Pulled the trigger on a pedal kayak

[Koz]

I've been thinking about getting a pedal kayak for a while now and just when I was ready to pull the trigger there was the Great Kayak Shortage of 2021. But tonight the one I was looking at - the Seastream Angler 120 PD was available at the price of $1,399 + $120 shipping from a third party website as opposed to the $1,539 + $200+ shipping from the Seastream website.  With fingers trembling I entered my credit card information and hit the Confirm Order.

 

The good news is that it will be delivered in 5-7 days. The bad news, I guess, is that without a vehicle to transport it I will keep it chained up out back of my hotel for a while (without the seat and pedal drive) or store it inside the hotel. But there's more good news and that's after living in my hotel for almost 3 months I found a house to rent and it's cheap - it will save me $1k a month over what I was first going to rent. So now I have money to purchase a new vehicle. Yay me!

 

Now before I go hog wild and start adding electronics and accessories, I'm looking for an inexpensive kayak cart, say under $90. Any suggestions? I was looking at a CTug, but for now I'd like to save a few extra bucks and upgrade my PFD with the added savings on a cart.

 

I'm hoping I don't regret buying the Seastream. But I'm tired of bank fishing in the little cove where my hotel is located and want to explore more of Lake Oconee.

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

Congrats! Never heard of them but hopefully it'll do the job. I have a C-tug cart and it does a good job as long as I'm not pulling over anything too crazy. I'd suggest fishing out of a good bit before you go doing too much to it so you can get an idea where you want things first. 

[Koz]

7 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Congrats! Never heard of them but hopefully it'll do the job. I have a C-tug cart and it does a good job as long as I'm not pulling over anything too crazy. I'd suggest fishing out of a good bit before you go doing too much to it so you can get an idea where you want things first. 

 

Seastream is actually owned by Feel Free kayaks.

[Dens228]

I had a C-Tug and loved it but it didn't fit well with my SS127 so I went with the Wilderness cart. 

If I were you I'd get the C-Tug straight up first.........buy once.........

[GaryH]

Congrats and enjoy...

[Darren.]

Really nice! Enjoy it!

 

Are you a DIYer? Could make a nice cart for under $30.

Or you could buy one here. These are pretty amazing

http://paddlelogic.com/trailtreker-kayak-carts.html

 

[galyonj]

12 hours ago, Koz said:

I'm looking for an inexpensive kayak cart, say under $90. Any suggestions? I was looking at a CTug, but for now I'd like to save a few extra bucks and upgrade my PFD with the added savings on a cart.

 

I don't want to presume your capabilities in terms of workspace and tool availability (given the living situation you mentioned), and I 100% understand if you'd rather just buy one and be done with it, but you could pretty easily build a little cart with bunks and all that good stuff for very little.

 

Rather see you spend time on this and coin on a nice PFD.

 

Aw, man. @Darren. beat me to the punch cause I got distracted with a work email. Good lookin' out, dude.

[TnRiver46]

Congratulations!!! I’ve been rooting for you to get off the bank for years haha. It’s that darn turbo that’s been holding you back........

[Koz]

2 hours ago, galyonj said:

 

I don't want to presume your capabilities in terms of workspace and tool availability (given the living situation you mentioned), and I 100% understand if you'd rather just buy one and be done with it, but you could pretty easily build a little cart with bunks and all that good stuff for very little.

 

Rather see you spend time on this and coin on a nice PFD.

 

Aw, man. @Darren. beat me to the punch cause I got distracted with a work email. Good lookin' out, dude.

 

I'm pretty handy with things. Somewhere in the Everything Else section of this forum you can see posts of the woodworking projects I have done. So I don't mind the DIY, but some of the ones you purchase allow for them to be taken apart quickly and stowed on the kayak instead of hiking back to your vehicle.

 

 

[fishingtx]

I wish I had a kayak like that. That is one cool yak.

[J Francho]

Congrats!  Count me as a C-Tug if there isn't a factory option for one, like my Hobie.

[Allen Der]

who is the seller?  there's a lot of kayak related scams out there

[Koz]

21 minutes ago, Allen Der said:

who is the seller?  there's a lot of kayak related scams out there

It's an actual brick and mortar store out of North Carolina. I received the shipping notifications today from both UPS (shipping the pedal drive) and Old Dominion Freight (the kayak itself) and these are coming directly from the Feel Free factory in North Carolina. Feel Free also emailed me the shipping warranty today.

[flyfisher]

I have a C tug that i've had for a few years that I would be willing to sell for a decent price if you are interested......

[CountryboyinDC]

The cart on the right breaks down so that you can fit it in the front hatch of most kayaks (WS Ride 135, Jackson Coosa HD, and OT Predator PDL verified) and this process takes probably less than 2 minutes.  I built it thinking that after carting the kayak to the launch, I'd put it in the hatch to keep it from getting stolen.  It turns out, no one steals homemade PVC carts, but it may take up less room for you.  This design is adaptable to more hulls than the C-tug is, with pneumatic tires gives a smoother ride, is higher (which makes for more comfortable towing) and of course cost less.  The C-tug is handier (the straps and the kickstand are very handy) and loads easier due to  being lower to the ground.  If you're interested, I can PM you more pics, cut list, etc.

Congrats on the new kayak!

[Allen Der]

On 4/22/2021 at 5:13 PM, Koz said:

It's an actual brick and mortar store out of North Carolina. I received the shipping notifications today from both UPS (shipping the pedal drive) and Old Dominion Freight (the kayak itself) and these are coming directly from the Feel Free factory in North Carolina. Feel Free also emailed me the shipping warranty today.

 

wow I'm surprised they gave you a discount in the current market.  Feel free are made in Indonesia so it's probably just a warehouse in NC

[Koz]

10 minutes ago, Allen Der said:

 

wow I'm surprised they gave you a discount in the current market.  Feel free are made in Indonesia so it's probably just a warehouse in NC

From their website:

 

"Feelfree's products are designed by a team of designers from New Zealand to the USA and are manufactured in our very own factory in Thailand."

[Allen Der]

31 minutes ago, Koz said:

From their website:

 

"Feelfree's products are designed by a team of designers from New Zealand to the USA and are manufactured in our very own factory in Thailand."

oops yeah I was close.  knew it wasnt made in USA

[BrianMDTX]

On 4/22/2021 at 11:16 AM, bass4life.... said:

I wish I had a kayak like that. That is one cool yak.

Agreed! I like it and hopes it fishes as well as it looks! 

[Krux5506]

Keep us posted with how you like it. It looks nice.  I'm in the market for a kayak upgrade too. Actually, I have been on and off for a few years. I didn't think I'd want a pedal yak now I'm really second guessing that and thinking I'll end up going that route. 

[Koz]

1 hour ago, Krux5506 said:

Keep us posted with how you like it. It looks nice.  I'm in the market for a kayak upgrade too. Actually, I have been on and off for a few years. I didn't think I'd want a pedal yak now I'm really second guessing that and thinking I'll end up going that route. 

The reason that I want a pedal kayak with instant reverse over a standard kayak is that I think it will be easier to fish from. When I fish from a standard kayak I spend way too much time paddling and position correcting unless I'm anchored down.

 

With a pedal kayak (with instant reverse) I should be able to jog the watercraft to stay in position and be able to fish at the same time.

[Dens228]

On 4/23/2021 at 5:53 AM, CountryboyinDC said:

The cart on the right breaks down so that you can fit it in the front hatch of most kayaks (WS Ride 135, Jackson Coosa HD, and OT Predator PDL verified) and this process takes probably less than 2 minutes.  I built it thinking that after carting the kayak to the launch, I'd put it in the hatch to keep it from getting stolen.  It turns out, no one steals homemade PVC carts, but it may take up less room for you.  This design is adaptable to more hulls than the C-tug is, with pneumatic tires gives a smoother ride, is higher (which makes for more comfortable towing) and of course cost less.  The C-tug is handier (the straps and the kickstand are very handy) and loads easier due to  being lower to the ground.  If you're interested, I can PM you more pics, cut list, etc.

Congrats on the new kayak!

I like the idea of a 4 wheel cart for those long hauls.....just pull not lift makes a big difference. 

 

[Bankc]

Outside of one specifically designed for your kayak, a DIY solution is probably the best bet.  The reason being, Kayaks are all different sizes and shapes.  And the shape is usually tapered at both ends, both on the sides and bottom, which makes it easy for a kart to slide out and get loose.  And a general purpose kayak cart is designed to adapt to the most number of kayaks, which means they often don't do a great job of adapting to one specific one.  The kinds that go through the scupper holes are better about that, but they damage your scupper holes.  So a kart designed specifically for your kayak, either from the manufacturer or by yourself, has a lot higher chance of remaining connected to your kayak as you pull it over rocks, tall grass, curbs, etc.  

 

The C-Tug might be fine for you kayak.  I've never used one or your kayak, so I would have no way of knowing how well they fit together.  A lot depends on location of the pads and the shape of your hull.  So, if you go that route, be sure to buy one from a place you can return it if it doesn't fit well.  You might have to try a few different designs before you find the one that stays on well.  It's less important to find the highest quality kart available than it is to find one that fits well.  I use a $40 aluminum one I got on Amazon and had to make several modifications to it to get it to work right for me.

[TnRiver46]

2 hours ago, Koz said:

The reason that I want a pedal kayak with instant reverse over a standard kayak is that I think it will be easier to fish from. When I fish from a standard kayak I spend way too much time paddling and position correcting unless I'm anchored down.

 

With a pedal kayak (with instant reverse) I should be able to jog the watercraft to stay in position and be able to fish at the same time.

You might also be shocked how effective trolling a crankbait behind a kayak can be. I’ve never done it with pedals but I imagine it’s awesome and of course hands free 

[CountryboyinDC]

6 hours ago, Dens228 said:

I like the idea of a 4 wheel cart for those long hauls.....just pull not lift makes a big difference.

The 4 wheeled one does good with my heavier pedal kayak.  It doesn't break down, though.  It is still no joy to get the kayak on and off fully rigged, but definitely pulling it is no issue.