Malibu Mini X or Ascend 10?

[dsiekman]

My father in law is about to buy his first yak and will most likely get either the Mini X or the Ascend DT10 (If that is the SOT model). He has a couple gift cards from BPS, so those seem like the best options. Most of his fishing will be in the canals and back waters of Tampa Bay. Suggestions from anyone who has fished either of these?

[RockFlag&Eagle37]

I recently (May 2013) bought two Ascend D10T sit ontop kayaks from BPS. I read a lot of reviews and landed here after a few considerations. If you go to the BPS website and read all the reviews you'll see almost all positive reviews from these kayaks. They're a good size, very very stable (~35 inches wide) and not incredibly hard to paddle in my opinion.

A few things though:

You'll have to go 240cm for a paddle because of the kayak width. It's not a major problem, a few smashed fingers later, we realized the 220 and 230 cm paddles were not going to cut it.

No rod holders. I alleivated that with a $6 file crate from walmart that I zip tied rod holders to, and store behind me. The crate is a little wider and holds BPS 370 tackle boxes perfectly. I used two 2-rod holders (one on each side), attached to the short sides of the crate. A 3 or 4 rod holder could probably fit on the long side of the crate as well.

The seat slips. This was the only real negative I read about it online and the same thing the guy at BPS told me. When you get the seat adjusted, but lean back, the seat slips out from under you. This is a fairly quick fix as well, I bought some industrial velcro and attached 4 strips (about 3-4 inches long) to the bottom of the seat and on the kayak (use the soft side of the velcro on the boat, rough side on the seat, incase you want to use the boat without the seat). I had to put gorilla glue on the velcro that I attached to the actual seat to get it to stick well, however the regular velcro sticks well to the boat without any additional glue.

They're a little awkward for one person to move. If absolutely necessary, I'm sure I could sling them both ontop of my small Jeep Patriot, but it's more of a two person job. They're not excessively heavy, just hard to move because of the width. That's worth it, for me because of the stability it provides in the water. There are one person loading assist systems and plenty of DIY stuff on here, I've just yet to mess with any of that.


Other then those things, I love these kayaks and highly recommend them. I think they're good beginner kayaks and good quality. They have a solid warranty through BPS and since Ascend is a BPS brand, they're quick to fix or replace them. They've got a ton of room ontop for any kind of gear you might want to bring along. I will also be using these for duck hunting in the fall and winter as well, so the open design was very attractive to me, so I can haul decoys, a gun, portable blind, etc.

Good luck!

[J.A. Veil]

I bought a used Malibu Mini-X from Chimo last fall and have been happy with that choice. If you search back through snaggedline.com, you can find some of my earlier reviews and comments. The Mini-X is a decent boat that is wide and very stable. I was surprised how easily it handles my 6'4", 245 lb frame. It is very maneuverable, but does not track well in a wind because of its flat bottom. I would not choose such a small kayak (9'3" and 39 lb) for my everyday boat, but it is great as a guest boat or for use in places where I may have to carry the kayak up and down a bank. There are several places I fish that are extremely shallow -- I use the Mini-X for those spots. I also like the fact that I can fold down the rear seat in my minivan and place the Mini-X inside with the rear hatch closed.

I have never tried the Ascend kayak you mention so cannot offer any thoughts on that boat.

One of the more popular fishing kayaks in the Tampa Bay area is the Native Ultimate -- several guides I have fished with there use Ultimates for their clients. It will be more costly than either of the ones you list, but will be a better kayak and will probably hold its value better.

If your father-in-law wants to book a kayak fishing trip with a knowledgeable guide in the Tampa area who can help him select the right boat for his own personal use, I can recommend someone. If interested, send me a pmail.

[dsiekman]

Thanks, guys! Great info. I really appreciate the feedback!

John, I will definately PM you for the guide contact later this fall.

[CAGE RATTLER]

Picked up a D10T a few weeks ago for my GF. We wanted to stay with a shorter 10 footer. A decent kayak for the price but it has its draw backs.
Seems slow as she has a hard time keeping up with us and doesnt track well but I guess that will be the case with any short wide boat. You trade off speed and tracking for more stability and manuvarability.
Only has one small 5" hatch between the legs. You'll be sitting in a flat position as the foot area isnt recessed at all. It has a pretty flat deck from the seating position all the way to the front.

If you want to travel any distances A tarpon 100 or pescador 10 may be a better option for a 10 footer or move up to a longer yak.

We are contemplating trying the Pompano 120 (12') from west marine thats on sale right now for $450. It has 3 hatches, rod holders and an anchor trolley. doesnt come with a seat though so that will be extra. Its the same hull as the older tarpon 120 so it tracks nice with good speed and still stable.