Native Slayer Propel 10

[nighthawk25]

I'm looking into getting a pedal drive kayak if I have to sell my boat. I am leaning toward the Slayer Propel 10 since it would be easier to store, light enough to handle by myself, stable enough for standup fishing (I think). I have a few questions on them.

Does anybody have one of these? How do you like them?

I saw a video on Youtube saying the Slayer 13 does have a lot of water coming up the scupper holes. Could I just plug them?

How fast can you travel by comfortable pedaling?

I also would like to put on a decent sonar/DI/SI/GPS unit. What do you recommend? I was thinking Helix 7 or something similar.

What accessories are a "must have"? I do want 2 rod holders on the gear track so I can troll for crappie and trout.

[Darren.]

3 hours ago, nighthawk25 said:

I'm looking into getting a pedal drive kayak if I have to sell my boat. I am leaning toward the Slayer Propel 10 since it would be easier to store, light enough to handle by myself, stable enough for standup fishing (I think). I have a few questions on them.

Does anybody have one of these? How do you like them?

I saw a video on Youtube saying the Slayer 13 does have a lot of water coming up the scupper holes. Could I just plug them?

How fast can you travel by comfortable pedaling?

I also would like to put on a decent sonar/DI/SI/GPS unit. What do you recommend? I was thinking Helix 7 or something similar.

What accessories are a "must have"? I do want 2 rod holders on the gear track so I can troll for crappie and trout.

I do not have one, but I do have a Native Ultimate 12. I looked

at the Slayer 10 when it came out, and it does get a lot of great

reviews online.

 

As for scupper holes, yes, you can plug them. I'm not sure if the

10 gets as much as the 13 since it was designed afterward.

 

If you look online, both YouTube and Native forums you'll find 

comparisons of the Native Propel and other foot-powered yaks.

The Propel drive does get you going at a decent clip. I think, if

memory serves, 3.5-4.5 is top speed...but I could be wrong.

 

Here's a forum you can peruse:

 

http://nativeownersgroup.com/forum/12-native-watercraft-slayer-propel™/

 

"Must Have" accessories? Anchor trolley - both sides. As for the rest,

I always suggest you fish out of the yak several times before making

any modifications as you learn how YOU fish out of that particular yak.

In otherwords, if a yak is pre-set for fishing, you may find you wish 

that dohicky they installed was over there instead of where they put it.

 

This way you can determine where you like stuff mounted.

 

 

[Can't Catch Bass]

I have one. It's a great little boat. I'm constantly being asked about it, so if you get one be ready to field some questions.

 

As far as speed... You will cap out at around 3.5 mph. You can comfortably pedal at around 2.75-3mph for long stretches.

 

It comes with scupper plugs. I mainly fish small lakes and ponds. Most the time mine are left in.

 

It is stable. I can stand in it, but I honestly don't stand very often. This is more a confidence thing for me than anything, I haven't had the boat too long and I haven't practiced much to grow my confidence.

 

As far as fish finders go mounting it is the real obstacle. I have a Garmin striker 4cv that I tried mounting the transducer inside the hull, but I could never get it to work, so I ended up getting a ram mount arm.

 

You'll want to pick up a spare prop and shear pins. Also, the clips which hold the propel unit in. These can all break if you hit something. There is a prop indexer upgrade that you can install that will help you quickly align the prop with the slot in the hull, so you can tilt the propel unit up easily. 

 

Are you planning on purchasing the boat online or through a local dealer? If you are purchasing it online I would recommend you pick up the tools and grease to service the drive unit. There's videos online that go into detail about servicing the unit.

 

I would go with the stock rudder for now. If you feel tracking straight is an issue for you I would get the berley pro rudder. If the turning radius is an issue they have a steering upgrade that will help with that. A much cheaper, but less effective way to improve both of these is to purchase the boonedox rudder upgrade.

 

You'll probably want a cart. Boonedox landing gear is great. A cheaper option if you don't mind tinkering a little bit is the c-tug cart. The awesome part about this one is it breaks down quickly and fits in the front hatch.

 

The kayak comes with a small tool caddy which will hold 3 sets of pliers. I'd recommend getting the under and behind the seat organizers, those are extremely handy.

[nighthawk25]

7 hours ago, Can't Catch Bass said:

I have one. It's a great little boat. I'm constantly being asked about it, so if you get one be ready to field some questions.

 

As far as speed... You will cap out at around 3.5 mph. You can comfortably pedal at around 2.75-3mph for long stretches.

 

It comes with scupper plugs. I mainly fish small lakes and ponds. Most the time mine are left in.

 

It is stable. I can stand in it, but I honestly don't stand very often. This is more a confidence thing for me than anything, I haven't had the boat too long and I haven't practiced much to grow my confidence.

 

As far as fish finders go mounting it is the real obstacle. I have a Garmin striker 4cv that I tried mounting the transducer inside the hull, but I could never get it to work, so I ended up getting a ram mount arm.

 

You'll want to pick up a spare prop and shear pins. Also, the clips which hold the propel unit in. These can all break if you hit something. There is a prop indexer upgrade that you can install that will help you quickly align the prop with the slot in the hull, so you can tilt the propel unit up easily. 

 

Are you planning on purchasing the boat online or through a local dealer? If you are purchasing it online I would recommend you pick up the tools and grease to service the drive unit. There's videos online that go into detail about servicing the unit.

 

I would go with the stock rudder for now. If you feel tracking straight is an issue for you I would get the berley pro rudder. If the turning radius is an issue they have a steering upgrade that will help with that. A much cheaper, but less effective way to improve both of these is to purchase the boonedox rudder upgrade.

 

You'll probably want a cart. Boonedox landing gear is great. A cheaper option if you don't mind tinkering a little bit is the c-tug cart. The awesome part about this one is it breaks down quickly and fits in the front hatch.

 

The kayak comes with a small tool caddy which will hold 3 sets of pliers. I'd recommend getting the under and behind the seat organizers, those are extremely handy.

Thanks! This helps me a lot! I hope I can test drive one before I buy. We have a dealer not too far away.

 

I have a few more questions for you yakkers. I want to be able to keep a few panfish once in a while. Do you just take a small cooler instead of a crate? Whats the best option?

[clayton86]

My buddy had one and recently sold it to switch to the radar 115 but he loved the slayer. As far as fish finders go he had his mounted on the drive unit itself. Transducer on the drive wires neatly wrapped up it and then a ram ball on top that he had the unit on. Battery he kept in the front hatch. 

[nighthawk25]

2 hours ago, clayton86 said:

My buddy had one and recently sold it to switch to the radar 115 but he loved the slayer. As far as fish finders go he had his mounted on the drive unit itself. Transducer on the drive wires neatly wrapped up it and then a ram ball on top that he had the unit on. Battery he kept in the front hatch. 

That's a good idea. Excuse my ignorance, but the prop wouldn't interfere with the transducer reading?

[YoTone]

I do and ive spent this year fishing out of it.

I bought it mainly for ease of  transportation and i can load and unload with no problem.

I havent bought much accessories for it other than a paddle holder. 

 

Dont really know how fast i can pedal but i can move at a decent pace.

 

its really is an awesome fishing kayak.

I think its wider than the standard 13 but anyways standing on it is very stable. 

[clayton86]

23 hours ago, nighthawk25 said:

That's a good idea. Excuse my ignorance, but the prop wouldn't interfere with the transducer reading?

 Don't think so, shouldn't be any different then ones mounted on bow mount trolling motors. All I know is it worked for him. 

[68camaro]

I test drove a Slayer Propel 10 and really liked it, I went with something else that fit my needs a little better but the Slayer was stable and I had no problem standing. The reverse on the Propel pedaling system was really nice easy and natural.

 

Several months ago I did a short note here on the difference between the Hobie PA 12 and Slayer Propel.

 

You won't go wrong with the Slayer.

 

[nighthawk25]

21 minutes ago, 68camaro said:

I test drove a Slayer Propel 10 and really liked it, I went with something else that fit my needs a little better but the Slayer was stable and I had no problem standing. The reverse on the Propel pedaling system was really nice easy and natural.

 

Several months ago I did a short note here on the difference between the Hobie PA 12 and Slayer Propel.

 

You won't go wrong with the Slayer.

 

I checked the Hobie out too but the Propel reverse is a major plus for me. The price difference seals the deal as Im buying a house. I would want to sell my boat first so I can use that money for the yak. I can use the leftover money towards the house.

[68camaro]

1 minute ago, nighthawk25 said:

I checked the Hobie out too but the Propel reverse is a major plus for me. The price difference seals the deal as Im buying a house. I would want to sell my boat first so I can use that money for the yak. I can use the leftover money towards the house.

Can't disagree, the Propel reverse is actually much better, it was a tough decision for me. Prioritizing house is best decision.  Enjoy the kayak, lets us know how it works out.

[YoTone]

BTW you might want to hold off on buying a slayer as the Titan 10 will be released soon.

 

[nighthawk25]

50 minutes ago, YoTone said:

BTW you might want to hold off on buying a slayer as the Titan 10 will be released soon.

 

Yeah I saw that. I'm guessing that will be more stable but probably heavier as well.

[fishwizzard]

I have a Slayer 10 and my only beef with it is that any wind gets it spinning very easily.  That and the rudder control being very very challenging to switch to the right hand side, but that isnt really a flaw for most people. 

[nighthawk25]

45 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

I have a Slayer 10 and my only beef with it is that any wind gets it spinning very easily.  That and the rudder control being very very challenging to switch to the right hand side, but that isnt really a flaw for most people. 

Yeah , the rudder control is on the right side for me. Do you use an anchor (or 2), or a fiberglass pole?

[fishwizzard]

26 minutes ago, nighthawk25 said:

Yeah , the rudder control is on the right side for me. Do you use an anchor (or 2), or a fiberglass pole?

Right now I either use a shapened wooded stake or a hand paddle and a lot of cussing.  I hold my rod in my left hand and love being able to move and manuver while fighting a fish.  I fish quite close to the bank when going for white perch and have had some near disasters when the wind blows me into overhanging branches. 

 

I have the parts to rig an anchor, but am still walffing on how to rig and place it. 

[68camaro]

I found a cheaper version of the micro-pole, it's called Bernie's River Stik, at $249 its a lot cheaper than micro-pole at over $1,000. Its mechanical not battery operated so less failure pts, lighter, cheaper, manual, works great

[Can't Catch Bass]

I don't do much fishing where I'm trying to hold a particular position. 

 

More often than not I'm wanting to work the shorelines and edges of the weed beds.

 

Honestly, I like a bit of a breeze to push me along. 

 

If I'm wanting to slow my drift speed I use a drift sock. If my boat is wanting to spin around, I use a stroke or two from my hand paddle to correct it.

[nighthawk25]

14 hours ago, Can't Catch Bass said:

I don't do much fishing where I'm trying to hold a particular position. 

 

More often than not I'm wanting to work the shorelines and edges of the weed beds.

 

Honestly, I like a bit of a breeze to push me along. 

 

If I'm wanting to slow my drift speed I use a drift sock. If my boat is wanting to spin around, I use a stroke or two from my hand paddle to correct it.

I'd like an anchor or a River Stick (those look nice!) for panfishing. For bass I'd probably just try to drift parallel to the shore or weedline. That's where I feel the pedal drive would be nice.

[the reel ess]

On 10/4/2017 at 9:49 PM, Can't Catch Bass said:

I have one. It's a great little boat. I'm constantly being asked about it, so if you get one be ready to field some questions.

 

As far as speed... You will cap out at around 3.5 mph. You can comfortably pedal at around 2.75-3mph for long stretches.

 

It comes with scupper plugs. I mainly fish small lakes and ponds. Most the time mine are left in.

 

It is stable. I can stand in it, but I honestly don't stand very often. This is more a confidence thing for me than anything, I haven't had the boat too long and I haven't practiced much to grow my confidence.

 

As far as fish finders go mounting it is the real obstacle. I have a Garmin striker 4cv that I tried mounting the transducer inside the hull, but I could never get it to work, so I ended up getting a ram mount arm.

 

You'll want to pick up a spare prop and shear pins. Also, the clips which hold the propel unit in. These can all break if you hit something. There is a prop indexer upgrade that you can install that will help you quickly align the prop with the slot in the hull, so you can tilt the propel unit up easily. 

 

Are you planning on purchasing the boat online or through a local dealer? If you are purchasing it online I would recommend you pick up the tools and grease to service the drive unit. There's videos online that go into detail about servicing the unit.

 

I would go with the stock rudder for now. If you feel tracking straight is an issue for you I would get the berley pro rudder. If the turning radius is an issue they have a steering upgrade that will help with that. A much cheaper, but less effective way to improve both of these is to purchase the boonedox rudder upgrade.

 

You'll probably want a cart. Boonedox landing gear is great. A cheaper option if you don't mind tinkering a little bit is the c-tug cart. The awesome part about this one is it breaks down quickly and fits in the front hatch.

 

The kayak comes with a small tool caddy which will hold 3 sets of pliers. I'd recommend getting the under and behind the seat organizers, those are extremely handy.

One of the best advantages of a kayak for fishing is the extremely shallow depths you can fish with them. I never knew how shallow big fish could be caught before I used the kayak. Do you find that the propeller is in contact with the bottom or stumps or fouled by weeds often? Do you just tilt up the pedal unit and continue on with the paddle when you're too shallow?

[68camaro]

40 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

One of the best advantages of a kayak for fishing is the extremely shallow depths you can fish with them. I never knew how shallow big fish could be caught before I used the kayak. Do you find that the propeller is in contact with the bottom or stumps or fouled by weeds often? Do you just tilt up the pedal unit and continue on with the paddle when you're too shallow?

This is where Hobie Mirage had advantage, you can move one pedal all the way forward and the mirage drive fins tucks up against bottom of yak, easy way to skim over rosks, gravel and very shallow areas. This is also very useful when getting into thick weeds or scum and needing to quick paddle out of it, I think with slayer you would have to lift drive out.

[fishwizzard]

Yea, lack of super shallow access is the biggest flaw of the Propel system.  You can flip it up, but it is in way a good bit.  

[Can't Catch Bass]

8 hours ago, the reel ess said:

One of the best advantages of a kayak for fishing is the extremely shallow depths you can fish with them. I never knew how shallow big fish could be caught before I used the kayak. Do you find that the propeller is in contact with the bottom or stumps or fouled by weeds often? Do you just tilt up the pedal unit and continue on with the paddle when you're too shallow?

I haven't measured it, but the prop probably adds another 12" to the bottom of the hull and It does get fouled by weeds. As you mentioned, yes you can just tilt it up and paddle.

 

This is all going to vary from person to person, depending on the waters you fish, but for me probably around 80% of the time when I'm moving around I'm making use of my pedals.

 

If you have a good knowledge of the waters you fish and are on the fence about the mirage or propel type drives you need to ask yourself how often you'll be traversing waters that have under probably 16" of clearance from the lakes bottom or top of the weeds. If you're constantly going to be battling this, then you'll likely be more happy with the mirage. The other thing to consider (as others have mentioned) is this drive is much easier to maintain/correct position with given that there's no levers you have to pull to put it in reverse, you just pedal backwards.

 

For me, the biggest advantage this particular kayak has over any other pedal driven yak on the market is it's weight. At 60lbs it's the easiest one to maneuver on land.

[the reel ess]

5 hours ago, Can't Catch Bass said:

I haven't measured it, but the prop probably adds another 12" to the bottom of the hull and It does get fouled by weeds. As you mentioned, yes you can just tilt it up and paddle.

 

This is all going to vary from person to person, depending on the waters you fish, but for me probably around 80% of the time when I'm moving around I'm making use of my pedals.

 

If you have a good knowledge of the waters you fish and are on the fence about the mirage or propel type drives you need to ask yourself how often you'll be traversing waters that have under probably 16" of clearance from the lakes bottom or top of the weeds. If you're constantly going to be battling this, then you'll likely be more happy with the mirage. The other thing to consider (as others have mentioned) is this drive is much easier to maintain/correct position with given that there's no levers you have to pull to put it in reverse, you just pedal backwards.

 

For me, the biggest advantage this particular kayak has over any other pedal driven yak on the market is it's weight. At 60lbs it's the easiest one to maneuver on land.

Thanks, this is all great info.