Old Town Autopilot 120

[FryDog62]

Spending a couple months down south on a 400 acre freshwater lake in Florida. Hard to imagine looking at it every day and not fishing. 
 

So contemplated several options and landed on getting my first kayak. Honestly I’m a bit spoiled with a bass boat at home with many bells and whistles.  So opted for an Autopilot 120 with MinnKota 45/Spot-lock, Helix 7 Mega SI, and transport wheels to pull it to the boat launch 50 yards away. 
 

Did all the rigging myself, which took a little while and a few bugs yet to work out. But overall very glad I did this. 
 

There is even a tournament later this month. I may be the only one in a Yak but and thinking of entering just for the fun of it!

[Landis Carrier]

I bough an AP120 in October 2020 and I absolutely love it! Fantastic fishing platform! 

[Maxbasstn]

Nice kayak!  Having spotlock on them is awesome.   How comfortable are you being low in the water with gators around ? 

[FryDog62]

33 minutes ago, Maxbasstn said:

Nice kayak!  Having spotlock on them is awesome.   How comfortable are you being low in the water with gators around ? 

Its a unique lake for Florida. Most are shallow, weedy, gator waters - but this was an old dug out quarry, so its deep, clear and minimal weeds. Gators are rare, but of course can wander in from time to time. They get over a certain size are captured and donated to the local food shelves. Taste like chicken I'm told...

 

Being a rare, deep lake, there are a few jet skis, wake boats... not many, but more of a nuisance than the reptiles fortunately ~

[Bluebasser86]

Nice! A guy in our club has the exact same one, color and everything. I'm sure the spotlock is awesome. I've got a new depthfinder I need to get put on mine now that I have all the parts in. 

[Holetail]

Super nice rig. You may want to put your  boondocks wheels in the up position when fishing though. I would imagine there would be a lot of drag

[FryDog62]

2 hours ago, Holetail said:

Super nice rig. You may want to put your  boondocks wheels in the up position when fishing though. I would imagine there would be a lot of drag

Yes, like this! I was too busy talking with my hands I had just launched and not flipped them up quite yet... 

[Holetail]

I trust you know I was joking. That yak looks like it will serve you well

[MN Fisher]

On 1/9/2022 at 8:48 AM, FryDog62 said:

So contemplated several options and landed on getting my first kayak. Honestly I’m a bit spoiled with a bass boat at home with many bells and whistles.  So opted for an Autopilot 120 with MinnKota 45/Spot-lock, Helix 7 Mega SI, and transport wheels to pull it to the boat launch 50 yards away. 

Chris...when you come home and are done with it, you can just drop it off in my driveway on your way past.

 

Nice rig, dude!

[FryDog62]

1 hour ago, MN Fisher said:

Chris...when you come home and are done with it, you can just drop it off in my driveway on your way past.

 

Nice rig, dude!

Absolutely - will leave it at the Gray’s Bay access for you

[gim]

Are you saying that you don’t miss the lovely January temps up here in Minnesota? It’s been subzero almost every night for a week straight!

[Deephaven]

Yeah, that looks better than waiting for it to snow.

[FryDog62]

43 minutes ago, gimruis said:

Are you saying that you don’t miss the lovely January temps up here in Minnesota? It’s been subzero almost every night for a week straight!

Yes, my son is staying at our house while we are away and he's been telling me how frigid its been.  This has been an absolute blast down here so far, temps upper 70's to low 80's. Locals are "bracing us" for a major cold front next week in the upper 60's... Ha! I asked them if that's considered a Polar Vortex and they just give me a puzzled look. Well, even though it'll be a cold front, we'll survive somehow lol. 

 

Gim, you'd be interested to know that I've been throwing a number of lures down here, but one of the best has been the 3.5 inch Maxscent tube. Rigged weedless on the Owner Phantom hook tossed into the outer edge of the weed line. Kind of left off where I did in the Fall in Minnesota. But that tube seems to work just as well down here.  I'm getting low on stock, better load up on the next TW shipment!  

[MN Fisher]

3 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Locals are "bracing us" for a major cold front next week in the upper 60's... Ha!

Sounds like one Christmas the wife and I spent with her mom in Boca. We were out by the pool, temp was around 65...her mom came out with a sweater saying "I don't want you to catch cold."

"Mom, the wind chill was -36 when we got on the plane at MSP yesterday, this is 100 degrees warmer. We're fine."

[Conclusion]

I'd really like to hear some more real world feedback on this kayak. I've been looking at the 120 and 136 quite a bit, unfortunately all the YouTube videos seem to be from people who have received the kayaks from old town for free so I feel like they're biased. There also isn't very much in terms of feedback on general forums that I've found.

 

How do you find the cockpit room on the 120 when standing, is it enough? Also do you think it's stable enough to frog fish standing? Appreciate your insight. 

[FryDog62]

29 minutes ago, Conclusion said:

I'd really like to hear some more real world feedback on this kayak. I've been looking at the 120 and 136 quite a bit, unfortunately all the YouTube videos seem to be from people who have received the kayaks from old town for free so I feel like they're biased. There also isn't very much in terms of feedback on general forums that I've found.

 

How do you find the cockpit room on the 120 when standing, is it enough? Also do you think it's stable enough to frog fish standing? Appreciate your insight. 

I've had the kayak for about 2 weeks and have been out a half dozen times. I think it is very stable and seaworthy. I've taken it straight into a 15+ mph wind with chop at 4-4.5 mph and it did just fine. A little spray but that comes with the territory in a yak. In calmer waters, I troll shorelines standing up casting, skipping, etc. Throwing frogs shouldn't be an issue. I'm 180 pounds so I don't know if you are a lot bigger if that would make it tougher, I don't know.  I think the cockpit has plenty of room and I can turn around, stoop down to land fish, etc. 

 

I've never been in a yak before buying this boat. I'm a bit spoiled with my bass boat at home and honestly was concerned about how fishing friendly this would actually be. Pleasantly surprised with how good of a platform it is. 

 

I did buy seat risers from Navarre Kayak, to raise the back of the seat up 3 inches (more level with the front height of the seat). I'm not a fan of sitting low with your knees way up high - and these really help. Now I sit up higher when cruising/trolling and can see where I'm going or casting better. Very easy to go from sitting position to standing with the seat risers. I highly recommend them (https://navarrekayakfishing.com/shop/old-town-seat-risers/)

 

The hull is very hefty and quite substantial. If it has any drawback at all it is that it is extremely heavy for one person lift, pull, launch, etc. Wheels are a must if you have any distance at all to take it on land, or from your vehicle to the launch. If you have a trailer it would be much easier to transport/launch. If not, be sure you're in shape to maneuver it. But all this extra weight does make it a very stable, safe fishing machine! 

[Conclusion]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

I've had the kayak for about 2 weeks and have been out a half dozen times. I think it is very stable and seaworthy. I've taken it straight into a 15+ mph wind with chop at 4-4.5 mph and it did just fine. A little spray but that comes with the territory in a yak. In calmer waters, I troll shorelines standing up casting, skipping, etc. Throwing frogs shouldn't be an issue. I'm 180 pounds so I don't know if you are a lot bigger if that would make it tougher, I don't know.  I think the cockpit has plenty of room and I can turn around, stoop down to land fish, etc. 

 

I've never been in a yak before buying this boat. I'm a bit spoiled with my bass boat at home and honestly was concerned about how fishing friendly this would actually be. Pleasantly surprised with how good of a platform it is. 

 

I did buy seat risers from Navarre Kayak, to raise the back of the seat up 3 inches (more level with the front height of the seat). I'm not a fan of sitting low with your knees way up high - and these really help. Now I sit up higher when cruising/trolling and can see where I'm going or casting better. Very easy to go from sitting position to standing with the seat risers. I highly recommend them (https://navarrekayakfishing.com/shop/old-town-seat-risers/)

 

The hull is very hefty and quite substantial. If it has any drawback at all it is that it is extremely heavy for one person lift, pull, launch, etc. Wheels are a must if you have any distance at all to take it on land, or from your vehicle to the launch. If you have a trailer it would be much easier to transport/launch. If not, be sure you're in shape to maneuver it. But all this extra weight does make it a very stable, safe fishing machine! 

Thanks a lot for the quick reply and information. The additional speed of the 120 over the 136 is what appeals to me more, however I wasn't sure if the loss of deck room would be worth the trade off. 

 

I'm actually about the same size as you so good to hear it's stable. I wanted to make sure I could set a hard hook on a frog and not feel tippy. 

[FryDog62]

7 minutes ago, Conclusion said:

Thanks a lot for the quick reply and information. The additional speed of the 120 over the 136 is what appeals to me more, however I wasn't sure if the loss of deck room would be worth the trade off. 

 

I'm actually about the same size as you so good to hear it's stable. I wanted to make sure I could set a hard hook on a frog and not feel tippy. 

Wide open, she cruises regularly at 4.3 mph. Not sure what the 136 would do, its heavier and same motor so I would assume slightly less. 

[Conclusion]

59 minutes ago, FryDog62 said:

Wide open, she cruises regularly at 4.3 mph. Not sure what the 136 would do, its heavier and same motor so I would assume slightly less. 

From the comparison video I watched on YouTube that's correct, I think he says about 0.5-0.8mph slower. The trade off is the larger open deck and extra stability in rougher water. 

[FryDog62]

6 hours ago, Conclusion said:

From the comparison video I watched on YouTube that's correct, I think he says about 0.5-0.8mph slower. The trade off is the larger open deck and extra stability in rougher water. 

For me, the speed isn’t a big difference. But I did hear one kayak tournament angler say that he downsized from the 136 to the 120 specifically because he wanted to get to the best spots in a tournament before the 136’s showed up. Could be the 136 comes out with a 60 lb thrust motor next year - probably will happen... 

[FishTank]

Nice.  I have been debating between the OT Autopilot 136 and the Hobie PA 14.  I will make up my mind before the end of the month.  Two places here in Indy actually have stock on both but they are going quickly.  I just can't figure out which will be better for me and all the stuff I want cram it. 

[cyclops2]

Buy biggest one. It gives best mileage.  More space for extra gear & bigger battery.

[FryDog62]

I went 60ah and went 7 hours still on “high” according to battery life gauge... ?

[Conclusion]

13 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

For me, the speed isn’t a big difference. But I did hear one kayak tournament angler say that he downsized from the 136 to the 120 specifically because he wanted to get to the best spots in a tournament before the 136’s showed up. Could be the 136 comes out with a 60 lb thrust motor next year - probably will happen... 

You've tried both and didn't find a difference in speed?

 

I heard/read somewhere that the hulls were specifically designed for the 45lb thrust and they didn't use larger motors because it would impact the entire design. Not sure if true.

13 hours ago, FishTank said:

Nice.  I have been debating between the OT Autopilot 136 and the Hobie PA 14.  I will make up my mind before the end of the month.  Two places here in Indy actually have stock on both but they are going quickly.  I just can't figure out which will be better for me and all the stuff I want cram it. 

Are you talking the pa14 with the motorguide xi5? Have you figured out of there's a big price difference?

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, Conclusion said:

Are you talking the pa14 with the motorguide xi5? Have you figured out of there's a big price difference?

 

Just the one with the foot peddle (Mirage 180 drive or maybe the 360).  I like the idea of the remote controlled trolling motor on the Old Town but I like the layout of the PA14 better.