayak when I'm in need. Batemans Bay area is my preferred destination as I have a holiday house there. This area is kayakers paradise,so many options. cheers Rob.


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## ausbass (Feb 15, 2007)

Im one of the young ones, though there are younger. Im 18 and hopefully will be yakking into my future even if work has shitty hours.    8) 8) 8)

Though last time I saw a thread like this the 45-55 had the most responses, but not every member responded.


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## chris58 (Nov 25, 2007)

this all seems like a covert plot to sneek into the older kayakers yards while we are asleep an "borrow" their yaks on a long term plan. !!!
well yous are all out og luck as mine is chained up with a padlock and there are two pig dogs in the yard ! so there!!! :twisted: 
now where did i put those god dam keys to the padlock!!! :twisted: 'Doah!!! :twisted: :twisted:


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## grinner (May 15, 2008)

one of the local brisbane dealers told me he sold 6 new yaks in one day , so i d be interested to know how many have been sold in aus. keep it quiet though or state govts will put a rego on us. i can gaurantee when the first silly yakker gets lost offshore and the media blow it up we will have

1 COMPULSORY safety standards (currently none in qld)

2 a rego system (seems most state governments are broke). they ll probably try to bring it in as a safety measure.

at the kft comps i went to at least half the fishers were in their teens. i think the sport will appeal to young kids who cant afford a boat as well as a car (and a girlfriend!)


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## Guest (May 26, 2009)

> If you make an assumption that there are 1.2 kayaks for every member of AKFF that equates to about 6000 kayaks. How many kayaks have been sold in Australia? If you consider forum demographics to be representative of the wider population this poll will give us some interesting information, if we're "different" then the results might reveal something interesting about forum members


There was a reason behind the 10% figure I raised. I was going from what was conventional wisdom back around 2006/2007 when researching various things related to web activity. One of the things I learned (if it is to be believed) is that on average, roughly 10% of active members in any given pastime are likely to participate in related online activities, such as forums. That figure may have climbed somewhat since then (Australia is slowly but surely becoming less 'digitally divided' - it was mainly US and Euro sources I was researching). Either way, it's a massive approximation that could be vastly wrong in this case one way or another.

There are a lot of people who buy kayaks with the intention to 'maybe' fish from it once in a while. Others buy kayaks for specific holidays, etc. Not everyone gets into it at a genuine enthusiast level. When I do sell kayaks, I always ask if the person has an internet connection. If they say yes, I tell them about the various forums and websites, and give them a sheet I've put together with a bunch or URLs and logos on it. Not many people I speak to about kayaks walks away without finding out about this forum. I know Hobie Vic informs his customers about the AKFF, as does Mal and I reckon the guys at Sailing Scene would do the same, as would quite a few others.

It would be very interesting to learn the % of lurkers vs active members. From memory, the figure I uncovered in that research on this point was somewhere close to 10% active membership as well.


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