Happy Owner of Native Falcon 11

[scorchy]

After fishing more than ever last summer/fall (for me, that still just means 1-2 times a week), I realized that the length of my beloved Manta Ray 14 was a little unwieldy for frequent trips. I cartop on a Land Cruiser but thankfully have a Hullavator that provides hydraulic assist. Still, the height of the Cruiser means I need to lift the boat to almost shoulder level and I've bashed the side of my car with the one end of the yak more than a few times. I started hunting around late last fall and wanted to add a Manta Ray 12 but I could never find one and now it looks like Native has discontinued the model.

I drove down to Big Bass USA in Denton yesterday to check out what they have in 11-12 foot boats. Chris couldn't have been more helpful in showing me a bunch of models and helping me figure out which would best meet my needs. I have to admit that I was initially wowed by all the bells and whistles on the Vibe Sea Ghost 110 and the look of one of the Bona Fides. Talking through things with Chris, I was able to remind myself that my main goal was a kayak that was easier to just grab and go and that buying a heavier kayak just for features that I didn't even know I wanted (like a lure magnet on the center console) was secondary. Not to mention, the Falcon (at 32" width) was already 3-4 inches wider than my Manta Ray, and if I never had a stability issue in the slimmer yak, why get a Vibe that is even wider than the Falcon?

Anyway, I left Denton with a new green Falcon and did manage to stop and paddle it for a few minutes near my house. Looking forward to getting out and fishing it sometime this week.

Note: the ridiculous looking thing behind the Falcon in the pic is a Thule cartop rod holder that my awesome wife bought me for Xmas this year. I just mounted that on top of the Cruiser yesterday too.

[J.A. Veil]

Congratulations on your new Falcon 11. I got one in the same color a few weeks ago and have had excellent striper catching on my last three trips in that boat (average of 24 stripers per trip) . I modified the rod holder set up in both front and rear, and added a FF/GPS unit. So far the Falcon 11 has done everything I want it to do. I hope you find lots of fish with it.

[scorchy]

Thanks, John.

[UnkleRob2020]

Congratulations on the new Falcon 11. I picked one up on Saturday afternoon from Big Bass USA in Denton also. Chris was very busy and it was good to see so many people there shopping for kayaks.

I too was wowed by all the bells and whistles on some of the kayaks there. Thank goodness I had just had a successful morning trolling in my old sit-in kayak as I wasn't overly tempted to spring for the Slayer Propel 10 Max. I had been using a sit-in kayak for years. The Falcon 11 is a game-changer for me, although I am not able to load it by myself and need to find some way to be independent.

I am interested in any advice to help me load the kayak on top of my car as well as advice regarding mounting two rod holders in front of the cockpit. Unfortunately, I am not as handy with tools as I should be for the son of a master plumber.

[scorchy]

Congratulations on the new Falcon 11. I picked one up on Saturday afternoon from Big Bass USA in Denton also. Chris was very busy and it was good to see so many people there shopping for kayaks.

I too was wowed by all the bells and whistles on some of the kayaks there. Thank goodness I had just had a successful morning trolling in my old sit-in kayak as I wasn't overly tempted to spring for the Slayer Propel 10 Max. I had been using a sit-in kayak for years. The Falcon 11 is a game-changer for me, although I am not able to load it by myself and need to find some way to be independent.

I am interested in any advice to help me load the kayak on top of my car as well as advice regarding mounting two rod holders in front of the cockpit. Unfortunately, I am not as handy with tools as I should be for the son of a master plumber.

Congrats to you as well. I left my house at 7:45 am so I could get down to Denton right when they opened - they weren't busy yet but the phone was already ringing a lot. I hope they sold a bunch of kayaks.

For loading, I use a Thule Hullavator Pro: https://www.thule.com/en-us/winter-a...-pro-_-1685448. It's expensive but also a total game-changer for loading my larger boat on a really tall SUV. For less expensive options, Thule and Yakima also make products with rollers but you still need to be able to get the nose of the kayak onto the rack. I think it really boils down to what type of vehicle you have (can you slide in the back of truck or van?) and exactly how high/far you can lift it.

For the rod holders, I'm sure there are a ton of great ideas if you read through the kayak rigging subforum. I already had a bunch of Scotty rod holders that fit into an accessory for the track rails on the center console and sides of the boat.

[dsaavedra]

Congrats on the new kayaks guys, ejoy them. I like that lime green color.

If you search Youtube there are all kinds of neat tricks for cartopping a kayak by your self. Here's one that looks like a very good method. It involves lifting the bow with the stern on the ground and "walking" the bow of the kayak up to roof-height, then pivoting kayak onto the roof. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC6F_JmzseU

Here's another method, basically the same but instead of pivoting onto the side of the roof he pivots onto the rear and slides the kayak forward onto the rack. This seems like it would be easier, though you'd want to put some towels down to protect the rear of your car from scratching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmyJ9YZr2mU

I've never cartopped a kayak (I drive a pickup) but the idea of only lifting the bow and pivoting looks pretty smart, you're lifting far less than the full hull weight this way.

[J.A. Veil]

Rob - I'm glad to hear that you purchased a new Falcon 11. Lifting to a rooftop rack, especially the style of rack that you have, takes some practice. Rack accessories, like the ones that Scorchy describes, can help a lot. Or consider getting wider rack cross bars so you can carry two kayaks flat on their gunwales or in cradles right side up.

You asked about installing front rod holders. I posted here http://www.snaggedline.com/showthrea...te-rod-holders last week describing how I added new front rod holders on my Falcon. So far they have worked very well. I hope to hear some strong fishing reports from you soon.

P.S., I fished again this morning at the spot where we met last Sat. The fish were mostly 12" to 16", but I ended up with 28 of them in that size range and two more over 20". The fish were not in many of the places where we found them on Sat. I had to go exploring to look for adjacent areas to find fish.

[mepps3]

Congrats on the new kayaks guys, ejoy them. I like that lime green color.

If you search Youtube there are all kinds of neat tricks for cartopping a kayak by your self. Here's one that looks like a very good method. It involves lifting the bow with the stern on the ground and "walking" the bow of the kayak up to roof-height, then pivoting kayak onto the roof. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC6F_JmzseU

Here's another method, basically the same but instead of pivoting onto the side of the roof he pivots onto the rear and slides the kayak forward onto the rack. This seems like it would be easier, though you'd want to put some towels down to protect the rear of your car from scratching. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmyJ9YZr2mU

I've never cartopped a kayak (I drive a pickup) but the idea of only lifting the bow and pivoting looks pretty smart, you're lifting far less than the full hull weight this way.

A cheap bathroom floormat, with the rubberized underside, works great as a pad to protect the roof as you place and slide your kayak onto the rooftop.

[VinnieDon]

I use a high density foam roller (check exercise rollers on Amazon) to guide the kayak to the roof rack. Just need to lift the bow onto the roller then it’s easy to lift the stern and glide the kayak onto the rack. Works very well for unloading also.

Good luck!