Icast 2017

[FishMoken]

I usually start a thread about icast each year to give a place for anglers to discus and post info about new products they have seen from icast. With it being next week some new kayak info has already been slowly trickling out across social media. With yak attacks (bonafied kayaks) making its debut this year I'm sure it it will be a front runner for new kayaks this year. So feel free to post stuff you see new or interesting to you, and maybe others will see a cool new product that they haven't yet seen. My first post will be about Feelfree's launch into the pedal drive market with the lure series but also the new torpedo line of kayaks. They say the length will be 12'6" and will offer it in a 38" wide but later will be available in a 32" wide kayak. This seems to be a first to offer the same size kayak but with different widths. It will except there new pedal/motor drive unit they have been talking about over a year now. Here are some photos.


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[silasvirus82]

I like the looks of that! I'm sure it weighs a ton though

[FishMoken]

Not going to weigh as much as this. Lol. A tandem lure. I bet it will weigh over 120lbs


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[smithmal]

Wow... a 38" wide boat? Hope it has a good rudder cuz its gonna be a bitch to turn.

I like that Lure is creating a pedal drive that retrofits into their previous lure models. Any idea what the pedal drive will go for? Also, it would be interesting to know what sets their pedal drive apart from other pedal drives.

Here's hoping pedal drive technology starts to reduce in cost. For some models, the pedal drive alone is more costly than the yak itself.

smithmal

[Slackdaddy]

Wow,
I can say with no reservation "That Kayak does not have a single feature that even begins to interest me"
What is the purpose of the front Well?? so they can say it is "the 1st kayak to have Zero internal storage" ??

[FishMoken]

Wow... a 38" wide boat? Hope it has a good rudder cuz its gonna be a bitch to turn.

I like that Lure is creating a pedal drive that retrofits into their previous lure models. Any idea what the pedal drive will go for? Also, it would be interesting to know what sets their pedal drive apart from other pedal drives.

Here's hoping pedal drive technology starts to reduce in cost. For some models, the pedal drive alone is more costly than the yak itself.

smithmal

I'm sure there pedal drive will be pretty pricy. It isn't a simple pedal drive. It is suppose to incorporate a battery pack that you can switch from pedal power to a motor. So with it being a duel unit it's going to cost a decent amount.

As far as the well on the torpedo I don't find that kind of layout very useful, but it does seem to ha e some kind of hatch forward of the pedal drive unit. We will see come Monday when they release more details.

Also ocean kayak released a teaser video of a new pedal drive kayak they are coming out with. Looks like a open front well and a raised seat. Looks like another year that pedal drives will flood the market.


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[dham340]

If you have not seen it, Ocean Kayak teased a new pedal drive today

https://youtu.be/MzXHCMMo9Ec

Edit: yeah, I should really read everyone's post before I reply. Keeping this vice delete for the link to the video in case you need it.

[willf650]

The one pedal drive kayak I saw that interested me was the the Jackson Coosa FD. From what I saw it has a unique drive that you seem to never have to remove and it retracts up into the hull and can run regardless of water depth. You can clean the prop via a small hatch between your feet.


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[smithmal]

The one pedal drive kayak I saw that interested me was the the Jackson Coosa FD. From what I saw it has a unique drive that you seem to never have to remove and it retracts up into the hull and can run regardless of water depth. You can clean the prop via a small hatch between your feet.


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I tried out the Jackson pedal drive a couple months back. At that time it was in "prototype" stage and showed it. I will say that I was impressed by its ability to automatically adjust its height depending upon water obstacles. The Jackson rep even allowed me to crash full bore into a log that was floating in the water with it to show how easily the drive slid up when I moved over the log. What it wasn't able to do was pedal backwards smoothly (evidently they were still working on that). The drive was also not as smooth as Native or OT's propel drives.

What I think is cool about the Jackson drive is how you can swap out the top of the drive and instantly turn it into a motor drive (what they called their e-Drive). That means the business end of the drive stays put at all times. This allows you to stow the pedal or the motor end of the drive in the boat at all times allowing you to switch on command depending upon your needs. I wasn't able to actually see this in action as the e-Drive was not there, but they showed me how the propel top would be disconnected and where the e-Drive head would fit in.

That's pretty cool tech if it works out.

Jackson has now created a system similar to Wilderness in that you can have it all (paddle, pedal, motor), but they have made the pedal/motor system's footprint so small that you can have both options available to you on the water whenever you choose. Pretty cool if it works well...

Hopefully they'll be able to show this swapping technology at ICast.

smithmal

[J.A. Veil]

At the 2016 I-Cast show and another outdoor show later in the summer, many kayak manufacturers introduced prototypes of pedal drive systems as alternative options to the Hobie and Natives already in the pedal drive market. For most of those models, availability to customers took an extended time as the companies worked on tweaking the drives and dealing with issues that arose during initial testing. It is likely that there will be at least several new or redesigned pedal drive systems introduced this year at the shows. All of these are complex machines with moving parts and often close tolerances. They do require at least basic maintenance and care. Parts do wear out over time.

As manufacturers try to find new designs for pedal-drive systems, they need to be different enough from existing drives that there are not copyright concerns. At the same time, the designs must be practical on the water for a wide range of users, not just for experienced kayakers and Pro Staff members. Further, the drives need to be simple to use, retract, clean, etc. And equally important, they must be durable and dependable. As consumers, we want our new kayaks to meet all these goals at a low price. That is a tough target for the manufacturers. It has often been said on Snaggedline that there is no perfect kayak -- within the pedal-drive (and hybrid pedal/electric drive) community that is true too. Each of us has certain brands that are our favorites. The newer entries into the pedal drive market must show that their products can compete favorably with the models already on the market in price, design, and usability.

[Mark]

Some of the new fishing kayaks seem to be crossing over from kayaks into something just short of a full-fledged boat.

They don't interest me but the innovations they are spawning are good for the hobby.

I just wish they would work on reducing hull weight as much as they are trying to increase propulsion options.

[ronaultmtd]

Some of the new fishing kayaks seem to be crossing over from kayaks into something just short of a full-fledged boat.

They don't interest me but the innovations they are spawning are good for the hobby.

I just wish they would work on reducing hull weight as much as they are trying to increase propulsion options.

A highly durable, lightweight, affordable hull would be the holy grail...the roto-moulded plastic hull has brought kayaks to the masses...durable, tough, economical...but heavy...

[Oldbayrunner]

The pictured new kayak photo is extremely similar to the Cabelas newish Advanced Angler. Pricing for the Feel Free Overdrive kit $1099 for pedal only and an additional
$1399 for the motor add on. Difference from other systems is it can be both pedal or motor driven in one unit, the motor slides in to engage. It does tilt for shallow water.

[willf650]

Some of the new fishing kayaks seem to be crossing over from kayaks into something just short of a full-fledged boat.

They don't interest me but the innovations they are spawning are good for the hobby.

I just wish they would work on reducing hull weight as much as they are trying to increase propulsion options.

Even the current kayaks are monstrously heavy. In the early 90's I would throw my single man canoe over my shoulder with all my gear and hoof it down the trail. I was probably toting 55# with all my gear. I can't imagine that with any of the kayaks I have now.

I got some nice kayaks but I'm trying to get back to the light weight and minimal gear for ease of use. Its easier for me to use my boat then it is my hobie pro angler and many of the new kayaks are heading that direction,

[FishMoken]

Icast 2017

So feelfree kayaks has some odd stuff going on. The cabelas kayak is almost identical to the torpedo. Oh and to top that off they just changed the name of the kayak last night to the dorado (available oct. 2018). Now this is where it gets kinda odd. There is a NEW kayak company called 3 waters kayaks. I tried to look them up but I couldn't find a sight for them...and you know what they sell? The same cabelas kayak that is the same hull and deck layout of the new feelfree. I don't know if they are trying to do a ocean kayak/old town kayak thing. If they are just selling molds to other kayak company's or what but it just seems a little off with little to no information. You can buy the same kayak with three different names by three different company's. Anyways here is a photo of the 3 waters kayaks new kayak

Now here is the cabelas kayak


*So an update the 3 waters kayaks was announced by feelfree as a new price point kayak brand. So think like what perception is to wilderness systems.