My recommendation would be the Fluid range - Chumani - single or Synergy - double.
Very versatile and great fun - whether fishing or not. As for repairs - you first have to break a plastic
before you need to worry about repairing it and believe me that takes some doing ....
So far 2 x 120 kg + guys haven't even been able to bend or dent my Synergy in ridicilous KZN surf.
Badballie
(Sealine Member)
Richards Bay
Fluid Kayaks Testimonial
You can consider a Fluid Synergy (it's a tupperware) I weigh in at 106kg, 6feet 2inch + 9.5KG outboard + 4kg Transom and she handles it very well. The fluid was designed to be very stable as opposed to speed. I can actually sit sideways on the kayak and she wont tip and its not a balancing act either. Then the purchase price is something that favors the Fluid Synergy. Another factor is the extreme toughness of the material used in the boat, a type of plastic that is extremely durable
chocknel - ex sealine member
Cape Town
Fluid Kayaks Testimonial
To answer your rudder question, yes of course you can use your plastic kayak on the sea without a rudder. I have a Fluid Chumani plastic ski which has no rudder and I'm a lady fisheman who fishes in the sea, my friend "Loco" on Sealine has an Ocean Kayak plastic sit on top kayak which she fishes from on the sea and a few guys who lauch off the Bluff have Perception Swings and Feel Free's which are also plastic sit on top kayaks, which all also have no rudders and they work just fine, I promise, you have nothing to worry about in the slightest.
Happy fishing from Seahorse
(Sealine Menber)
Durban
Fluid KayaksTestimonial
We are a group of 6 guys in George using a wide range of Kayaks. The XXXXXX I used to use had absolutely no stability and I was almost killed of Mosselbay Point due to this no stability on the first "voyage" and needed to be rescued by my buddies. Some of the other XXXXXX users complain about stress fractures on it. At the local fishing shop the owner sells about 40 kayaks a month. He sells any brand you want but Fluid are very popular. All of us are now using Fluid skis and although it doesn`t have a rudder(it can be fitted) and the hatches are small it is ultra tough-build of thick plastic! Just what you need when you lauch at the rocks like we have to in the Cape. The Fluid have a Cat type design (double hull) which makes it extremely stable. At Mosselbay Point the sharks are sometimes bothersome as they continue to circle around the Kayaks when the Bonnies are biting. If you fall off the Kayak this can become a disaster. We all use Shark-shields as well. One guy still uses his Macski and are also very happy with it. Also- my xxxxxxx did not have any foam in. I send XXXXXXXXX an email about this stability but he didn`t even bother to listen to my /our very valid complaint. For me Fluid was a life changing experience and therefore my user name. There must be other great products as well but I am NOT one for a XXXXXXX.
Fluid (Sealine Member)
Mosselbay