A couple of days ago I learned that a friend of mine and his wife are taking an interest in kayak fishing. During a conversation with him, he mentioned purchasing a tandem kayaking for them to fish together. However, he was curious if he could also use it to fish alone when his wife was unable to go. Unable to answer his question at that time, I asked a family friend who owned multiple kayaks if he had ever tried this alone and he informed me that the thought had never occurred to him. So I asked to borrow one of his tandem kayaks and took it to a local lake, after strapping on my PFD (Personal Floatation Device) I got on the water. Through my research and in field testing this is what I learned.
Can I ride a tandem kayak alone?
Tandem kayaking alone is absolutely possible. However, They can be more difficult to use, leaving room for potential problems during trips. You tend to run into many problems in tight spaces, such as areas with narrow canals, tall grass or low hanging branches over top of the water, especially. Let’s take a look at other potential problems that could arise by tandem kayaking alone.
If your intention is to purchase a tandem kayak to use with a friend or family member, it is a much better idea to have that person present whilst using it. There are problems like steering the kayak in the intended direction, especially against swifter currents. However, there are many tandem kayaks on the market that are designed to be operated by either one or two kayakers. These kayaks often sacrifice length.
These kayaks since designed for two passengers often are very stable. One additional advantage is that they can hold a lot of gear if just yourself is operating the kayak since it has the weight capacity for often two adults.
There is also a plethora of modern devices that aid in controlling a tandem kayak alone. Such as rudders, (a flat hinged piece of durable plastic or metal mounted vertically on the back of the kayak that aids steering). Another option for steering and propulsion is an outboard gas powered motor. Though these are not widely used, most people, including myself, prefer its more efficient cousin. The electric trolling motor, these are very affordable and widely used in not only tandem kayaks. There are additional expenses to this option, however such as, wiring, energy sources, and mounts. You must also check local laws, in many states your kayak may have to be titled and registered. These are all viable options to aid steering if you plan to use a tandem kayak alone.
Should I buy a tandem kayak as my first kayak?
The answer; Yes, but only if you know for sure that the person you plan to kayak with will always be present. Or else you may find yourself paddling along a cumbersome vessel oftentimes not being able to maneuver or go where you what when you want.
If you plan to purchase a kayak to use with a friend or family member, only a handful of times it is often a better plan to purchase two separate kayaks (opposed to a tandem one) if you plan to use the kayak alone in the future. While purchasing a tandem kayak may be cheaper than two separate kayaks, although sometimes it is worth spending a little extra for freedom. If you and the person you plan to kayak with are not inclined to work together the situation can get very stressful and often less enjoyable. So if you plan to kayak alone, more than with the person you bought the kayak to kayak with, you may want to look into purchasing two separate kayaks. Which also opens up many possibilities for adventuring and fishing as you please but also side by side.
Do tandem kayaks increase the chances of capsizing?
Tandem kayaks tend to be much longer than those intended for a single passenger, and in many cases much wider as well. This, of course, increases stability, making them harder to flip, but if you do find yourself upside down you and your partner can flip it back over and crawl back in one at a time while the other stabilizes the kayak so that you don’t find yourself back at square one.
Since the weight limit of a tandem kayak is often much more than a single seater kayak you can store more gear when the other passenger is not present. One thing to avoid when purchasing a tandem kayak is buying a short one to save on weight since they tend to be fairly heavy (45-125 pounds while a single seater kayak normally weighs around 35 pounds). This will distribute you and your partner’s weight across a smaller mass decreasing stability and increasing the chances of capsizing.
Are tandem kayaks as comfortable?
Most tandem kayaks tend to have uncomfortable plastic molded seats, however, some have thinly padded seats with little back support. Often times not comfortable for extended fishing trips.
Another thing to take into consideration, being legroom. If you’re a taller person, sometimes you find yourself cramped for leg room. Many tandem kayaks have a flat bottom shape for them, meaning that your legs are straight out in front of you and often times do not have foot pegs to rest your feet against which can be very uncomfortable especially on longer fishing trips. There are often times, aftermarket seats made for additional comfort but are sometimes not compatible with many tandem kayaks. Often times tandem kayaks have a low back on them so if you find yourself uncomfortable it is not much you can do but add additional padding.
Can I fish from a tandem kayak?
You can most certainly fish from a tandem kayak. But there are many sacrifices to be made. When fishing alone, you have plenty of room to as you please. But that is not always the case with tandem kayak where two people share one vessel.
One problem that occurs many times is working to paddle together to maneuver the kayak in the intended direction. This can be difficult and frustrating because you have to sit your rods in designated rod holders and grab a paddle and work together. Another problem you may face while fishing in a tandem kayak is limited storage space. You have to keep in mind you are splitting storage space with another person. Meaning you may have to add rod holders if you prefer to have multiple rods as many people do. You may also find yourself having to share space to cast. In many cases, you cannot cast at the same time, and a lot of times you may find yourself hitting one another with the rod tips, especially when fishing with inexperienced anglers and sometimes fishing lines can become tangled. More often than not most production tandem kayaks have seating placed lower in the hull which can make it harder to cast and set the hook on that trophy fish. However, this is a personal preference, some people prefer to sit lower on the kayak opposed to higher like the ones with mounted seats placed above the hull.
