Castaway 116

I'd say it is an excellent entry-level boat. I have taken it on lakes, rivers, small streams, and some Class 2-3 rapids. This is not a white-water kayak but you can definitely have some fun. I mainly fish from my sit-on-top Pelican. I take rods, tackle, drinks and snacks, and sometimes camping gear. I am 6'1" 150lbs., so I am fairly agile and have stood up on this boat many times. It has spent the better part of 7 yrs. on top of my ride waiting for any chance to sneak down to the water. The sun and riverbeds have yet to warp or crack the hull. It even survived a tornado that went directly over head- no kidding!

The reviews of the newer models say the scupper holes separate and water enters the hull; I have not had this problem. The new ones at "Academy" sport stores do seem to be made from a lighter, cheaper plastic and many of the metal components on mine are now plastic on the new ones.

I have replaced some handles and straps after years of use. The hatches are not water tight if you're in heavy waves or rain, but they can be modified easily. The seat will hold water, too. I wish it was angled differently, so that the water ran forward into the foot peg area and down the scuppers instead of pooling in the seat, but its only a minor inconvenience; you get a little wet.

Overall, I am more than happy with this 'yak. It has brought me hours of fun and enjoyment. I recommend looking for a used one online; this will save you some money and you can see what you like and dislike, and what you actually want/need if you consider upgrading. The best fishing kayaks are upwards of $2000 new, and I find it hard to believe that you get 10X more fun from them. Ditch the front rod holder, replace it with a graph or GoPro, upgrade the seat, seal the hatches, and install an anchor trolley-- and still be well under the price of a new boat.

My only complaints are that the seat back straps kind of stretch after a full day of paddling, but that should not deter you from it, because you can easily add a aftermarket seat. I also didn't care for the adjustable paddles because of the seat, I kept adjusting my sitting position and had to adjust the foot pegs, I think my next kayak will have the multiple molded in foot pegs.

I really liked this kayak and only sold it because I had hit difficult times and used it only a few times a year, but I would definitely recommend this kayak, great product for the price.

General complaints about the Castaway:
1. Scupper Holes split open where they are supposed to be fused together - Just use a combo of G/Flex and fiberglass - cost roughly $50.00
2. Leaky front hatch - annoying at the most but fixable
3. Its a little Tippy - to me its kind of like riding a motorcycle. you learn to twist your upper body vs throwing your weight around to turn. by the time you master the Castaway, you'll be able to do cartwheels on a more expensive Triton
4. Doesn't Track well - this is true however this has a lot to do with how you paddle as well. I can actually outrun my brother in his luxury Triton with all the bells and whistles

Over all if your not paying retail, if your creative and aren't scared of a little elbow grease this kayak is a good starter. I paid $140.00 and wasn't sure if like a new puppy to a child, kayaking was going to be something that was going to lose its original luster. 2 years later, I'm still kayaking and loving my "beater".

This has been the best decision I have made. The kayak doesn’t track like a $800 or $1,500 dollar kayak but its not the worst either and with proper paddling skills you wont even notice it. In regards to storage and weight it does very well. I weigh 200lbs and I carry a 5 gallon bucket, tackle in the back and first aid kit with extra paddle and no problems.

I held off on writing this review because I wanted to see if the negative review that people posted were true. I have enjoyed this kayak and did thing that I did think I could based on what people said. You can sit side ways and cast your rod or reach for something in the back without tipping over.

I guess the last thing I don't like is the seat if it gets wet you will be wet for the duration of your trip.

I got my castaway at Sports Authority on sale for $419.99. I took it home and tested the scupper holes for leaks after reading that there have been issues with leaks in the scupper hole seams. Using a flashlight, I was able to see that there were no leaks anywhere on the boat. I took it up on the Snake river the following day to Dalton lake, a small body of water along the river. I am 6'2" and 265 pounds so I was anxious to see how well the castaway would support me. The boat was rated at 275 lb. capacity and as I got into the seat water began coming up through the scupper holes in the foot well and in the rear storage deck. Aside from the wet ride, I was pretty happy with the performance for the price. The boat was better than average in stability and tracking was satisfactory. The fishing amenities proved very practical, and I was able to land several trout that day.

I took it out again several days later, this time plugging the scupper holes with rubber plugs from Home Depot. The ride was almost totally dry and I was able to pack an additional 25 lbs. of gear. I kayaked down 7 miles of the Columbia river starting north of Richland, WA. The kayak handled just fine in the at times swift current and was able to fish freely the whole time.

This boat, while not a Hobie, works great for the price and i am pleased with it so far.

Now, to the problem and the reason I'm writing the review:
When I got home and tried to find the leak it was almost impossible. I finally thought to put a flashlight inside the hull and look for light shining through after dark. I could see a tiny bit of light coming through the seam between hull pieces inside the stern-deck scupper hole. This seam is at or under the surface while paddling. I plugged the scupper hole completely with expanding foam and paddled it for 15 minutes or so this morning. It appears to have worked but, after reading about other seam issues here, I don't trust it. I bought myself a new one piece Perception kayak today, will try it out tomorrow.
Good paddling and good fishing to all!

After I have done some research, it appears that it is very common for Pelican 2 piece kayak. I called the place I bought it from. They said very strange, this is the first one this year. What he really meant is, I have 4 replaced last year with the same issue. But that just to tell you the design is flawed and the quality control is poor. If you need some reliable, I will not recommend this. If you're looking for something and you don't care if it sunk. then this would be a cheap one to get.

Good luck, I swam 40 mins to get to shore with the heavy water loaded kayak. I hope your luck is better than mine.

Things I like:
1. The color
2. The price (and you get what you pay for)
3. Sports Authority no longer gives out the cheap paddle but they let me take an $80 Carlisle instead)
4. Seat is ok. My friends OC seat fits right over the permanently mounted seat. I will be getting one soon.(more on this in dislikes)
5. Plenty of storage area(although hard to reach)
6. 3 rod holders
7. Moves fine even against the wind

Dislikes:
1. Not that heavy for me to lift but I think if it weighs 60lbs and is 11'6" it should hold more weight/ride higher/take on less water.
2. Was not sure what people complained about tracking but I know now. It is fine, don't like it, but it will get me there.
3. Why does the front rod holder have to be so far up. I am 5'10" and feel really short in this.:)
4. Was worried about the front hatch leaking so I tried tighten the front straps. One of the clips broke. I doubt I will take it on a class 2 river this weekend until fixed.
5. Does Pelican support exist? I emailed them about #4 and no reply. I called them about it and no reply. I was number 1 caller with an average 1 minute wait. Waited about 5 minutes then was prompted with the "High volume of callers..." to leave a message. I did but do not think I will get a call. Oh well, I can easily fix it on my dime ($2.99). But wonder what good is a 2 year warranty on a product that I get a voice mail on.
6. Seat is ok for awhile but after a while the bottom of the seat will start hurting your back some right around your L3-L5. The gap the seat connects to is about 3" wide. It will feel like two rods poking you.

Solutions to my problems:
1. Scupper holes - Scupper plugs (Well 4 walmart bouncy balls from the party section.
2. Leaky hatch which did not really leak but may on a river - New hatch clip using one from a camping/kayak store used for storage. Plus a auto trunk gasket seal to increase the lid tightness.
3. Rod holder too far away - Install a new rod holder mount closer to me and use the other for the fish finder.
4. Lower back being stabbed - The Ocean Kayak seat does fit fine and does help.

Final note. I have read both good and bad reviews on this kayak. It works for what it cost, I believe you get what you pay for and with a few enhancements and practical thinking this will get you to where you need to go.

After about 30 minutes I got the feel of it. Some reviews say it's not very stable, but when I got used to it, I had no problems. There is also plenty of storage and room. It comes pretty much ready-to-go when purchased. Academy is by far the best price @ $379. I would recommend this to anyone thinking of kayak fishing.

I have read many reviews about it taking on water through the storage hatch... first off, I'm not sure why they made the storage hatch open when the lid is off, i.e. it goes throughout the kayak and isn't just two or three inches deep thereby making it possible to fill up with water and sink... however, after spending 45 minutes getting bombarded by waves that were coming over the hatch and hitting me, it only took in about a quart of water total.....all I did was tighten the straps down as tight as possible and made sure the hatch was covering the entire hole. A little foam insulation will cure the problem. Definitely not a reason to give this cheaper, yet promising kayak a bad rating by any means. I got it with an employee discount from my sporting goods store for 322 which is simply unbeatable.

Overall for the price......it got to my fishing spots and i caught fish. Isn't what we are trying to do in the first place???

The bow hatch is the bane of the boat, getting to it while on the water for me is an impossibility, however water pipe insulation, when cut and "marine gooped" right works quite well. I haven't had the dry hatch problem but it is good to know as that is where I do keep the cell phone. I have added a fish finder and am working on an ACTUAL cup holder and junk tray. The seat is good even though it is "molded" which means they took an "average" person and made a guide. I have spent hours comfortably in this thing and even with a PFD I can sit all day.

The only real beef I have with the boat is that I have to heft the 62# onto my car at the end of the day, but who likes a whiner. Other than that it has to be the best starter boat to get into our great sport, plus NO GAS!

Getting wet is just part of the sport, I usually get out and wade fish a few times on each trip, so I am always soaked. Took it out in 3-4 foot surf and nearly sank it within 50 feet of shoreline, stays nice and dry in the bay, but the surf over the bow are just too much for it being the front hatch is not that well waterproofed.

The paddle that comes with it is worth about what you pay for it, nothing!! I don't like the fact that the seat is riveted into the kayak and not removable. My friend who just bought his was paddling with the aft completely submerged due to water seepage from the seat rivets. Must have had about 5 gallons of water in it when we drained it, and he is well within the load limit.

It is very stable and paddles fairly easy, tracking is so-so and speed is average. Not really a rudder option unless you rig it yourself. Would have rather had the option of riggin it out myself but it does come rigged out fairly well. I am 6'5" and 210 and fit comfortably in it with no problems, not much for the foot pegs cause they take away about 3 inches of legroom for me.

After kayaking for a few years you realize your habits and what you need and don't need, so the next purchase is easier to know exactly what you want. I am fairly pleased with the Castaway. Overall it's one of those things, you get what you pay for, not a bad buy but not a great one either.

I'm 170#'s and 5'11". I was very stable, got a little wet from getting in, and after talking to some experienced folks, will be getting a different type of oar than the factory one to cut down on the knuckle busting and drippage. Other than that I love this thing and can't wait to get off work to get back in the water!!

My only issue was that it was hard to go straight, but that may be due to it being short. It just seemed to wander a good bit. Oh, and the paddle really sucks.

I like the foot pegs, and crazy as it sounds- the rod holder is far forward, but it works great for trolling by keeping the rod out to the side and out of reach of the paddle. Look, I have read all of the other reviews and have heard all of the "my rear gets wet" comments... That is to be expected with most Sit On Top kayaks anyway! If you want to stay dry, get yourself a Sit Inside model, same price and it is called the Getaway from Pelican. Same features, dry ride.

I've put 30 hours of fishing in two days on the Castaway, and had no problems. Great entry level boat, we'll see what happens when I take it to the Gulf this spring/summer...

Recomended changes: Seat pad to put you in leaning forward position. Higher backrest for extended paddling. Glue down a can cooler where the cup holder is. Get a Scotty deck mount pole holder and install it closer to seat. I am 6'1" and still can reach original.

Inexpensive Kayak I don't worry about dinging up. very tough material that ram -x. hit lots of rocks,stones, scraped bottom, very little damage. Good value. Gets even better with the improvments

Overall, lots of fun to be in. Ten easy relaxing strokes of the paddle and you can coast half a football field. I can take this thing out 10 miles with no problem. I have crossed the reservoir. I do wish it was bright orange or something other than green because I want bigger vessels to be aware of my presence. I can't imagine not been pleased with this rig when considering the price. If the above negative issues were addressed, this would be the tops!