[vincent]

It looks like I'll not be able to get a boat soon, as I wanted to. It's the towing vehicle and storage problem (2 car garage), and I do not want to spend more money that it costs for just a used boat at this stage. I have a Honda Odyssey that can tow max 3500lb, but then the boat will be a small one that my wife and 2 kids probably cannot ride with me comfortably (Is this a myth? or, are there family fishing boats with trailer that weigh less than 2500lb?). Right now, don't want to deal with the hassles of a boat, and dont want to miss this season on the lake. So, I've been thinking a lot about getting a kayak, have been reading a lot about them on this site and others, and checking out many facts, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. I guess it's time. I saw Future Beach angler 144 12' sit on fishing kayak at Costco for 430$ and was wondering if the experts here had any thoughts on how good/bad this kayak is. I've never kayaked before, but I love to get on the lake. I plan to be on water mostly for 3-4 hours at a stretch and not more, and this will be mostly Saturday early morning. Fishing is my primary goal and it'll be on JPP lake mostly. I do not plan to get a trailer, instead just carry kayak on top of my van, and I'll carry it out to the lake - a 70lb kayak is not a problem for me. I'm now 195lb, and my weight ranges from 195-215lb typically in a year (too much grilling in summer). I understand all kayaks have their pros and cons. The future beach is rated for 440lb. This kayak being from Costco, I can probably try it out in the water and return for a full refund if I don't like it. And that's another reason I do not want to spend around 1000$ at other stores for a kayak - what do I do if I don't like the kayak? My concern with the future beach kayak is the color of this kayak - not being bright, a boater can easily miss seeing me. :-) I plan to get a good seat if this kayak has one, and a good paddle and PFD - seen that advice everywhere I read about kayaks. Once I like the kayak, I will go for extra fittings like battery, fish finder and other fancy stuff.

I'm totally new to kayak-ing and would like to see for once how a kayak is launched into water. Based on research in this forum, it looks like I should first make a trip to Hook 1 shop. I appreciate any tips, especially from kayak experts on the future beach kayak. Thank you.

Vincent.