2nd hand hobie pa14 vs native watercraft manta ray 12 vs cheap copy

[Sebb]

Hi all, kinda need more info to add the pros and cons for my decision making.
I've narrowed it down to getting a better kayak around $2000 budget. A small boat was in consideration but the on going costs tipping the balance towards no boat.

I can get a second hand hobie pa14 around $2000, usually have all extras too. We all know how good, wide and stable pa14 is. The two things I don't like is the cord pulling thing to reverse and it's a heavy kayak. I'm a small person, getting it onto the roof rack be hard for me.

Another option is to get a native watercraft kayak, I like the propeller for instant reverse (just paddle backwards), but can be troublesome for shallow water with underwater structure. Was thinking slayer10 or slayer13. Most reviews say slayer13 is heavy and hard to manouver and causing the rudder to break (need an upgrade). Slayer10 seems too small. Would love to get titan 10.5 but too expensive, so a good one is manta ray angler propel 12. But seems very hard to find second hand native watercraft, I will have to buy new from capacity sports. Manta ray angler 12 propel is $2000ish. Slayer10 and 13 is few hundred dollars more. Titan 10.5 is $3400. Land fish tv guy just bought a titan 10.5 and reviewed it here : https://youtu.be/rAJLNuu4wYE

Cheap alternative is the no brand or unknown brand kayak that kinda looks like an exact copy of native watercraft like the below.
What do you all think?

[4liters]

There’s a Slayer 13 for sale second hand on Facebook for $2700 if you wanted to stretch the budget a bit.

I have one and think it’s pretty good, it’s probably comparable to an Outback as it’s a lot lighter than the PA. You do need to get the rudder upgrade though. Weight-wise I don’t find it too bad, you’re only lifting one end of the kayak onto the car and then sliding it the rest of the way.

[Sebb]

There’s a Slayer 13 for sale second hand on Facebook for $2700 if you wanted to stretch the budget a bit.

I have one and think it’s pretty good, it’s probably comparable to an Outback as it’s a lot lighter than the PA. You do need to get the rudder upgrade though. Weight-wise I don’t find it too bad, you’re only lifting one end of the kayak onto the car and then sliding it the rest of the way.

That $2700 with trailer sounds good, no need to lift onto car roof rack, but my car has no tow bar. Another $200-$300 to install a tow bar. Kinda over my budget.
13' seems pretty long, doesn't bother you? Do you fish with it more on the bay or open water? Have you tried in tight spot skinny water?

[croe04]

I've heard good things about the native watercraft slayer from a bunch of people. 10 foot is a little short for my liking so i'd lean more towards the 13 foot model but thats just my preference. As for the ebay one I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot barge pole as those ebay yaks are usually cheap blow moulded hunks of plastic. I've seen the same carbon copy models being sold on a bunch of different sites which makes me think they're mass produced without much practicality or safety in mind. Better to bite the bullet and get the more reputable model.

[greggo]

What type of fishing are you mainly using the yak for?

Each yak has it's positives and negatives; speed, ease of distance pedalling etc..etc..

I use both Native and Hobie, both dominate in their own right.

[Bugatti]

A small boat was in consideration but the on going costs tipping the balance towards no boat.

Smart man Seb :thumbsup:

Boats aren't for everyone, for a variety of different reasons.

Cheers, Bill

[4liters]

There’s a Slayer 13 for sale second hand on Facebook for $2700 if you wanted to stretch the budget a bit.

I have one and think it’s pretty good, it’s probably comparable to an Outback as it’s a lot lighter than the PA. You do need to get the rudder upgrade though. Weight-wise I don’t find it too bad, you’re only lifting one end of the kayak onto the car and then sliding it the rest of the way.

That $2700 with trailer sounds good, no need to lift onto car roof rack, but my car has no tow bar. Another $200-$300 to install a tow bar. Kinda over my budget.
13' seems pretty long, doesn't bother you? Do you fish with it more on the bay or open water? Have you tried in tight spot skinny water?

You could always flog the trailer, if you get $500 for it you're almost at your budget (disclaimer: I have NFI what trailers are worth). You could also just embellish your tax return a bit and increase your budget. NVM It's been sold already lol. They don't come up second hand very often so you can probably cross that off your list.

The length hasn't been an issue for me. I've taken it up some of the narrow creeks around the mouth of the Barwon and into some snaggy parts of various lakes. It's probably not as good in tight spots as a smaller kayak but I like the size of it in more open areas - it's faster, more stable and has better carrying capacity.

I found the bigger issue in tight spots was the drive hitting the bottom, but as long as the creek was wider than 13' I could turn it around without any problem. You'd get around that with a Hobie by working the drive with the fins up against the underside of the yak. There's some cheap Hobies on sale at the moment too, I think I saw an old Outback recently for under $2k, and when I bought the Slayer I had to decide between that and a Revo which was around the $2k mark as well (with all the gear). Keep in mind a Hobie being sold for $2k may not have the reverse drive as that was fairly recent and cost quite a lot initially IIRC.

I guess the other thing to keep in mind it that if you buy a brand new one, or a bare bones second hand yak you can probably assume you'll be up for an additional $500-$1000 getting it fitted out depending on what quality sounder, PFD, rod holders, cart etc you go with.

[Sebb]

You could always flog the trailer, if you get $500 for it you're almost at your budget (disclaimer: I have NFI what trailers are worth). You could also just embellish your tax return a bit and increase your budget. NVM It's been sold already lol. They don't come up second hand very often so you can probably cross that off your list.

The length hasn't been an issue for me. I've taken it up some of the narrow creeks around the mouth of the Barwon and into some snaggy parts of various lakes. It's probably not as good in tight spots as a smaller kayak but I like the size of it in more open areas - it's faster, more stable and has better carrying capacity.

I found the bigger issue in tight spots was the drive hitting the bottom, but as long as the creek was wider than 13' I could turn it around without any problem. You'd get around that with a Hobie by working the drive with the fins up against the underside of the yak. There's some cheap Hobies on sale at the moment too, I think I saw an old Outback recently for under $2k, and when I bought the Slayer I had to decide between that and a Revo which was around the $2k mark as well (with all the gear). Keep in mind a Hobie being sold for $2k may not have the reverse drive as that was fairly recent and cost quite a lot initially IIRC.

I guess the other thing to keep in mind it that if you buy a brand new one, or a bare bones second hand yak you can probably assume you'll be up for an additional $500-$1000 getting it fitted out depending on what quality sounder, PFD, rod holders, cart etc you go with.

LoL, that's quick.
Yeah that's the part I like and dont like about hobie, how the mirage drive can flip up in shallows but also pulling cord thing (not instant).
Yes, I know that I will have to buy sounder etc, but that can come later.

What type of fishing are you mainly using the yak for?

Each yak has it's positives and negatives; speed, ease of distance pedalling etc..etc..

I use both Native and Hobie, both dominate in their own right.

The usual, bay and estuaries on calm days, rivers for murray cod, lakes for cod or trout.
I think my priority is stability and able to reverse, speed probably second.

I think I've narrowed it down to two now, second hand slayer 13 or new manta ray 12.

[4liters]

You could be waiting a while for another second hand Slayer 13. I've only ever seen two of them come up second hand in three years, one of which I know own.

[Sebb]

You could be waiting a while for another second hand Slayer 13. I've only ever seen two of them come up second hand in three years, one of which I know own.

Yea i know
Fingers crossed.