Three new paddle kayaks from Native

[J.A. Veil]

Earlier this week I reported on the two new shorter pedal drive Titan models that Native is bringing out soon (Titan 10.5 and Titan 12). I included a graphic of both boats yesterday.

Today Native provided sneak peak info on two new Manta Ray models -- Manta Ray Angler 12 XT and the Manta Ray Angler LT. The 12 XT is made from the same polyethylene used in other kayaks. It will be available in February 2018 priced at only $899 retail!

The ultra lightweight, thermoformed Manta Ray Angler 12 LT will be available November 2017 priced at $1,799 USD retail!



The third new model is a redesign of Native's Slayer 12. The Slayer 12 XC is the first boat of its kind designed to be comfortable floating rivers, stalking the flats, and paddling open water. The hull of the XC is designed towards cross conditions performance. A broad flatter hull not only allows river anglers to maneuver and control their boats in tighter conditions while sliding through shallow areas with a very shallow draft, but it also gives an incredibly stable standing platform for sight fishing. When it’s time to cover some ground, a flip of a lever drops a directional skeg to allow the Slayer XC to track on a line to the next spot. The XC maintains a clean deck profile for anglers, but is carefully packed with fish ready features and advanced electronics capabilities for the biggest gear hounds. In designing the XC, we worked with a group of our pro staff to develop not only a layout fit for a pro, simple and clean, but feature rich. No cluttered deck, no tangled lines, just fishing on our mind.



This is a full-featured kayak. No weight information is available at this time.

[Mark]

The Manta Ray 12 LT is intriguing to me.

I'm anxious to learn its fitted weight.

[yakscientist]

For $1800 for a paddle yak, it'd better weigh 50 lbs or less.

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[PigPen]

For $1800 for a paddle yak, it'd better weigh 50 lbs or less.

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I think that's the price for the propel version. I bet that will be pretty fast boat. I am shocked at the prices of tghed eddyline kayaks. $1600 to paddle is a big much.

[Big Mike]

I don't find the price for the LT that out of line for a thermoformed, lightweight boat. I have an Old Towne Camper canoe I bought a couple of decades ago made from Royalex (the material stopped production in 2016). Its 16 feet and weighs 64 lbs. I looked up the price of a new one and they are $1900 on clearance. A canoe is pretty basic and doesn't have the fancy seat, scuppers, rod holders, top hull, etc. Like bicycles there will be a market willing to pay a premium to shave a few pounds.

[J.A. Veil]

I think that's the price for the propel version. I bet that will be pretty fast boat. I am shocked at the prices of tghed eddyline kayaks. $1600 to paddle is a big much.

The Manta Ray 12 LT is a paddle powered kayak. As Big Mike notes, fishing kayaks constructed using thermoforming are quite a bit more expensive, but are much lighter (an important factor for older kayakers). The $1799 price compares with similar thermoformed models from Hurricane and Eddyline that are already on the market. Those do not offer the raised seating that is part of the new Manta Ray 12 LT.

Clearly this is not an entry level kayak, but it does offer very light weight and plenty of features for the buyer who is able and willing to pay for more than a basic kayak. For those that find this to be too expensive, the Manta Ray 12 XT is priced at a much lower level.

[Mark]

If the fitted weight of the LT 12 is close to the comparable thermoformed Hurricane and Eddyline offerings at 53 and 47 pounds respectively, the raised seat of the LT will be a bonus. I can tell you that my Revo's 60 plus pounds, gets heavier every outing, and it's light by today's SOT standards. I think there will indeed be a market for a 12 foot fishing SOT with a raised seat weighing close to 50 pounds.