Native Slayer Propel 10 vs Manta Ray Propel 12 cruising speeds

[flintyak]

Hello all,

Greetings. I'm new to this site, but I've visited it many times before to glean information.
There is a wealth of information here.

I mainly fish for largemouth bass out of my Nucanoe Flint paddle kayak.
But I'm looking to replace it with a peddle kayak.
I've done a bunch of online research, and I've narrowed it down to the two Native kayaks mentioned in the title.

Initially my choice was the Slayer Propel 10 due to it's light weight (I car top).
However, I do paddle a quite a ways sometimes to get to my favorite spots so a kayak with an efficient hull for cruising would be a plus.
Thus, the interest in Manta Ray.

Anyone have insight into the cruising speed of the two kayaks?


Thank you in advance,
Richard

[FishMoken]

From what I could find the slayer 10 will cruise around 3.5mph and the manta ray from 3.5-4mph. I dont have any real time on the water with these kayaks as I own a slayer 13. I demoed a slayer 10 but wanted something that would paddle better on days I want to leave the drive at home. Being a bigger guy is also why I went with the slayer 13. But if your looking for paddling performance im sure you will love the manta ray as it has more glide in the water. The slayers tend to push more water making them a little harder to paddle. Hope this helps. If I were under 200lbs I would have gone with the manta ray.

Sent from my LM-V405 using Tapatalk

[J.A. Veil]

I owned a Slayer Propel 10 for about 6 years. It packs a lot of space and features into a short, stable, and light package. But due to the short and wide hull shape, it is not a fast boat. Typical cruising speed depends on your fitness level and the water conditions. I think it is reasonable to expect 2.5 to 3.5 mph as a realistic cruising speed. You can certainly go faster for short bursts as needed. I used mine for trolling so that speed range was ideal.

I never used a Manta Ray Propel. I have heard they are fairly fast kayaks. My only other Native Propel experience is with a Slayer Propel 13. At one time I owned both models and outfitted them with FF/GPS. I used them on back-to-back days and found that Slayer Propel 13 is about 0.5 mph faster than the Slayer Propel 10 under comparable conditions.

Good luck in your search for your next kayak.

[flintyak]

Thanks a lot for the replies so far. It is very helpful.
It is a tough decision. They are both good kayaks, and they have strengths over the other.

Moken,
I'm 170 so I should be good with Manta Ray as far as weight goes.
The paddling advantage does seem to go to Manta Ray.

J.A.,
I've gleaned a lot of info about the Propel 10 from your previous posts.

[J.A. Veil]

I have posted two Native Facebook pages before and do so again here. If you are seriously interested in Native products, I suggest that you check them out -- they are forums for Native boats. You can get a lot of real world information from folks who own those kayaks.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/slayerpropel/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/231976636990928/

[mi327]

I own a Propel 10 as well and 3.5 mph is a decent pace and it will max out at ~ 4 mph (without current or wind) I have never seen a Manta Ray 12 out on the water so I can't speak for its speed but on paper the longer length and more streamlined design should be faster, though you may give up some stability in the process. Depending on where you are planning on going you may want to give up some speed for stability in rougher water.

I would see if any shops are doing demos of both, I looked and Delaware Paddle Sports only demos the Titan and Slayer Propel models but you may be able to dig around and find someone who has demos for both models.

[flintyak]

John,
I'll check those links out. I don't have a facebook account but my wife does. :-)

Mike,
Thank you for your response.
I'm not sure, maybe I'm over thinking the cruising speed thing.. I mostly fish in lakes.
Looking back on last year, I think I averaged about 7 miles of total paddling per trip. I think if I had a peddle drive I would have traversed more.
I did not stand and fish as much as I thought I would either. I'm very comfortable standing on my kayak, but I fished from the seated position more often.
I also know that I spent too much time with my hands on the paddle instead of the fishing rod.
I mostly cruise the banks and fish the shoreline cover.