BlueSky Boatworks 360 Angler - Yak or boat?

[Brad Reid]

My words copied from another post, here:

 

First, let me mention that I bought one of these through a program where early subscribers could purchase one ahead of the release at a substantial discount. They retail for $3499 and I think I paid $2399 for mine. Cost wise, the current retail price is, more or less, consistent with other big kayaks, say Hobie PA 12s and PA14s, the Natives and several others.

Is it a kayak? Well, hmm??? It is 13'4" in length, so not any longer than many fishing kayaks, actually sort of average; and, it is 48" wide, so about 6" or so wider than a Native Titan Propel. 

Review - - -

Pros-

1) That extra 6" over the other already widest kayaks? It means with its substantial deck areas (they call them porches) that one can literally walk all over the vessel. It is more stable by leaps and bounds than any kayak or canoe I have ever used;
2) It can be slid straight up on my 2016 Toyota Tacoma's bed. Because it has a slight taper from its widest point to the bow, it fits almost perfectly between the wheel wells. I use a bed extender by choice. No trailer is required unless you just want one;
3) It has built in cart wheels. This is a feature all big kayak-type vessels need and having this as a standard feature? It saves a person money later on;
4) It has an actual swiveling bass seat mounted to a substantial post. This is the highest seat on the market likely by 6" or so. Issues related to standing up or sitting back down? Gone;
5) It has a built in starboard side "rack" for carrying multiple rods, an anchor pole, a paddle;
6) It has a really giant, over-sized rudder that is controlled on both sides of the seat;
7) It has 4 compartments for storing rods in 2 of them, for storing tackle boxes in others;
? Its tongue weight on the bow end? It surprised me how light it was, easier to move down to the water than any other kayak I have owned;
9) It has holes in the "porches" where one can stab an anchor pole, or multiple anchor poles, down into the mud;
10) It has two built in mounts for power poles on the rear of each hull;
11) and, last, it has a pedal system with many innovative features (it kicks up if it hits something, multiple adjustments, etc.) 

Cons:

1) You sit high, so you catch wind more than from a lower seating in a traditional fishing kayak;
2) It paddles, sure, but it'll be a slow grind. I like standing a paddling better;
3) It isn't very fast, I'd say 3.5 MPH might be maximum speed.

So, more pros than cons. Finally, gosh, it comes with a seat bag, 2 rod holders, a "thingy" to hold your water bottle, tools to work in the "boat," and more.

I'd give it a solid "A" for anything from small pond fishing to large lakes. I'd be hesitant to shoot down a river where you might run into something between the two hulls and get spun around, or worse. Too, it'd be super fishing flats and smoother bays, not so much I suspect offshore. It won "Best in Show" at the ICAST this past summer, so others like it, too. Hope this helps!!!  Brad

 

 

Here, my 360 loaded on the back of my 2016 Toyota Tacoma. I do use a bed-extender just to balance and protect the vessel a bit more. With many trucks, mine is 44" between the wheel wells, you wouldn't need a trailer.

 

Brad

 

[gnappi]

Very cool little craft there! It looks like it would be a LOT of fun if it were kept on the shore side of a lake front house for sure but with a capacity of 1 person I'd call it a yak.

 

At 170 lbs for one passenger I'd think it's going to be pretty heavy for one person to launch and stow in a truck bed without help? How do you manage loading it alone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[BigBluecats]

I would buy the kayak if you enjoy fishing alone in calmer water. It is also better in shallow water. If you fish in busy waters with others you should do a boat. Remember, you cant fish long distances in a kayak. I would use it in ponds personally. Budget also plays a role

[Scott F]

Two tubes with a deck in between makes that a pontoon.

[Brad Reid]

Well, technically both a pontoon and a catamaran are typically defined as two hulls with a wing between them. It gets fuzzy from there. Usually, a pontoon has no internal access to the insides of its hulls; they are for flotation only. In a catamaran, in addition to flotation, its twin hulls are actually used either for living spaces or for storage . . . or both.

 

On the 360, the hulls are used for storage but I think either calling it a pontoon or a catamaran works pretty well.

 

Most of us fishing from kayaks have a slight tendency toward finesse fishing applications, especially anyone who remains seated. This 360 would be a great option for anyone of the "power" persuasion, someone who wants to fan cast hard baits, etc., a fly fisherman, flats, etc.

 

Brad

 

 

 

 

On 10/6/2018 at 9:53 AM, gnappi said:

Very cool little craft there! It looks like it would be a LOT of fun if it were kept on the shore side of a lake front house for sure but with a capacity of 1 person I'd call it a yak.

 

At 170 lbs for one passenger I'd think it's going to be pretty heavy for one person to launch and stow in a truck bed without help? How do you manage loading it alone?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello, Gary!

 

It does take up a bit more garage space owing to its width. Its length is about standard for fishing kayaks. Regarding loading it, the 360 has two handles and it is like picking up and walking with light luggage. I have a big scale with a hook on it and I will try to measure its "tongue weight" but I can carry it with a single finger holding on to each of the two handles. One big advantage is you are "centered" in the boat as you lift and move it, not like a traditional kayak where it is off to the side. On getting it inside my truck bed, I just roll it up, place about 18" of the bow ends of the two hulls on the truck gate, then I hold on to it to keep it from rolling off by keeping a hand on it as I move back to the two handles at the stern end, lift it up and slide it on. It takes seconds. One person can handle it all alone. I then flip the wheels up, strap it on and off I go.  Brad

[Brad Reid]

[Mikeltee]

That is one sweet ride. You got it for a heck of a deal! 

[Hawkeye21]

That does look pretty awesome but in my opinion I don't consider it a kayak.  I also don't think it really matters what you call it though.  As long as it gets you on the water fishing and you enjoy it is all that really matters.

[Brad Reid]

30 minutes ago, Hawkeye21 said:

That does look pretty awesome but in my opinion I don't consider it a kayak.  I also don't think it really matters what you call it though.  As long as it gets you on the water fishing and you enjoy it is all that really matters.

Me, too, Hawkeye21, not a kayak . . . Bluesky Boatworks doesn't call it one either. This is just another of endless possible hybrids sort of sandwiched between a fishing kayak (itself not a true kayak) and a jon boat or some other small boat. True boats of most sorts mean storage issues, engine maintenance, trailering issues, etc. 

 

What I like best about this one is in a small "vessel," it is nice to have several sources of power. So, some very weak paddling, some decent pedaling . . . and then some power options. The E-Drive coming out soon pops in, plug and play, to where the pedal system does. That, or a TM or a small outboard all seem do-able.

 

Brad

 

 

[J Francho]

The only reason anyone would care how someone classifies a watercraft would be for tournament rules.  Some wouldn't allow this craft.  Otherwise, call it a duck, have a blast catching fish from a craft that suits you.  Congrats on the new boat!

[Brad Reid]

22 hours ago, J Francho said:

The only reason anyone would care how someone classifies a watercraft would be for tournament rules.  Some wouldn't allow this craft.  Otherwise, call it a duck, have a blast catching fish from a craft that suits you.  Congrats on the new boat!

That is exactly right. Most everything these days is some sort of hybrid. Even the new Bonafide kayaks are promoted as having a similar shape to pontoon/catamarans. The difference is they are molded into the overall scheme of the kayak.

 

One issue now, it seems, is kayaks with and without power options in tournaments. Some comps allow power, some don't. 

 

Just pick your spot and go for it!!!

 

Brad

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, Brad Reid said:

One issue now, it seems, is kayaks with and without power options in tournaments.

The right and fair solution is separate divisions.

[Further North]

@Brad Reid

 

Thanks for the post, and the thoughtful detail.

 

I've been on a quest for some kind of water craft for our skinny-water musky rivers in WI and have not settled on anything yet.  This is another entry in a list of possibles.

 

I need to be able to go up and down river and return to where I started without another vehicle, I need to be able to carry 9 ft fly rods and musky casting gear, depending what my mood is for the day, and I need something stable and solid enough to be able to stand up and huck 14" fly if that's what the day calls for.

 

Canoes and kayaks are out, I can't and won't spend that much time sitting.

 

I'll check this out a bit and add it to my list.

 

I wish I could try 'em all out...

 

[flyfisher]

On 10/9/2018 at 1:32 PM, J Francho said:

The right and fair solution is separate divisions.

Doubt it will ever happen because motors are the reason for innovations in the kayak industry, paraphrasing here.  Oh and the motor manufacturer is the biggest sponsor.

[J Francho]

12 hours ago, flyfisher said:

Doubt it will ever happen because motors are the reason for innovations in the kayak industry

While they are influential, they are not the sole or largest reason for innovation in the kayak industry.  As a product, the motorized kayak is a very small slice of what the market actually buys.  It's like saying the Corvette is why a Cruze has power windows.

[Brad Reid]

Sure, "power" and kayaks is really more about market saturation, filling the gap between paddle - pedal - and full fledged trailered power boats of various sizes.

 

So, as regards fishing kayaks, I think for the standard 12' +/- a foot or so, 36" beam +/- 6" or so, we likely have likely seen about all there is. Space is rather limiting as is the general required shape.

 

So, we do see more power options but, at least so far, it is a fairly small percentage of the kayaks out there.

 

I still hold to the idea that what would really "fill in" some of the gap between kayaks and boats, attract more power users will have to do with getting away from carrying 50 lbs. batteries and/or $1000 lithium battery solutions. If someone would come out with a small outboard, 1 HP in size, that will run on the 16 oz. propane bottles (like Lehr and Tohatsu have now), it'd mean light weight, hugely extended ranges for kayaks, things like the Bluesky 360, others. If these things could be sold for $250/$350, and if they are reliable, we'd see a lot of people tacking on power options.

 

Brad

[flyfisher]

On 10/22/2018 at 9:25 AM, J Francho said:

While they are influential, they are not the sole or largest reason for innovation in the kayak industry.  As a product, the motorized kayak is a very small slice of what the market actually buys.  It's like saying the Corvette is why a Cruze has power windows.

What i said was tongue in cheek, sarcasm doesn't show well on a forum, because in a debate on the KBF facebook page i was told by the heads of that circuit that motors were a huge reason for innovation.  I found it comical myself.  To me all motors have done is made it less important to have a good paddling boat and create an uneven playing field in said tournaments, but that is for another thread really lol 

[J Francho]

That is a true story.  I could care less about what KBF is up to. The tournaments used to be fun.  I may do the lower level local stuff again.  Need to kick @clayton86's butt at some point, lol.

[Fishingmickey]

Hello Brad,

     Did I see your boat in the back of your truck last weekend at lake Belton for the Lone Star throwdown?

Fishingmickey

[flyfisher]

14 hours ago, J Francho said:

That is a true story.  I could care less about what KBF is up to. The tournaments used to be fun.  I may do the lower level local stuff again.  Need to kick @clayton86's butt at some point, lol.

I have had the competition bug in my ear for a while now but when i reached out to the head of the VA series, KBF affiliated i believe, I was less than enthralled with the responses and email exchanges.

For now, I'll just stick with heading out by myself or a friend or two and trying to catch more and bigger than they do 

[Brad Reid]

23 hours ago, Fishingmickey said:

Hello Brad,

     Did I see your boat in the back of your truck last weekend at lake Belton for the Lone Star throwdown?

Fishingmickey

No, that wasn't me . . . must have been another. I do know there are several others out there in the vicinity. I have yet to see another, though.

 

I'll have mine on Naconiche, likely this Saturday, but possibly tomorrow. That'll be a good test of how the E-Drive supposedly can glide over unseen obstacles just out of view. Naconiche is full of those!

 

Brad

[clayton86]

On 10/24/2018 at 8:28 AM, J Francho said:

That is a true story.  I could care less about what KBF is up to. The tournaments used to be fun.  I may do the lower level local stuff again.  Need to kick @clayton86's butt at some point, lol.

Would’ve been easy this season that just ended. Last season I was top 5 every event and cashed a check 3/4 the time. This season was a major fail for me I did every event and never finished above 15th till the very last one that was on my home waters I took 2nd after leaving a active school thinking I had 1st locked in and a 4 mile paddle ahead of me to get back I left earlier than I needed to. 

[Further North]

7 hours ago, clayton86 said:

Would’ve been easy this season that just ended. Last season I was top 5 every event and cashed a check 3/4 the time. This season was a major fail for me I did every event and never finished above 15th till the very last one that was on my home waters I took 2nd after leaving a active school thinking I had 1st locked in and a 4 mile paddle ahead of me to get back I left earlier than I needed to. 

I've a question for you:  Did you have fun?

 

If yes, why does any of that other crap matter?

 

Signed,

Confused in Chippewa Falls