Future Beach "Cayman" Hot

First, I think this is an excellent choice for either a "first/gateway kayak" or a dedicated full time fishing kayak.
Future Beach makes a full range of kayaks of all types--SOTs, Sit-Insides, Fishing, Scuba/Snorkeling, and most are also good choices for hauling camping gear. It's not the most high-end brand, but it's tough and overall build quality is very good.

Choosing a kayak is like choosing running shoes. You really need to try them on in person. Currently the Future Beach kayaks are widely available to see in the major outdoors big box stores. Sit in one, lift it, check out the seat, legroom, ergonomics and see if you like it before you choose.

This is a great choice for warm/sunny/hot locations like Florida. A sit-on-top puts you out in both breeze and wave spray. Great for summer temps, maybe not for colder climes. It's great for lounging, spreading out a little, and kicking back. Very stable, the hull design isn't built with speed as the #1 priority. Fishing doesn't require speed, but space and stability are very good.

Future Beach uses a durable, tough plastic that is a good choice for beginners. Bumping a concrete bulkhead or a submerged rock is less of a big deal than it would be in say, high end fiberglass.

This is just a great overall fishing kayak. It's frequently on massive discount at your local big box stores...shipping must be a huge cost for Amazon on these.

There are a lot of inexpensive DIY add-ons you can do with this kayak-- add some bungee cords, more fishing holders, a cooler, lots of options. I've reviewed a lot of these options--click "see all my reviews" for those.

Hope this has been helpful. Happy 'yakking, everybody.

Just getting started after two short rides. I'm 200 lbs. With all the scupper plugs in, the boat is fine until you start heading into a stiff wind, then you get a little wet. The boat sits low in the water, compare the height of the kayak with the others in the store. It's low. With just the forward plugs out, the water is at the top of the scuppers and back towards the seat it's 1/2 in deep and won't drain. Tracks ok, better than some of the other 10' boats I've tried. The tracks are a good value as are the two rod holders.