Old Town Predator XL hits the market

[Deadwood]

Read for yourselves. A yak power boat. Not sure about this one.

http://icastfishing.org/uploads/OldT...ease.final.pdf

[Snakehead Hunter]

That thing is heavy!!

[MetroMan]

Interesting. I like the concept of having an easily accessible motor...makes a difference when you have to lift it for whatever reason. The creature comforts (battery meter, USB port) are nice additions by Johnson Outdoors as well. It seems to be designed strictly for use with the motor though. 36" wide and what looks to be a fair amount of free-board seems like it would be a bear to paddle, especially with a wind blowing. I like the ability of a motorized yak to be easily used sans motor when desired.

But it definitely looks neat. Can't really honestly judge it without trying...

[buzz]

wooooo, its expensive.... $2700 with the Minn Kota Console... That's $500 more than the Torque!
Plus my Torque is 7 inches narrower and 8 inches longer. I like that I can replace my motor with the plastic skeg and POOF!, I have a Trident 13 (sort of).

[pungomd]

OK, here goes my old man instincts.... when I started kayak fishing around 2000, there were almost no SOT kayaks, and very little kayak fishing gear. We had a ton of fun making our own stuff and stripping down the fishing experience to its bear essentials. This kayak, and many others on the market look like small bass boats to me and really miss the entire point of kayak fishing as I understand it. OK, I am keenly aware I am mostly alone in this opinion.

[Mike]

It seems to be designed strictly for use with the motor though. 36" wide and what looks to be a fair amount of free-board seems like it would be a bear to paddle, especially with a wind blowing. I like the ability of a motorized yak to be easily used sans motor when desired

Check out the youtube video, the center motor console is modular, they have 2 other consoles, one like the Ride115X that houses fishfinder, battery etc., and another that is just a flat floor.

[Mike]

OK, here goes my old man instincts.... when I started kayak fishing around 2000, there were almost no SOT kayaks, and very little kayak fishing gear. We had a ton of fun making our own stuff and stripping down the fishing experience to its bear essentials. This kayak, and many others on the market look like small bass boats to me and really miss the entire point of kayak fishing as I understand it. OK, I am keenly aware I am mostly alone in this opinion.

I don't think you're mostly alone. I too like kayak fishing for it's simplicity and I enjoy making my own accessories and rigging it all myself. It's why I like my tiny Moken 10 lite, it forces me to bring very little and have everything within arms reach.
This boat on the other hand is like a tiny glitter-boat. There are times when I'd enjoy this, though I wouldn't call it "kayak fishing" by my standards.

[buzz]

It seems to be designed strictly for use with the motor though. 36" wide and what looks to be a fair amount of free-board seems like it would be a bear to paddle, especially with a wind blowing. I like the ability of a motorized yak to be easily used sans motor when desired.

Check out the youtube video, the center motor console is modular, they have 2 other consoles, one like the Ride115X that houses fishfinder, battery etc., and another that is just a flat floor.

Sure... you can swap out the console, but you can't change the beam. As wide as it is, paddling won't be easy.

[Mike]

Sure... you can swap out the console, but you can't change the beam. As wide as it is, paddling won't be easy.

Agreed, but Jackson's Big Rig is 37" wide, the Feelfree Lure is 36" so I think there's a market for these. People must not be paddling long distances or just going really slow.

[buzz]

You are absolutely right. Indeed there is a market. The wider the beam, the more stable it is.
And not everyone is Bay bound... where you sometimes paddle a couple miles just to get to where you want to fish.

[Snakehead Hunter]

I don't think you can paddle efficiently with these new wider boat. So you rely entirely on your motor. What if you're a mile from launch and your motor/battery act up. I like the ideal of the torque, when accident happen you can just snap in the skeg and paddle back.

Maybe they are trying to make a poor man bass boat.

[zeebyrd]

OK, here goes my old man instincts.... when I started kayak fishing around 2000, there were almost no SOT kayaks, and very little kayak fishing gear. We had a ton of fun making our own stuff and stripping down the fishing experience to its bear essentials. This kayak, and many others on the market look like small bass boats to me and really miss the entire point of kayak fishing as I understand it. OK, I am keenly aware I am mostly alone in this opinion.

You're not alone. Though I'd much rather have a SOT kayak, I don't go for all the fancy bells and whistles. Obviously someone does or there wouldn't be a market for one.

One day while coming in to the boat ramp after having been out for some time, I had someone ask me to explain the setup on my kayak. I told them it was "TMC" - too much crap. From that point forward, I have tried my best to minimize what I carry with me to just the essentials. I would almost bet that those heavily rigged kayaks don't even have half their gear used on an outing most of the time. But, to each his own - if they want to carry it all its their choice.

I'd love to see pics of minimalized kayak fishing set-ups, as most of us have seen the maximized versions, which I think are kind of neat, but just not what I would do.

Sorry for hijacking the topic...

[MetroMan]

Check out the youtube video, the center motor console is modular, they have 2 other consoles, one like the Ride115X that houses fishfinder, battery etc., and another that is just a flat floor.

I will check the vid when I get a few min. But Buzz hit my points I was getting at. But I agree...there is a market for these wide/"sit up high" yaks. They can haul a ton of weight, and I am sure they are super stable.

[kitkatyaker]

I hope you guys don't mind me chiming in here, but being the owner of a ProAngler with a motor, we'll....
Truthfully, I am in the market for something smaller. I love the length and stability, but this thing stinks in rough water, even with the motor. I have bad knees and can't bend them much. That was my main reason for getting the motor, but since then I see other positives as we'll; like towing folks in. This is my first kayak and I wanted it to be my last but sadly it won't be. No matter what I choose to buy I will keep a motor on it for safety as well as other reasons but i can do without the bulkyness and extreme weight. This new Old Town looks to have all of the attributes of the ProAngler without the peddles. For sure you will need to purchase a trailor because of the weight. My question is will you have to register the motor with the local DMV?
Mo money, mo money!

[Deadwood]

The motor would be on the Natrual Resources side of things but I dont think a trolling motor is a registerable propulsion device as a gas outboard is.
The trailer goes thru Motor Vehicles of course. I live in Maryland though and things may be done different where you live. (New England. I saw the go Pats and assumed NE)

Go Ravens!!!