Tell us about your kayak

[michaelb]

On 1/17/2020 at 9:49 AM, SuperDuty said:

The shearwater definitely has my attention, too. I’m really kind of stuck between it and the kaku. Leaning more towards the kaku BUT I’m also worried about storage space, transducer mounts and some other things on the kakus. But one thing i love about the kakus is the wide open floor. 
i think Vibe has really laid out the SW 125 very very well. I think it’ll be a top boat for 2020. Can’t wait to see your review once you get it. 

What about the kaku has you worried about storage space? The front hatch provides access to the entire front of the boat (including under the deck, but I have not really tried to peer under there to see if it passes through all the way). The hatch behind the seat is small in diameter but also opens up to a large storage area. The well in the back is large as well for top side storage.

 

I love the rails, but I do wonder if they are too short and/or I would more of them, say in the area next to the seat and/or behind the seat. I love the yakgear paddle holder, but the paddle mounted takes up one entire front rail. You mentioned a transducer mount (inside the hull is probably the best overall option for the kaku), I am thinking about getting a cheap fish finder and mounting it on the rail behind me to keep it out of the way; so I would have to turn around while paddling, but could look back when drifting and fishing.

 

The kaku has insert mounts around as well, including the ones on the back for a trolling motor mount. But there are also two inserts inside the foot area, so vertical on the front of the standing area. I drilled a cup holder and bolted it on one (I really like have a fixed cup holder, something the kaku does not have built in). I have a tie down on the other bolt hole right now, but I do wonder about using that to bolt the fish finder in the front and not putting it up on the rail.

 

 

[SuperDuty]

6 hours ago, michaelb said:

What about the kaku has you worried about storage space? The front hatch provides access to the entire front of the boat (including under the deck, but I have not really tried to peer under there to see if it passes through all the way). The hatch behind the seat is small in diameter but also opens up to a large storage area. The well in the back is large as well for top side storage.

 

I love the rails, but I do wonder if they are too short and/or I would more of them, say in the area next to the seat and/or behind the seat. I love the yakgear paddle holder, but the paddle mounted takes up one entire front rail. You mentioned a transducer mount (inside the hull is probably the best overall option for the kaku), I am thinking about getting a cheap fish finder and mounting it on the rail behind me to keep it out of the way; so I would have to turn around while paddling, but could look back when drifting and fishing.

 

The kaku has insert mounts around as well, including the ones on the back for a trolling motor mount. But there are also two inserts inside the foot area, so vertical on the front of the standing area. I drilled a cup holder and bolted it on one (I really like have a fixed cup holder, something the kaku does not have built in). I have a tie down on the other bolt hole right now, but I do wonder about using that to bolt the fish finder in the front and not putting it up on the rail.

 

 

Not bulk storage but other storage that many other kayaks do offer. Things like tackle box storage near the seat, pods for mounting FF batteries or for junk gear, built in cup holders, etc. I see the wahoo as just a bare minimum offering with no extras that you get on some of the other yaks. Also the yaks that have the removable pods make it super simple to add FF to and keep everything easily accessible and hidden. No so when dealing with scupper holes. 

 

I think wahoo makes a great product which is well built. I think it would really shine in a river setting. 

 

I'm starting to think I need two yaks. One designed mainly for river fishing and one for lake fishing. I think the wahoo would be a contender for rivers since it wouldn't be running a FF or a TM, and the ss127 for lakes. Those two would be on my short list. 

[Choporoz]

[J Francho]

I dig that color.

[Choporoz]

Thx -- tho I'm not too color conscious -- I went with the camo dealio for the MD180 as much as for the color

[kykayak]

I have the Bonafide SS127. Which is basically my first fishing Kayak. I've had it for about a year and a half and Its been everywhere with me. A couple trips to Florida fishing the swamp and salt flats. Locally, larger larger lakes in Kentucky down to small streams. 

 

The pros: Stability, large deck, storage.Fishes great on creeks with faster moving water. 

 

The cons: I can only think of one, but it's a big one. The kayak always wants to face the wind. Any wind above 5 mph will drive you nuts. If you are fishing down a bank with the wind to your back will turn you to the wind within seconds of putting the paddle down. I bought a power pole micro to help with this issue. I believe its almost needed for this kayak if you face windy conditions. 

[J Francho]

On 2/22/2020 at 9:49 AM, kykayak said:

The kayak always wants to face the wind.

That is actually a design feature of that boat.  I would prefer to face the wind in most situations, as casting into the wind, running your bait back is a big time.  I could see it being really annoying if you weren't expecting it, though.  It could be worse, I have a Jackson Coosa that spins when confronted by any breeze.  My Wildy Commander goes stern to the wind.  The Hobie Compass is so low profile, it kind of chugs along where ever you put it.  

 

High winds are always a problem with kayaks.

[Bass Rutten]

37 minutes ago, J Francho said:

High winds are always a problem with kayaks.

Very true of course, but I’ve read a number of reports of this particular kayak not tracking well and causing that problem worse than most yaks

[J Francho]

I've been in a lot of boats.  It's not noticeably better or worse than most. I've been in MUCH worse.  I've been in much better, as well.  To me, it performs like a fishing kayak.  As always, hull design and cockpit layout with respect to all aspects are a trade off.   For example, my Commander is fast, tracks straight, is decent in wind, has a huge capacity, can easily be powered, has one of the better dual seating options without being a fussy tangle prone design, and just plain looks good on the water.  That said, it has no sealed storage or built in anything, other than the seat.  Everything has to be rail mounted and put in it's own storage container.

[Hook2Jaw]

On 2/8/2020 at 8:34 PM, James Engle said:

I’ve got a pair of old town predator PDL’s. Awesome awesome boats. My previous kayak was a native slayer 10, it was much slower, less stable, cheaper quality, and my customer service experience from the remaining dealers closest to me was poor.  I went to old town and haven’t looked back. I will say the kaku voodoo has always caught my eye and I would love one of those one day. The nucanoe lineup is a similar style as the voodoo so you might like them as well. 

#predatoryinstincts represent!

 

[Harold Scoggins]

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

That is actually a design feature of that boat. 

Yep. Forward to 1:30

 

[michaelb]

9 hours ago, J Francho said:

That is actually a design feature of that boat.  I would prefer to face the wind in most situations, as casting into the wind, running your bait back is a big time.  I could see it being really annoying if you weren't expecting it, though.  It could be worse, I have a Jackson Coosa that spins when confronted by any breeze.  My Wildy Commander goes stern to the wind.  The Hobie Compass is so low profile, it kind of chugs along where ever you put it.  

 

High winds are always a problem with kayaks.

I don't see how weathercocking in the wind would be a design feature; it may be a result of other design choices they made. The physics get complicated, but if the bow is turning into the wind, that suggests the bow is heavy. I assume you are not standing? You would think they would design the boat to be neutral in terms of trim. Boats that are "designed" for this feature have adjustable sliding seats, so you can adjust the trim based on the conditions. So you slide forward and trim forward if you paddling into the wind and slide backwards and trim to be the back if you are running/surfing with the wind. What if you try carrying a gallon of water and putting that in the farthest back spot on the back? Moving gear around to adjust trim is a core part of canoe tripping based on the conditions.

 

Also, you describe this happening right as you stop paddling. That can be a different effect, based on how the boat tracks and how you are paddling. the boat will spin away from your last paddle stroke. this isn't usually a major issue on most kayaks but is a major issue on canoes, particularly solo canoes. You may want to learn to feather your last paddle strokes, or just come in with half strokes and then quarter strokes and then barely any stroke at all and see if you can get the boat to glide forward in a straight line (many reviews though of the bonafides suggest they can't really do this and they don't track straight like this).

 

The simple answer though to holding your position in the wind is to anchor or power pole (on the rear, as you are presumably).

[Smalls]

4 hours ago, michaelb said:

I don't see how weathercocking in the wind would be a design feature; i

Because of the way bass feed, most fisherman cast into the wind. So having a kayak that weathercocks into the wind is usually how they design them. 

[J Francho]

@michaelb have you paddled a Bonafide?  

[GTN-NY]

36 minutes ago, J Francho said:

@michaelb have you paddled a Bonafide?  

Do you have a Bonafide? I was really wanting one but wanted to test drive one first but couldn’t find anyone in Roch area. So I bought a Jackson Big Rig

[J Francho]

I do not, but I've spent some good seat time with some fishing in one.  

[NYWayfarer]

 

I have a DSG exclusive Pelican Tracker kayak. This will be my fourth year with it.

 

My favorite things about it:

 

Lightweight. At 38 pounds I can lift it with ease and place it on my car roof or hanging brackets in my garage.

Fast.

Tracks well.

I can use it in late fall with a cover.

 

Things I don't like about it:

 

Limited storage

Only 2 rod holders

Sit in kayak, can't stand in it.

Seat can be uncomfortable after 4 hours or more of fishing.

 

While I can upgrade, I find this kayak is fine for what I need. I got it for under $150 and it was money well spent.  

[kykayak]

On 2/24/2020 at 8:47 AM, J Francho said:

That is actually a design feature of that boat.  I would prefer to face the wind in most situations, as casting into the wind, running your bait back is a big time.  I could see it being really annoying if you weren't expecting it, though.  It could be worse, I have a Jackson Coosa that spins when confronted by any breeze.  My Wildy Commander goes stern to the wind.  The Hobie Compass is so low profile, it kind of chugs along where ever you put it.  

 

High winds are always a problem with kayaks.

I didn't realize it was a design feature of the boat. I have a love/hate relationship with my bonafide. When the conditions are right for the boat its effortless and a pleasure to fish out of. But, when the conditions are not ideal I'm in for an all day fight. 

 

 

[kykayak]

On 2/24/2020 at 6:52 PM, michaelb said:

Also, you describe this happening right as you stop paddling. That can be a different effect, based on how the boat tracks and how you are paddling. the boat will spin away from your last paddle stroke. this isn't usually a major issue on most kayaks but is a major issue on canoes, particularly solo canoes. You may want to learn to feather your last paddle strokes, or just come in with half strokes and then quarter strokes and then barely any stroke at all and see if you can get the boat to glide forward in a straight line (many reviews though of the bonafides suggest they can't really do this and they don't track straight like this).

 

The simple answer though to holding your position in the wind is to anchor or power pole (on the rear, as you are presumably).

Depending on the conditions, if i'm fishing with the wind It's almost necessary to make a complete stop in order to not make a compete turn within seconds. The power pole helps a lot if you are in shallow water. 

[Leftymuk]

I have traded in my Hobie pro angler for a Blue Sky Boatworks 360 Angler........after talking with Jackson Kayak about their up coming 360 Bass model I have got mine completed.....lost the plastic decking in favor of 1/8 aluminum with custom SeaDek matting ....lost the pedal drive for a front mounted Motorguide xi5....added a Lowrance Elite 9 ti and led lighting all by YakPower with FPV lithium batteries and the new YakGear stakeout pole setup along with a bunch of other mods......

[HookInMouth]

1 hour ago, Leftymuk said:

I have traded in my Hobie pro angler for a Blue Sky Boatworks 360 Angler........after talking with Jackson Kayak about their up coming 360 Bass model I have got mine completed.....lost the plastic decking in favor of 1/8 aluminum with custom SeaDek matting ....lost the pedal drive for a front mounted Motorguide xi5....added a Lowrance Elite 9 ti and led lighting all by YakPower with FPV lithium batteries and the new YakGear stakeout pole setup along with a bunch of other mods......

Wow. Nice setup. I see YakGadget Quickstop Anchors on the back. How do you like those?

[Brad Reid]

Well, I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, that I'd add a pure paddler to my little pedaler, my Native Propel 10. And, what sort of "flipped the switch" for me was the dramatic price drop I have been noting in posts. It all sort of started when some pedalers with good names appeared on the market with low price points. Old Town was one, then Hobie came out with a pedaler in the $1500 range, others. So, it was just a matter of time before fishing paddling kayaks dropped. The other day I was looking on a well known kayak retailer website, saw that the 2020 Native Ultimate 12 FX Pro was listed at $899. I called one of their nearby shops and the man told me they'd be shipped in a week, that he would apply some demo days discount dropping the price to $850 +/- TTL.

 

I bought one. No, don't necessarily follow my make and model decision, just expect, rather demand, that if you do buy a paddler that it not be priced like pedalers. Some makes and models have a way to go in this respect and need to bite the bullet and adjust their retail prices. Well, I say they should if they notice their sales are declining. If not, no, I guess.

 

So the FX Pro is 12'2", 30.5" beam, weighs 60 w/o, 65 with seat, has a hi-lo seat adjustment and the seat can be trimmed a bit forward/back, adequate gear track, an anchor trolley, pre-configuration for an optional rudder. What I don't know is whether it'll come with a bow hatch cover. One photo shows it, another doesn't . . . and the specs on Native's website don't mention it. Oh! The Native rudder? Over $300. So, I'll begin without it and see if I think I need it. Some recent year models have had under-seat storage for two Plano boxes. Hard to say whether the 2020 does or doesn't.

 

Brad

 

 

[Dens228]

While patiently awaiting my now delayed Shearwater I'm contemplating the Bonafide SS127.  The Shearwater delay is already going past my first two tournaments.

[HookInMouth]

1 hour ago, Dens228 said:

While patiently awaiting my now delayed Shearwater I'm contemplating the Bonafide SS127.  The Shearwater delay is already going past my first two tournaments.

I'm going to a local shop tonight to look at a couple 2019 Model year SS127. They have two, a Hondo Orange and a True Grit Sand. Since the colors have been discontinued for 2020 they are 25% off. Honestly, I'll probably by both at that price. I'm keeping my Kaku Voodoo though haha. 

[J Francho]

@Brad Reid that's a really nice hull you got!  I think you'll be fine without the rudder.  The double tunnel style hull tracks well, and is similar to my Commander.  You'll just have to dust off your paddling skills.  Congrats!