My new paddle kayak

[J.A. Veil]

I fish often in Tampa Bay with kayak guide Neil Taylor. I decided to buy another paddle kayak and keep it at Neil's house. It will be there anytime I schedule a trip to fish with him. I wanted the kayak to be roomy, easy to paddle, relatively light weight, and have comfortable seating. The Native Watercraft model that best fit my needs is the Manta Ray 12 XT, a new model introduced in 2018. I was unable to find any local dealers in this region that carried the XT in stock so I could take a short test paddle. On a previous trip to Tampa, I visited Bill Jackson's Outdoors store, a large Native dealer. They allowed me to take a short test ride.

I ordered a new 2019 Manta Ray 12 XT and had it shipped to Bill Jackson's last month. On my visit to Tampa this past week, I was able to use the new kayak for the first time. On both days on which I used it, we paddled long distances and dealt with wind. The XT was comfortable, had lots of usable space, and handled the waves well. It is a wide kayak at 33", so it is not as fast as some other models, but it tracked well, was very stable, and was much more maneuverable and roomy than Neil's old Manta Ray 14 that I had used previously. The XT is 12' 7" long and has a weight capacity of 325 lb. For a 12.5' kayak, it weighs only 63 lb without the raised seat, and 68 lbs with the seat.

If you are looking for a well-appointed paddle kayak, take a look at the Manta Ray 12 XT. The retail price of this kayak is well under $1000. It is also offered with different branding under Native's sister brand, Liquid Logic. Here are a few photos. Thanks to Mark Bange for the photos with me in them.

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[Mark]

Indeed it's a nice boat, John.

I can certainly attest as a witness to its seaworthiness.

Yesterday's wind in Tampa was wicked and created about the roughest weather I have ever kayaked in. It was a great test of the Manta Ray's stability.

[Yakmac]

Very nice Kayak John! I’m sure it will make the trip to Florida even more enjoyable.


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[moc]

Nice kayak John. Sometimes I miss my old Wilderness Tarpon 120 kayak for paddling. When I visit Florida, it is usually south of Tampa in Fort Myers where my parents live. My wife and I have toyed around with moving to the Tampa suburbs some day, since we want to be near a big city for job opportunities since we would be still working. If that happens, I will be kayaking a lot....year around.

[Mark]

Martin,

Occasionally you'll see pedal boats in Tampa but by far, it's paddle boat water. Those who pedal either have to know their way around extremely well or be prepared to pull their drives and paddle through shallow water often.

The tides fluctuate more in Tampa than here and you can find yourself in inches of water a mile from shore. Vegetation is also thick in areas and would choke drives. Some waters are better suited for paddling and I would say that is the case for Tampa's estuaries.

Anyway, if you do move there, you will find many launch opportunities on the miles of publicly accessible beaches. From those beaches you can fish open water in which you'll find that an anchor is necessary to hold position. Or you can head toward numerous mangrove-populated islands to seek protection from the wind while fishing the channels between the islands.