test ride on Slayer Propel

[buzz]

I placed the order for my new Slayer Propel this morning. It will be a bright orange color called road cone orange (visibility to other boaters is important for me). I expect to receive the new kayak a few days before Christmas.

Agree on the visibility. I like my bright yellow OK for the same reason. But I gotta give props to Native Watercraft for the name of that color. Road Cone Orange (LOL) love it!

[Memory Maker]

Rick -

The original Propel drive that was used on the Ultimate and Mariner models for the past few years did have some issues (but from what I read on here with some regular frequency, so do some of the mirage drives). The Propel was redesigned for the new Slayer hull and should perform better than the earlier Propel model did. I certainly hope so, since I just ordered one.

John ......... not trying to participate in a pissing match too ........... just saying that there are 2 sides and ya might want to see what people say and test them for yourselves. Don't gt me wrong ...while I love the PA ........ there's ALOT of things I don't like about how Hobie treats the PA buyers. It is the most expensive product in their line but they treat the uers like the Bastard child ........ many of the products they say are for the PA's just don't fit. The cover that they make barely fits and the straps aren't long enough, the Evolve cannot be used as a rear mount like with the Revo and the Outback and the mirage mount is an accident waiting to happen, the stabilizers won't work because the bar is too short ...the secondary stability is lacking making surf launching difficult and the front hatch leaks like a sieve ... etc etc etc ......... thus the Bastard Child ..... and I beat them up regularly over them ..... but it is still the most stable with a ton of stuff built in and plenty of room to make it the ultimate yak in my opinion.

I'm curious, just what are improvements you mentioned .........

[J.A. Veil]

According to the Native literature and a video introducing the product, the pedal crank arms are shorter and the seating angle is set up to provide more efficient alignment with the hips to improve the pedal stroke. Since I have no personal familiarity with the previous generation of the Propel system, I cannot give my personal opinion of whether the new version is better or not. Also the reliability of the older unit was not as good as some owners had hoped for. According to Native, they have worked out the bugs.

I do not wear rose colored glasses and think the Slayer Propel is the greatest watercraft ever. It is an interesting product, it competes in the pedal drive niche, and right now it is new and glitzy. Only time will tell how it holds up and performs over the long run. Thanks for your honest thoughts on the PA. It too is a very good vessel, but is has its own shortcomings.

J

I'm curious, just what are improvements you mentioned .........

[Reelaxin10]

Congrats on the new kayak John! Looking forward to seeing it out on the Severn.

[docirv]

One of our local kayak dealers stopped carrying Native craft due to poor customer service from the Native company. Seems they would just blame the customer for any problems (such as cracks) saying it was due to misuse.

[DanMarino]

Sounds like the Hobie guys are feeling a little threatened.

Can't wait to see how the propel Slayer fares over the next year of use.

Best wishes to all.

13

[JohnE]

I guess native is off my list for now. I'll have to settle on a Hobie if I want to pedal. I just want to know when the Hobie people are going to wake up and change their molds to offer some type of innovative seating options to keep up with the rest of the market in that area. If they had something like a 14' outback with a really nice seat, I'd be saving up my money. I might have to keep paddling for a while and see if Hobie has plans of adding to their lineup and fixing the seating situation. I had a Kingfish as my first kayak and the seat on it was actually just about as good.

[Trip]

I'm looking to get a kayak and the Native looks like a nice boat but I think they made a mistake in the weight specifications I saw online. Can one person pick it up?

[russ498]

The new seat design on the Pro Angler is about adjustable as they come. It even has a lumbar adjustment. The seat height and angles are also adjustable, as is the seat back angle. It is about as good as they come.

I guess native is off my list for now. I'll have to settle on a Hobie if I want to pedal. I just want to know when the Hobie people are going to wake up and change their molds to offer some type of innovative seating options to keep up with the rest of the market in that area. If they had something like a 14' outback with a really nice seat, I'd be saving up my money. I might have to keep paddling for a while and see if Hobie has plans of adding to their lineup and fixing the seating situation. I had a Kingfish as my first kayak and the seat on it was actually just about as good.

[J.A. Veil]

I had the exact opposite experience with Native. My 2008 Manta Ray 14 developed cracks in the seating area in 2012. I showed it to my local Native dealer, who immediately contacted Native. Within a week, Native offered me a brand new 2012 Manta Ray 14 in my choice of color at no charge. They did not charge any shipping fees or deduct depreciation on a 4-year old kayak. That experience in part is why I joined the Pro Staff team at Native.

One of our local kayak dealers stopped carrying Native craft due to poor customer service from the Native company. Seems they would just blame the customer for any problems (such as cracks) saying it was due to misuse.

[JohnE]

The new seat design on the Pro Angler is about adjustable as they come. It even has a lumbar adjustment. The seat height and angles are also adjustable, as is the seat back angle. It is about as good as they come.

The PA has an excellent seat, but I did see that raising it into the high position may cause you to capsize when making a hard turn. I'm talking about the rest of their models, which all seem to have the same pitiful seating situation. It seems to me that the only thing exceptional about their other kayaks is the mirage drive. Well, I guess they do have some nice accessories you can add on if you want to spend a small fortune. But those seats suck and they know it. That's why they came up with the "i-comfort" pad. They should just have a better seat to begin with instead of nickle and diming their customers.

I'm really disappointed that the shortcomings of the propel system are causing me to eliminate it from my list. I really hope one of the other manufacturers like WS has something in the works for a pedal drive.

[Southerly]

I think you will really enjoy the additional freedom to use both hands for fishing. I know you've mentioned knee issues in the past and i hope that's not a problem. but if it is, i might be able to get you a spot with me on team advil

[JohnE]

I think you will really enjoy the additional freedom to use both hands for fishing. I know you've mentioned knee issues in the past and i hope that's not a problem. but if it is, i might be able to get you a spot with me on team advil

Or team icy hot and tiger balm maybe. The knee is not as much of a problem as the shoulder. Oh, I have some back issues as well--one reason the weight of the PA bothers me. It has been a year since I had surgery for a torn meniscus and to clean up some other rough parts in the knee. It is pretty good now, just a little tighter than it used to be.

I do a lot of trolling, but hands free would definitely be cool. I fish near bridges and other structure a lot. If it is rough or the current is running hard, i often times tow the fish away from structure before reeling in to avoid colliding with the pilings or rocks. I don't mind rubbing the pilings a bit, but hard collisions with my other rods in the holders tends to worry me--I typically troll 3 rods at a time, occasionally 4.

[Jaspratt]

I have had my pro angler seat all the way up, going down river on the upper susky, and did a U-turn into the current without feeling like im going to turtle or over tippy. And i have the 12' which is 2" narrower than a 14'. Have you test drove a pro angler before saying its tippy with the seat adjusted? I found that with the seat all the way down my lower back gets sore faster, with the seat 4" higher i can paddle for miles without any issue. Ive been in some pretty windy choppy stuff while pedaling with the seat up higher and never felt unsafe. On the susky i have even sat on the side with my feet in the water without feeling like im going to dump all my gear. Im 5'10 195lbs. The propel looks like it would be a great kayak for water deeper than 1.5' which 80% of any water ive been around has been deeper than that. And i have seen pictures of people standing and fishing in it. It definately broadens the competition. I like to bass fish so ill stick with the PA and the multi rod capacity and tackle storage at your feet. Someone that stays in salt maybe better off wth a propel.

[Raptor]

John,

When the dust settles I sure would like to give your new ride a try, if you would be so kind as to allow me. Being a long time cyclists, the peddling motion is particularly appealing. I'll just have to find some other upper body exercise to replace the paddling. Discussion about the pros and cons of particular brands/models of kayaks is very good especially for folks that are new to the sport like me. This is a very congenial blog and we need to be careful to keep it that way. It is easy to slip into negativity (like many other blogs) as we are passionate about our choices, and where we have spent our hard earned money. Strong negative words tend to make people defensive. If you take a page from the professional writers you will notice that they are very factual with first hand knowledge and list pros/cons in a somewhat unemotional fashion. They get their message across with a minimum of damage. Some even offer work around fixes for shortcomings.
With regards to the Slayer Propel - I would say my first impression is that it is a bit expensive, and a bit heavy - which is also my opinion about the Hobie P.A. For those with bad knees I can tell you from experience that the cycling motion is actually good for your knees. Over time with progressively more/harder exercise your knees can actually improve. What tears up knees is pounding (like running) and torque (turning, twisting) cycling, and I assume peddling a kayak, is non impact, smooth and straight on. Now you can over do it - thats when it hurts - you should start out with short excursions and build up giving your body time to respond to the new stresses. Given the efficiency of the peddle systems it should be easier to not over do it. Then of course . . . there is the invaluable factor of having your hands free as you motivate your kayak, and fish.

T.