Bonafide 130 Fishing Kayak

[FryDog62]

I saw some of the promos from iCast for the Bonafide 130 fishing kayak. Looks pretty deluxe, especially if you want to fish with a second person. It’s built with a bass boat platform in mind. 
 

Anyone hear how fast it goes with the Lowrance Xi3 in the front?  
 

 

[casts_by_fly]

length/width/weight its basically the same as the AP120.  Its 7" longer, but also about 20 lb heavier.  the gunwales are higher and the capacity is higher by a bit.  The full length rails are pretty neat and I think that's a really smart feature.  Like you said, that's pretty cool for a second angler, especially with the increased capacity.  Good that the built a trailer hook on the front because you're going to need it.

[FryDog62]

51 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

length/width/weight its basically the same as the AP120.  Its 7" longer, but also about 20 lb heavier.  the gunwales are higher and the capacity is higher by a bit.  The full length rails are pretty neat and I think that's a really smart feature.  Like you said, that's pretty cool for a second angler, especially with the increased capacity.  Good that the built a trailer hook on the front because you're going to need it.

Agreed, and it's about 3-4 inches wider too which makes me wonder how hydrodynamic it is.  Not even sure how much thrust you can get in the Xi3 trolling motor.  It would have to be a quite a bit more to be faster than the Autopilot. They didn't mention any top-end speeds on the 2-3 videos I saw.  

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

Agreed, and it's about 3-4 inches wider too which makes me wonder how hydrodynamic it is.  Not even sure how much thrust you can get in the Xi3 trolling motor.  It would have to be a quite a bit more to be faster than the Autopilot. They didn't mention any top-end speeds on the 2-3 videos I saw.  

but it has the capacity for an outboard. Which is exactly what I would do. A 2.5hp on it or even a 4 should do 10 mph. 
 

then again, an outboard, trailer, etc you might as well get a Jon boat. I don’t expect this to be a cheap kayak. 

[FryDog62]

29 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

but it has the capacity for an outboard. Which is exactly what I would do. A 2.5hp on it or even a 4 should do 10 mph. 
 

then again, an outboard, trailer, etc you might as well get a Jon boat. I don’t expect this to be a cheap kayak. 

I think the defining issue is if you tournament fish at all. None of the major kayak tournament trails allow the use of 2 motors. So if you went with the powerful motor in the back, you couldn’t have trolling abilities up front, spot-lock (Pinpoint with Lowrance) or jog ability. Given the choice, I’d be bow mount only and hope it’s a fast enough motor, but I have my doubts…

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

I think the defining issue is if you tournament fish at all. None of the major kayak tournament trails allow the use of 2 motors. So if you went with the powerful motor in the back, you couldn’t have trolling abilities up front, spot-lock (Pinpoint with Lowrance) or jog ability. Given the choice, I’d be bow mount only and hope it’s a fast enough motor, but I have my doubts…

agreed. And kayak tournaments don’t allow gas motors I don’t think. Spot lock is a game changer in a kayak you can stand in. If I could swap 1:1 this bona fide for my autopilot I’d consider it. It’s probably a better version of what you and I have. But I bet with an xi3 kayak it would cost more than an ap. Probably more than worth switching. 

[FryDog62]

10 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

agreed. And kayak tournaments don’t allow gas motors I don’t think. Spot lock is a game changer in a kayak you can stand in. If I could swap 1:1 this bona fide for my autopilot I’d consider it. It’s probably a better version of what you and I have. But I bet with an xi3 kayak it would cost more than an ap. Probably more than worth switching. 

Very true, but I have so much invested in the AP already, I doubt the Bonafide would be much more in the end.  But it’s still far less than I spent on my bass boat and it has all the electronics. I’m good for now (unless I expand the fleet)!

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

Very true, but I have so much invested in the AP already, I doubt the Bonafide would be much more in the end.  But it’s still far less than I spent on my bass boat and it has all the electronics. I’m good for now (unless I expand the fleet)!

 

same.  If I were starting fresh then I would have a look at the bonafide.  Its $2800 without any propulsion.  $1400 for an Xi3 kayak.  That's $4200 which is just under the AP120 MSRP.  I think Bonafide has priced is about right for someone looking for a motorized kayak.

 

At 40" wide, that's a little wider than the AP and the bonafide has more in built features.  The front storage is nice, but the fact that your fish finder rails are on it would be a pain.  I couldn't imagine having a dual 9" screep setup (which its set up nicely for) and then have to lift that lid to get at lures.  With all of the rails they've built in, I'm surprised they didn't put one on the front hatch lid.

 

If you don't use a crate or blackpack this boat is going to get nose heavy quickly.  An xi3 plus a battery up front.  Fish finder and 3700 boxes in the hatch area.  Nothing in the back to counterweight it.  I'm sure they considered that, but that's a lot.

 

I think for me, the most innovative thing on it is the central 'one deck' all the way to the back and the sliding seat rails.  That's pretty clever and something you can only get away with if the boat is wide enough and also has the front battery hatch (or a far rear one).  The ability to properly add a second seat is nice and something I would totally do.

 

All that said, this is going to be a trailer only operation.  If I'm storing 3700's in the hatch then I'm not taking them in and out every trip.  Same for the batteries and seat.  If you put a motor on the back that's more yet.  Buying one of these means a trailer for sure at which point you have to consider a job boat or small aluminum for far less money.  

 

I think this kayak will be great for tournament kayak anglers, especially those that can run a motor in the front and one in the back.  I think there will be another contengent of hard core anglers who just want it as a high end kayak (I would fall into that category).  Past that, I think it might be a little more limited of a market. 

[FryDog62]

56 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

I think this kayak will be great for tournament kayak anglers, especially those that can run a motor in the front and one in the back. 

Running two motors (even if both are electric) is not allowed in the major kayak tournament trails. What’s interesting is that Chad Hoover (KBF founder/Prez) was pivotal in establishing this rule - but is sponsored by Bonafide. Will be interesting to see if this rule changes or modifies at all with the addition of the new XTR 130. 
 

 

[casts_by_fly]

1 hour ago, FryDog62 said:

Running two motors (even if both are electric) is not allowed in the major kayak tournament trails. What’s interesting is that Chad Hoover (KBF founder/Prez) was pivotal in establishing this rule - but is sponsored by Bonafide. Will be interesting to see if this rule changes or modifies at all with the addition of the new XTR 130. 
 

 

 

True for the big trails, but there are lots of local/regional outlets that allow two and plenty of those guys have no interest in the big trails.

[FryDog62]

Bonafide is estimating that the bow motor will have a top end speed of 2-3 mph. So if you want to move faster, one of the electric stern motors like Torqeedo or Newport would provide more speed but hasn’t specifically been tested yet. 

[Koz]

That’s an interesting looking kayak. I would definitely like to see it up close.

 

That being said, I love my AP120 and if I made a move away from that it would be to a full-sized bass boat.

[Smirak]

I just texted Chad Hoover. I told him I’d give him a big hug and a juicy kiss on the cheek if he’d bring me one back. He just laughed and said that he had to get one first!

[FryDog62]

And ironically, Wilderness Systems kayak won best new kayak product this year. 

[FryDog62]

On 7/19/2024 at 9:17 PM, Smirak said:

I just texted Chad Hoover. I told him I’d give him a big hug and a juicy kiss on the cheek if he’d bring me one back. He just laughed and said that he had to get one first!

He said he is going to put the new Power Pole Move bow mount trolling motor on when he gets his XTR 130. Look for social media posts about the top end speed, but should be much more than the Xi3.  I'm hoping 6+ mph but we'll see... 

[TNBankFishing]

On 7/29/2024 at 3:52 PM, FryDog62 said:

He said he is going to put the new Power Pole Move bow mount trolling motor on when he gets his XTR 130. Look for social media posts about the top end speed, but should be much more than the Xi3.  I'm hoping 6+ mph but we'll see... 

I’m not sure I’d be willing to spend twice the cost of the hull on a trolling motor. I’d deal with 2-3mph. 

[FryDog62]

10 hours ago, TNBankFishing said:

I’m not sure I’d be willing to spend twice the cost of the hull on a trolling motor. I’d deal with 2-3mph. 

I get it, but I’m on the electric all day long, varying speeds, spot lock, holding position, traveling between spots, etc. The TM in a kayak is maybe the most important part of the puzzle for me. And the biggest limitation in a kayak is coverage range which at 6 mph would be a difference maker.  Just my .02 based on how/where I fish…

[Koz]

On 8/10/2024 at 10:48 PM, TNBankFishing said:

I’m not sure I’d be willing to spend twice the cost of the hull on a trolling motor. I’d deal with 2-3mph. 

At this point I’m not about to ditch my AP 120, but I underestimated the importance of speed.

 

When I fished the Bassmaster event at Guntersville, when I saw kayaks speeding away from the docks at 6-8 mph I realized that I was at a huge disadvantage when it came to covering water.

 

Spotlock gives me somewhat of an advantage, but not much. Those anglers with the fast boats also employ a pedal drive and use that to hold their position.

 

 

[FryDog62]

6 hours ago, Koz said:

At this point I’m not about to ditch my AP 120, but I underestimated the importance of speed.

 

When I fished the Bassmaster event at Guntersville, when I saw kayaks speeding away from the docks at 6-8 mph I realized that I was at a huge disadvantage when it came to covering water.

 

Spotlock gives me somewhat of an advantage, but not much. Those anglers with the fast boats also employ a pedal drive and use that to hold their position.

 

 

I think your observation is spot on. If the Autopilot could do 6-8 mph in addition to its great fishability, integrated motor, spot-lock, etc. it would be easily the best  platform out there. But when you are competing to get to the better locations that other anglers can get to much quicker, it’s tough. 

Chad Hoover said he plans to pair the Bonafide with the Move motor this Fall and will post his impressions, speed, etc.  Will be fun to see results of real world testing..

 

I’m also moving to about 45 minutes away from Bonafide’s main location and may pay a visit this Fall once I get settled.