Which kayak to buy?

[NinjaAbassin]

Ok so buying a new kayak but currently stuck on which one! I have 2 kayaks that I have come down to and now need help deciding which one. 

Im stuck on either the feelfree lure 13.5 or the ATAK 140.

also I'm 6'2" and about 190lb I noticed the  lure is 44" legroom and the atak is 60" will that make a huge difference. 

The lure is 36" wide and the ATAK is 34"

please help! Opinions, thoughts, experience. 

[Turtle135]

One of my fishing buddies has an ATAK. I think the removable console for the whole fish finder assembly is pretty useful. He cartops so he can remove the whole console and fish finder very quickly. I am not sure how the Lure handles that issue.

Can you get a test paddle in with each? It may come down to which seat you prefer.

[NinjaAbassin]

I can't seem to find anywhere local that even sells these so it will be an online order. The lure has the same removable fish finder console... The leg room worries me because I just don't understand how the lure is only 44" that seems tiny for a 13.5 yak.

[greggt4736]

I've paddled and own a Lure 11.5, it's so stable that I doubt I could flip it even if I tried. The leg room isn't an issue for me since I'm 5' 10" so it's hard for me to speak to that. I know that they do come with adjustable foot pegs so maybe that measurement is with the foot pegs at the shortest setting? 

The wheel in the keel design and width sold me on this yak over others. Some people complain the width makes it too slow. I doubt for my applications I'll be covering a whole lot of miles a day. I'm getting it out of storage and heading back home tomorrow.  I plan on taking it out Wednesday afternoon. Can update you on specifics if you're interested.

[NinjaAbassin]

31 minutes ago, greggt4736 said:

I've paddled and own a Lure 11.5, it's so stable that I doubt I could flip it even if I tried. The leg room isn't an issue for me since I'm 5' 10" so it's hard for me to speak to that. I know that they do come with adjustable foot pegs so maybe that measurement is with the foot pegs at the shortest setting? 

The wheel in the keel design and width sold me on this yak over others. Some people complain the width makes it too slow. I doubt for my applications I'll be covering a whole lot of miles a day. I'm getting it out of storage and heading back home tomorrow.  I plan on taking it out Wednesday afternoon. Can update you on specifics if you're interested.

That would be excellent! I would truly appreciate it! I plan on buying it buy the end of the week! I'm really excited since this will be my first major purchase of a kayak. From the ACK website it says the lure 11.5 and 13.5 have the same total leg room and same leg room to peg. If you could maybe do a little measurement that would be wonderful also would love to see pics on how you set yours up etc... Thanks! ??

[flyfisher]

I paddled both the lure and the ATAK before i bought my last kayak and the choice was easy for me.  The ATAK got my hard earned money.  I have owned many kayaks from many different brands and it offered the best for what i wanted to use it for.  The flex pod was a huge deciding factor as it is great to set up and use for electronics.  It is a bit heavy but i have gotten my technique down so loading it on top of my wrangler isn't that bad, especially since i took off the front hatch cover, seems to balance better that way.  I felt the ATAK was more table than the Lure but both are darn stable.  I still feel that the ATAK is the easiest kayak i have been in or owned to stand up in though and the huge cockpit area is great for fly fishing.

I don't think you will be upset with either purchase.

[Dye99]

Im with Flyfisher. Ive been yak fishing since 06 and gone through a few different boats over the years ( native, Ocean kayak, old town ) but after purchasing my atak last spring, Im sold.

I can haul whatever I want, I can stand easily, very comfortable seat, tracks great, customizable, the list goes on an on....Do some research and Im sure you will find that although expensive, its one heck of a boat!

[buzzed bait]

i'll be honest, i don't think you'll regret getting either of them....  but man that ATAK looks so sweet with the electronics console.  i love my ride 135 and they have pretty solid customer service as well.

[NinjaAbassin]

Thanks everyone! So although most said the atak because of the console... I ordered the lure 13.5. It has the same type of sonar pod/console that's removable, 36" wide but it is 9lbs heavier than the atak. It was also 500$ cheaper and includes a rudder and 250cm FF paddle... The atak would have been a little over 2k just for the yak alone w/ shipping,  plus another 300$ for the rudder and about 90$-120$ for the paddle. But I really appreciate the replies and hopefully have pics up soon when it comes! Thanks again to everyone! ?

[Subaqua Adinterim]

Correct me if I'm not up on the new lure, however, I think that they added an electronics area in the most recent upgraded models.

I tested the Lure out last year.  I'm torn between that one and the Nucanoe, since I'm looking to add a trolling motor.

[Turtle135]

Congrats on the new yak! I have been fishing for bass from a kayak since back in 1991. I have always felt I got more than my monies worth out of every kayak I have owned.

[NinjaAbassin]

1 hour ago, cutbait said:

Correct me if I'm not up on the new lure, however, I think that they added an electronics area in the most recent upgraded models.

I tested the Lure out last year.  I'm torn between that one and the Nucanoe, since I'm looking to add a trolling motor.

The new model 2016 11.5 has the upgraded sonar removeable pod... The 13.5 has always had it ever since its release. So basically all the new lure line has the removeable pod and they can be used in all the kayaks. 

I've seen a few people add trolling motors to the lure... One was mounted on the rear and one was side mounted. It's very possible to add a trolling motor to the lure if need be. 

I thought about the NuCanoe but for 200$ more and basically just a shell it didn't seem worth it to me. I love the storage the lure has, plus removeable sonar pod, plus the track system and the new gravity chair, plus I believe 200$ cheaper than the NuCanoe it was just the best overall for me and my needs.

54 minutes ago, Turtle135 said:

Congrats on the new yak! I have been fishing for bass from a kayak since back in 1991. I have always felt I got more than my monies worth out of every kayak I have owned.

Thanks so much! I feel this was a great purchase and hopefully bring me years of great fishing! I had a lifetime tamarack as my first kayak and it brought me countless hours of great fishing plus caught my PB on it! I enjoy kayaks more than boats although most of these kayaks now a days are basically mini boats ?

[Subaqua Adinterim]

Very nice.  I think you made a great choice, for the money you can't beat the value of the Feel Free.  (I have no affiliation with any manufacturer)

[NinjaAbassin]

4 hours ago, cutbait said:

Very nice.  I think you made a great choice, for the money you can't beat the value of the Feel Free.  (I have no affiliation with any manufacturer)

Thanks?? I agree! for what I spent on it I have extra money for a nice gps/fish finder, new paddle and rudder system 

[greggt4736]

Seems like 44" with the foot pegs fully extended would be fairly accurate depending on where you're measuring. I measured to the seat back and got 46". If you removed the foot pegs completely and used the plastic as a foot rest you'd get about 52" to seat back. I'm pleased with its performance yesterday. I stood up and threw top water frogs, caught 5-6 fish this way and another 5-6 seated. As long  you keep your wits about you and don't go Barry Bonds on the bass you should be fine when standing. When sitting you can swing for the fences.

Downside is it's pretty heavy, before outfitted. Add in a cooler, 3 rods, tackle box, and it gets worse. Add in a cooler full off fish and you need some help. My wife's Moken 10 lite is a dream to load and unload, but nowhere near as stable. Seems like a tradeoff between weight and stability and I'd prefer to stay dry. This boat is going to double as a duck hunting boat and I wanted to make sure I'm not swimming when it's sub freezing temperatures. 

It's not an issue to paddle which is the chief complaint I've seen. I got a Werner Skagit hooked 260cm from ACK after reading the reviews. One review specifically mentioned using that with his lure 11.5 with good results. It's superlight and I never hit the sides of the boat once. It's easy to adjust the ferrule to exactly where you want it because the degrees are written where the two pieces fit together. It'll take me awhile to figure out what adjustment works best.

I'm still working out a good way to keep fish and bring more than just 2 rods as I adjust my equipment from bank fishing to kayaking. I'm still totally stock as far as rigging goes so pictures wouldn't really help. I hope everything else did though and congrats on your purchase, I think you'll love it! If you find a great way to anchor that's also cheap, let me know. 

[NinjaAbassin]

Thanks Gregg for the detailed post! I'm glad you had a great day fishing and still enjoy the yak! The 13.5 is about 95lbs so you have me a little worried about loading and unloading but I figure with some wheels/dolly and load the front on the tailgate and basically lift the end only and slide it in and out should work out pretty fine. 

Im just waiting on delivery, feel like a kid with Christmas coming!