You may find yourself in one of two bins: 1. You don't have a fishing kayak and you want one but don't know how much time you'll have because of work and family, or 2. You have one but don't get to use it as often as you'd like because of work and family. If you find yourself in either category, you have maybe found yourself looking to purchase a tandem fishing kayak or adding a second kayak with tandem seating.
Fishing kayaks have come a long way. While most focus on their pedal drives and fishing features like motor additions and electronics, one of the biggest advancements in the past five years is their capabilities to convert from solo to tandem.
Let's go over some questions you probably have asked yourself and then we'll dive in to one of our favorite solo to tandem fishing kayak brands in NuCanoe.
So, you’ve arrived where I ultimately did – realizing you need a trailer for fishing kayaks. They are not all created equally, but let’s get into some of the general pros of utilizing a fishing kayak with a trailer. This blog will focus on Malone trailers and their new line of off-road (submersible) trailers and include a detailed review from Bearded Dad Fishing.
Tandem Kayaking FAQs
Can a tandem kayak be used solo?
In general, the answer is yes. One major factor to look for when looking at tandem-capable fishing kayaks is whether or not the seats are in fixed positions or removable. Fixed seating mean you either sit in the front or the back. Fixed seating tandem kayaks may be more difficult to control when kayaking solo. Consider looking at fishing kayaks with removable seating so you can better center yourself when kayaking solo.
Many tandem kayaks are designed with versatility in mind and can be paddled solo, especially those marketed as “convertible” or “solo/tandem.” These kayaks allow you to:
Move the seat to the center for better balance and control
Use only the rear seat, if properly balanced with gear in front
Remove/add extra seating entirely
Challenges to Consider
Tandem kayaks are heavier and longer, making them harder to carry, launch, and maneuver alone.
If you're seated in the rear (instead of center), the bow may rise, especially if the front isn’t weighted down. This affects tracking and wind resistance.
Longer kayaks are more prone to being pushed around by wind if paddled solo, especially if improperly balanced.
Tips for Paddling a Tandem Kayak Solo
Add ballast (like a dry bag filled with water or gear) to the front if sitting in the back.
Reposition the seat to the center if possible.
Practice paddling techniques for better control, especially sweep strokes and draw strokes.
Use a rudder or skeg if your kayak has one, to aid in tracking. After-market rudders can be added to most fishing kayaks.
Who steers a tandem kayak?
Paddling a tandem kayak successfully takes teamwork, coordination, and communication. Unlike solo kayaking, where you control everything yourself, paddling a tandem kayak is about working together to maintain balance and tracking. Most people joke about relationships surviving putting furniture together, but you can probably add successful tandem paddling to relationship strength testing. Here are some tips:
Know Your Positions
The front paddler Sets the pace and rhythm, focuses on power and maintaining a steady stroke and doesn’t steer but helps with balance and momentum.
The back paddler steers the kayak using subtle paddle adjustments, matches the front paddler’s pace and is responsible for making directional corrections.
Sync Your Paddling
Prevent hitting paddles
Reduces drag and zig-zagging (bad tracking)
Increases speed and efficiency (go further, longer and faster)
Maintain Your Balance & Posture
Sit up straight with knees slightly bent.
Use your core muscles—not just arms—for stronger, more controlled strokes.
Keep your paddle strokes even on both sides for better tracking.
Can you use a tandem kayak with a trolling motor?
Like solo fishikng kayaks, there are tandem fishing kayaks that are motor-ready. Adding a trolling motor to a fishing kayaks has become fare more easy in recent years. Much like the seating considerations above, adding a trolling motor to a tandem kayak has a few factors that are important to consider.
Weight & Balance
Check your kayak's TOTAL weight capacity. A trolling motor, battery, and mount can add 30–60+ lbs.
Be sure your kayak’s weight capacity supports both paddlers and motor equipment.
Place the battery in the middle or opposite the motor to maintain balance.
Mounting Options
Stern-mounted motor is the most common and often the easiest to install
Side-mounted motors work but may affect tracking and balance.
Bow-mounted motors are take up more space and may be more difficult to control when tandem kayaking. If you have a kayak that is 12'+ in length this may be less of an issue.
Power Options & Batteries
Most kayaks are 12V electric
30–55 lbs of thrust (ideal for tandem kayaks). Most kayaks top out at 4-5mpg regardless of thrust rating, however, higher rated thrust motors will reach top speed with less effort (more efficient) and may perform better in current or bad weather situations.
When possible pair with a LiFePO4 lithium or deep-cycle marine battery. Lithium LiFeP04 and deep cycle batteries run more efficiently and are much lighter than lead-acid.
Tandem kayak vs. canoe?
Tandem kayaks and canoes offer different weight capacities, customization and overall on-the-water experiences. Anglers will likely find tandem fishing kayaks more capable of adding things like accessories, motors and electronics but might find them more difficult to portage, transport and maneuvre. Canoes are meant to be paddled further distances, have more open storage space and are more easily transported on land for portaging.
Fishing kayaks tend to be a bit more stable for things like standing and fishing whereas canoes offer more stability while moving. Balancing a canoe takes a bit more practice. Canoes are typically more streamlined and therefor take less effort to paddle. If you want to bounce between solo and tandem fishing, a kayak may offer easier options along with far more customization with accessory rails and pre-built motor mounts.
NuCanoe Solo & Tandem Fishing Kayaks
Based on many of the factors we discussed above, there is one clear winner when it comes to customizable solo and tandem fishing kayaks: NuCanoe Kayaks. NuCanoe kayaks are open platform fishing kayaks with incredible primary stability, high weight capacities, accessory-ready tracks and hulls made ready for motor and anchor mounts. NuCanoes are one of the only brands on the market made specifically to be paddled solo or tandem by simply adding and removing a seat. Not only that, NuCanoe offers seats that swivel 360 degrees making them the ultimate solo fishing machine and family-friendly paddle kayak on the market. Let's look at a few options.
NuCanoe Frontier 12 Access Series Fishing Kayak
12 reviews
Original price
$1,249.00
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Original price
$1,249.00
With NuCanoe, switching between solo kayak and tandem kayak is as easy as adding and removing a seat. Here are some accessories to help you get started.
It all boils down to this important question, doesn't it? You may need to ask yourself, if you get a tandem-capable kayak will you be able to get on the water more than you currently do? If the answer is yes, then that is all that really matters.
There is still a lot to consider. Water type, weight, how you will transport it, the best setup for both solo and tandem kayak. If you need help purchasing the correct kayak and accessories reach out to our customer service team (1-844-987-5777, sales@ecofishingshop.com) to eliminate the headache of trying to peice together the right equipment.
Another great option is seeking the help of other anglers who have experience with fishing kayaks on the Kayak Anglers Resource community.
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