Tweet
So I've read a lot of discussions on the web about this kayak. It's a kayak a lot of people consider buying for a few reasons but most importantly the price ($550 at basspro). I figured I'd do a review for anyone thinking about buying this kayak. You all have helped me out a lot when I got started so I figured I'd give back some! Anyways on with the review
11011521_10153765149829689_2910097007825820054_n.jpg
11027459_10153765149964689_5719997870406785203_n.jpg
There she sits. Right off the bat these are the things I like:
-The seat is very comfortable. Was out all day Tuesday and not once did I feel uncomfortable. It also doesn't feel as thought it sits super high. I was worried about this because I like a low center of gravity. But it's fine. Much better than the clip on seat of my old Ocean Kayak.
-Tracks decently. My OK tracked a little better, but this handled fine going up river in choppy water. Was surprised at how quick it was also considering it weighs 78lbs I believe.
-Has all the meat and potatoes accessory wise for the most part. Paddle clips, flush mount rod holder + 1 addition screw on holder, dry storage, quality bungees on front/back blah blah. Nothing super crazy but definitely enough to get you on the water fishing right away.
-Deck layout. This is something I really liked. I like having a big open deck and this kayak has just that. I feel I have a lot more wiggle room than my OK and could even scoot up and layout on it.
-Plastic for the most part is durable. The sides and bottom of the kayak are tough and I wouldn't hesitate taking it into some rocky parts of the river. There are some areas that need improvement which I'll talk about.
-Very stable. Had no issues standing up in it.
And here's the things I do not like about it:
-Seat pins. A lot of guys talk about these. They bend easily and the seat fits a little funny. I've looked up a couple videos on how to fix this so it's not something I'd make to much of a fuss over.
-Areas where water doesn't drain. The molding is kind of odd is some spots. There's a lot of flat areas with no way for water to drain, I feel this is kinda dumb and could have been fixed.
-Plastic in front of seat flexes a little. This is the thing that probably irritates me the most. I'm used to that OK premium plastic that doesn't flex what so ever. It was odd when I took the kayak home, set it in the grass and stood up in it. But I haven't read anything on the internet about someone tearing the plastic or anything like that so who knows maybe it's fine.
-The idiotic placement of the extra rod holder. I think the only place that would have been dumber to mount this rod holder would have been directly under the seat. They mounted it right where you'll be swinging your paddle. I ended up just unscrewing it and not using it at all Tuesday. I ll probably end up drilling the rivets out and removing it all together.
-Round dry storage hatch gets stuck. I picked mine up used and the guy before me said it's a biznatch to get the circular storage door open once sand gets in there. The seal around the cap is just big enough to let sand in, so if you try to open it with sand in there it just won't go. I'm going to take a power washer to it and see if it'll budge.
My final thoughts: It's a good starter kayak. Has some minor issues but nothing that would make me pack it up and demand my money back. And being able to pick one up brand spanking new for $550 was the deal sealer for me (I actually got mine used for $450). I would NOT buy this kayak if I was planning to do a lot of choppy ocean fishing. I also would not buy this kayak if I was planning to launch from the surf a lot. If any of you are thinking about picking one up and have some questions just ask away.
Sega
11011521_10153765149829689_2910097007825820054_n.jpg
11027459_10153765149964689_5719997870406785203_n.jpg
There she sits. Right off the bat these are the things I like:
-The seat is very comfortable. Was out all day Tuesday and not once did I feel uncomfortable. It also doesn't feel as thought it sits super high. I was worried about this because I like a low center of gravity. But it's fine. Much better than the clip on seat of my old Ocean Kayak.
-Tracks decently. My OK tracked a little better, but this handled fine going up river in choppy water. Was surprised at how quick it was also considering it weighs 78lbs I believe.
-Has all the meat and potatoes accessory wise for the most part. Paddle clips, flush mount rod holder + 1 addition screw on holder, dry storage, quality bungees on front/back blah blah. Nothing super crazy but definitely enough to get you on the water fishing right away.
-Deck layout. This is something I really liked. I like having a big open deck and this kayak has just that. I feel I have a lot more wiggle room than my OK and could even scoot up and layout on it.
-Plastic for the most part is durable. The sides and bottom of the kayak are tough and I wouldn't hesitate taking it into some rocky parts of the river. There are some areas that need improvement which I'll talk about.
-Very stable. Had no issues standing up in it.
And here's the things I do not like about it:
-Seat pins. A lot of guys talk about these. They bend easily and the seat fits a little funny. I've looked up a couple videos on how to fix this so it's not something I'd make to much of a fuss over.
-Areas where water doesn't drain. The molding is kind of odd is some spots. There's a lot of flat areas with no way for water to drain, I feel this is kinda dumb and could have been fixed.
-Plastic in front of seat flexes a little. This is the thing that probably irritates me the most. I'm used to that OK premium plastic that doesn't flex what so ever. It was odd when I took the kayak home, set it in the grass and stood up in it. But I haven't read anything on the internet about someone tearing the plastic or anything like that so who knows maybe it's fine.
-The idiotic placement of the extra rod holder. I think the only place that would have been dumber to mount this rod holder would have been directly under the seat. They mounted it right where you'll be swinging your paddle. I ended up just unscrewing it and not using it at all Tuesday. I ll probably end up drilling the rivets out and removing it all together.
-Round dry storage hatch gets stuck. I picked mine up used and the guy before me said it's a biznatch to get the circular storage door open once sand gets in there. The seal around the cap is just big enough to let sand in, so if you try to open it with sand in there it just won't go. I'm going to take a power washer to it and see if it'll budge.
My final thoughts: It's a good starter kayak. Has some minor issues but nothing that would make me pack it up and demand my money back. And being able to pick one up brand spanking new for $550 was the deal sealer for me (I actually got mine used for $450). I would NOT buy this kayak if I was planning to do a lot of choppy ocean fishing. I also would not buy this kayak if I was planning to launch from the surf a lot. If any of you are thinking about picking one up and have some questions just ask away.
Sega
Comment