Tandem-style kayaks are often helpful for people that prefer to fish with a friend, but they can be difficult to pilot by yourself when your friend isn’t able to join you on the water. You’ll likely have to paddle from a location that is either too far forward or back to provide the kind of control you’d like. Read our in-depth Vibe Kayaks Yellowfin 130T Tandem review and see our feedback on this fishing kayak’s build quality, storage capacity, comfort, balance, and more.
A few kayaks, such as the Vibe Kayaks Yellowfin 130T, provide multiple seating options so that you can move one of the seats to a centered position and paddle with ease. It is a great choice for anglers who want the flexibility to switch between solo- and tandem-style configurations (another great kayak for tandem kayaking).
Pros +
- A pretty stable craft that most anglers will find suitable for standing
- Provides plenty of space and legroom for two riders
- Relatively lightweight for a tandem-style kayak
Cons –
- No skid plate included, so you’ll need to use care in shallow water
- Does not have an overwhelming amount of storage space
- The Yellowfin 130T is not especially agile in the water
Build Quality
The Yellowfin 130T is a rock-solid kayak, that is built from a single piece of rotomolded polyethylene. Rigid and sleek, it won’t flex when taking on moderately large swells, and it doesn’t cause a lot of drag in the water either.
The kayak doesn’t include a skid plate, so you’ll need to use caution when paddling through shallow water, but if you care for the vessel properly, it should last for years.
Storage Capacity
Many tandem-style kayaks are a little stingy with storage space, and the Yellowfin 130T is no exception. It does come with two storage hatches – one in front of each seat – and a moderately large cargo deck at the stern. Bungee cords are included with the cargo deck to ensure that your live well or cooler doesn’t slip into the water in choppy conditions.
It does provide two paddle parks, two flush-mount rod holders and four mounting points for aftermarket accessories, so you should still be able to bring along enough equipment to be prepared for whatever fishing conditions present themselves.
Comfort
The Yellowfin 130T provides plenty of cockpit space for two anglers to ride comfortably, and single paddlers will find that it offers more than enough space to stretch out. Two adjustable seats are included, and they can be placed in any of three different positions – this allows you to place one of the seats in the middle position, to set the kayak up for solo paddling.
No thigh or knee pads are included, but it provides all of the comforts you could want in most other respects.
Stability
Most Vibe Kayaks are designed to be stable, and the Yellowfin 130T is no exception. At 12-feet-2-inches in length and 33-inches-wide, the vessel is stable enough to handle moderate swells and choppy waters with ease.
Many anglers will even feel confident enough to stand up on the vessel while fishing. The Yellowfin 130T is capable of supporting 500 pounds worth of riders and cargo, so you won’t have to leave anything behind when heading out for a day of fishing.
Maneuverability
Few tandem-style kayaks are especially agile, but the Yellowfin 130T is easy enough to maneuver through relatively crowded waters or tight spaces. It does take a bit of effort and time to turn, but this is to be expected of a craft that measures more than 12 feet long. It weighs 72 pounds, which is a bit heavy for a single angler to carry, but two people should be able to carry it with ease (especially considering that it comes with four easy-grip handles).
Summary
If you are looking for a kayak that will work almost as well for one rider as it will two, the Yellowfin 130T is a great option. Equipped with sufficient storage space and two comfortable seats that can be positioned in multiple locations, the Yellowfin 130T provides everything you need to hit the water and catch fish. It isn’t the lightest kayak around, so solo anglers may have a bit of trouble carrying it to the water, but two anglers will be able to carry it easily.
We’d like to see it include a skid plate to protect the bottom of the hull, but that is an acceptable trade-off for such an affordable and well-designed tandem kayak. Anyone looking for a capable, portable and stable craft is likely to be pleased with the Yellowfin 130T. It can be purchased starting from $900 to around $1200 and you if you are ready to order yours you can do it directly on the company site or on Amazon.
