New Old Town Sportsman fishing kayaks

[CountryboyinDC]

Evidently Old Town is renaming their existing fishing kayaks (the Predator PDL becomes the Sportsman BigWater 132 PDL), but adding some new boats as well.  If you're the type that wants a Minn Kota foot brace controlled TM with spot lock, they've got the Sportsman AutoPilot 120 for only $3,800 (batteries not included - sounds like a Mattel commercial).  I haven't seen these get any press anywhere else, so I was surprise when I got an email from OT trying to get me to buy one (it seems like I just bought the last one a couple of months ago).

 

https://oldtowncanoe.johnsonoutdoors.com/sportsman

[Smalls]

They released them today. I was watching some videos on a few of the kayaks, seems like they really listened to what people thought needed to be changed or fixed on the topwater/ predators. Definitely some cool features on them. 

 

Are they discontinuing the topwater/predators? I haven't seen anything saying they are, but I don't know if offering them makes sense with the sportsman available. 

[CountryboyinDC]

I think it's strange the way the marketing works here.  Vibe and a bunch of other companies brought out some pretty early in the prototype stage.  Since the iCast show people have been talking up those products.  From the pictures/videos, these products look pretty well ready for production and ARC and Austin Kayak are taking pre-orders for them.

The new AutoPilot models certainly seem to be in line with where the industry is going - I see trolling motors everywhere I go, from really slick Torqeedos that cost several grand to transom-mount jobs in cobbled-together mounts costing probably only a couple hundred.  This promises to be the most functional by a pretty wide margin.  I'm not going to be buying one, but if Hobie can sell a 360 drive Pro Angler for a grand more, I would imagine these models too will sell.

3 hours ago, Smalls said:

Are they discontinuing the topwater/predators? I haven't seen anything saying they are, but I don't know if offering them makes sense with the sportsman available.

Good question, but I don't really know that it makes a difference.  Unless you don't care for the new colors, the Predator (less the MX and the OG Predator) and Topwater lines seem to be carried over to the new line.

[Brad Reid]

Several "great" things about Old Town hitting the fishing kayak market so hard just a few years ago with its Predator series, then others. Old town seemed to get so many things right from the very beginning including making good looking, muscular boats, good colors, angler friendly yaks. And, good pricing.

 

So, Hobie and others also stepped it up a notch, Hobie with the 360 series and way up there in price; but, also they brought out pedal kayaks in the mid-teens pricing. Hobie attacked the high-end AND the price-conscience/sensitive markets in short order with new models exploiting both ends. This caused a cascading down in prices of Natives and many other makes and models . . . to stay competitive.

 

And, paddlers? Wow! Same thing is happening where it is now going to be danged tough selling pure paddlers for what one can spend on an entry level pedaler. 

 

Several makes are going to have to fall in line on price very fast, I suspect, else lose market share. Eddyline paddlers come to mind and so does Bonafide. Gonna be tough selling pure paddlers, regardless of their quality, for prices one can buy low end pedalers.

 

Well, on Old Town, one last thought: I really like the way these new TM powered kayaks work. The TMs are so functionally integrated. Man, are they going to put pressure on the after-market units with their sky high after-market prices and often extensive rigging work.

 

Yep! As long as the government stays out of kayak development and pricing, we'll get more and more bang for the buck year after year.

 

An example of deflation when it is a good thing!!!

 

Brad 

[CountryboyinDC]

1 hour ago, Brad Reid said:

Eddyline paddlers come to mind

I think Eddyline is pretty much a thing of the past for fishing kayaks.  You see a lot more of their touring models on the water and on tops of cars.  I remember not too many years ago seeing an Eddyline fishing model that went for nearly $3k, though!  That thermoformed polyethylene is a lot more than the rotomolded stuff.

[Hook2Jaw]

While my Predator PDL 2020 is an awesome boat, I'm already saving my dollars up for an the 120.  That thing is amazing. 

[BrianNJ31]

I’ve been torn for the longest time between the Topwater 120 PDL and the Hobie PA12 360, leaning towards the Hobie.  However, the Sportsman 120 PDL is making me reconsider. 
 

For those of you that have the PDL drive, how does it operate in light to moderate weeds? Is it frustrating constantly taking weeds off the prop?

[CountryboyinDC]

11 hours ago, Hook2Jaw said:

I'm already saving my dollars up for an the 120

I can't keep buying kayaks.  The first 1 lasted over a decade and cost $700.

 

9 hours ago, BrianNJ31 said:

For those of you that have the PDL drive, how does it operate in light to moderate weeds? Is it frustrating constantly taking weeds off the prop?

I don't have a lot of time in any Hobie, and I was definitely careful when I was.  There are a number of Hobie owners on this forum to give you feedback for comparison. 

My PDL drive doesn't get fouled often because I lift up the pedal drive and paddle when my graph says I'm in 2' of water or less.  It's obviously a prop, so it has the potential to catch weeds and if you're going to be fishing shallow flats or something a lot, I can imagine it getting aggravating to lift the pedal drive up often.  Usually when I'm in less than 2' of water I'm not en route, I'm fishing or close to where I'm fishing.  I use a stake out pole for something to stay put since I don't have the pedal drive to help hold me (and I've gotten spoiled about having to use the paddle to stay put).  I can't recall getting grass wrapped up so I have to clear it, and I tried to take a picture of the PDL drive prop area without moving out the car and everything stacked around to get it (didn'twork out).  What I was trying to show is that it looks pretty much like the lower part of an outboard, from the lower unit to the skeg.  People take those through bayous and places that I'd think would be a good places to get hung up with relatively little issue.

 

[flyfisher]

They look like a good value for a boat but I am always skeptical of the Old Town stuff.  I have known a few people who had issues and they were great with warranty or whatever but that is irrelevant to me honestly.  

I know nucanoe has a smiler deal going as well with the paddle, pedal and motor version of a kayak being available for like 3500.  

[TimberTodd]

Watched some videos on them and couldn't find anything on the Sportsman120 PDL. Anyone know if they did any changes on the Sportsman from the Topwater in the PDL configuration? I really like the integrated Plano box storage on the Autopilot unit and hope they added it to the PDL.

[CountryboyinDC]

17 hours ago, flyfisher said:

They look like a good value for a boat but I am always skeptical of the Old Town stuff.

I don't know too many people that have had trouble with OT, and I would say that their stuff is rarely the most expensive or has the finest finish, but it's known for being a quality product.  My first new canoe was an OT Appalachian, and those cost beat up more with a decade of river rash than mine did at the time.  Nucanoe is supposed to be a pretty good boat too.  I've only paddled the 11' model, and it seemed well made and thought out (I couldn't get used to no foot pegs).  None of these OTs have the ability to do all three - paddle, pedal, and motor.  You have to choose 2.  Their setups are a lot cleaner than the Nucanoe pedal system I've seen (never used it).

11 hours ago, TimberTodd said:

I really like the integrated Plano box storage on the Autopilot unit and hope they added it to the PDL.

That would be a nice addition.  I was thinking that they pretty much carried over the Predator and Topwater molds, but that might be assuming too much.  When they came out with the new Predator PDL last year, I contacted them to see about buying that forward facing flush mount rod holder.  They told me the mold had changed enough that it wouldn't work on mine.

[flyfisher]

the nucanoe pedal system is interesting for sure.  One thing i do like is that you turn not by a rudder but by the propulsion unit changing direction, like a trolling motor does.  I want to pedal one though before I figure out if i want ot make a change from my ATAK 140 which I absolutely love.