Kayak with storage to go fossil hunting

[T. nepaeolicus 6]

I recently went on a vacation to Lake Texoma, Oklahoma and rented a fishing kayak there. It proved to be indispensable for collecting. It had a decent amount of storage for my specimens and gear and it only took me about 4 hour to collect my specimens and return to the dock. I ended up spending about enough money to buy a cheap kayak. Lesson learned I guess.

[grandpa 405]

So, let's turn this into a positive experience by springing off of your experience and asking our fellow FF members who have kayaks for recommendations on brands, features, sizes etc. based on their experience.  I might need to get one as well, you see, (still Peace River dreaming) and would like some recommendations from those experienced in the matter. 

[rawwardigger 14]

Personally, I don't like a sit on Kayak (never tried a sit in) because the way you are sitting kills my back. I bought a used 12 ft. fiberglass canoe with accessories several years ago. Plenty of room for another person, a cooler, a 5 gallon waterproof bucket, fishing poles and many fossils. I go by myself mostly but do carry someone at times. It fits nicely on top of my Hyundai Santa Fe. I pay for a shuttle up or a shuttle back, according to where I go, from $10 to $15 on the Buffalo River in Middle TN. I've recently made a rack for my Ford F150 XLT so I can carry it overhead and pulled my pop-up camper for a weekend camping and float.

Just a thought, Roger

[Bone Daddy 161]

I have three kayaks. All are sit on top types. The one I use most for fossil-hunting is a 10.5 foot tandem. When used in the solo configuration, it has a lot of room for gear and fossil swag. Unless I find an intact mammoth, it has all the space I could conceivably need. The only caveat - it's a barge. Stable as all get out, but slow.

 

The other one I use for hunting is a 12-foot Sun Dolphin. Even though it's longer than the tandem, it's a lot more narrow, so it actually has less cargo room overall. Having said that, it also has all the space I need.

 

Tandem in solo config (foreground), the 12-footer in the background. I wrote a review of the tandem last Xmas - it's in this forum if you scroll down.

 

[JarrodB 788]

I'm 6ft 4 270 lbs and I use a 10 ft sit on top Lifetime kayak. I've hauled out large amounts of bones without issue. It handles well even loaded down. 

[Sacha 296]

I seem to be one of the few that prefers a sit inside. It's what I started with and I think they feel much more stable because your closer/below the water line. I also used to bring back large coral heads or bags of micro matrix that would have been a challenge to store on top along with collecting tools. I do have to admit though, that about halfway through a collecting day, getting in and out of a sit inside is getting to be a challenge.

 

Sit insides also tend to be shorter for a given load limit. That is an issue with my Tacoma since it has the short bed. My 9 1/2 footer hangs out a good bit.