Tourer

After extensive reading on Paddling.com and elsewhere I purchased the Cobra Tourer as my first kayak. I live in Baja on the Sea of Cortez, and my primary selection criteria were:

1) Sit on top configuration, for ease of spearfishing at anchor. 2) Suitable for touring in Sea of Cortez for unsupported trips up to 7 days. 3) Desired specs: Boat weight <= 50#, 400+ pounds load capacity, beam appx 26", length 14'-16' 4) Used price under $600

I have used the kayak for 2 trips now, and a considerable number of day paddles. It is a very good boat on paper and meets all of my specs. On the water it's perfect for day trips and spearfishing but I'm looking again for a better touring solution.

PROS: The manufacturer has been very responsive to my questions, a huge +. The boat meets all of my selection specs. Strong and very well made, best polypro material available. It is EXCELLENT as a spearfishing platform... easy and stable to enter and exit, a large open-well to load large fish, huge and easy storage for gear, perfect setup for a fish bag.

CONS: It is difficult for me to purchase parts (Mfr in New Zealand, I am in Mexico). The boat I purchased (well used for $300 US) does not have a rudder, but it really needs one as it is tough to steer with paddle alone, especially in open water and windy conditions... new self-installed Cobra rudder is $350 which is more than I paid for the boat. The boat is rated for 450# load, but sits very low in the water with only 335# (includes me at 230#)... max 300# load is my recommendation. BIG ISSUE: The boat leaks badly in spite of complete leak inspections, waterproofing and replacement of hatch seals... the problem is the 8" round hatch on the floor of the cockpit... in rougher water it is constantly submerged so I take on as much as 2-3 gallons per hour to the interior... I spite of my efforts, I have not been able to remedy this leak... not safe, and my camping gear is soaking is salt water.

SUMMARY: I would give 5 stars if not for the leaking hatch. This boat is fine for calm water paddling and would be great with a rudder. It is ideal for spearfishing, maybe the best solution available. At the price I paid it is a very good value. I think the steering issue can be addressed reasonably with a good kick up skeg. The leaking issue has been noted in other reviews on the Cobra Tourer, so apparently is a common problem... this renders the boat unsafe for the kind of use I require.

I bought my Tourer new in Feb 2011, I guess I got the last of the old ones with the external rudder lines, what a pity, I don't like them. I think Cobra got a bit carried away with the number of clips and things installed on the hull, too many! why not keep it simple and add in a bag of bits to let owners set the boats up as they want, not a generic catch all. I'd also love a waterproof cover and flush fitting bungs for that cavernous rear hold. If you don't use it its just a drag and somewhere to catch water if you shoot down a rapid. How about it Cobra?

I have heard of Cobra variable build quality but I have this and an Eliminator, the plastic quality is excellent on both, I don't have hatch leakage problems and the finish is fine. Its a great tourer if you want a bit of speed as well and I simply can't fault its stability, its excellent, even for a good average Aussie like myself at 6'3" and 230 pounds. It does push a bit of water as you approach hull speed but the way the tri-formed hull curls the water makes it feel fast anyway.

In Australia, Cobra is marketed as a quality boat, the two I have haven't let me down at all. The only let downs are the overly fussy hull fittings and lack of rear hatch. Go for it Cobra!

I got a Tourer also... it's pretty fast.
However, I find it unstable compared to the Tarpon 120... it's tough also but it's really noisy and the hatches are not water tight. Mine came with 2A hatches and a round one. I really like the plastic... way better than the Tarpon.
I e-mailed the company who makes 'em about getting accessories but they won't return my emails.
The Tourer is loud and not as comfortable and doesn't have watertight hatches.
I wouldn't rate the Tourer as a 10... I'd give it a 6. It's a nice looking boat with really good plastic and light and is fast, but that's all whats good about it. I'm probably gonna sell it and buy a bigger Tarpon where the hatches are watertight.

I purchased my Tourer used, but very well taken care of from "nahachagii" (see his review). The boat came fully equipped with all hatches, rudder, thigh straps, seat,paddle leash, paddle and cart.

I bought this yak as my first SOT, which I felt I needed since moving to So Cal from Sonoma County. I wanted a boat that I could do some warm water touring with, as well as fishing (of course). While the Tourer is not known as the "best" (is there one?)kayak for fishing due to its tank well design and limited gunwale space for rod holders. I found that I could rig it very well, with a "Scotty" rod holder mounted sideways in an un-used footwell, a fish finder on the center console, a compass mounted in another un-used footwell and a "D" shaped livestock water trough (modified for rod holders and live bait tank functionality)in the tankwell, its a fishing machine.

My primary concern with a SOT, was hull speed. Coming from a traditional style of kayak, speed is important to me. Second was weight, third being load capacity.

First of all, the hull speed was very good considering it is a SOT,though I have not clocked myself on the GPS, I am comfortable at the pace I maintain. Weight, at 50Lbs (stripped in transport mode)isn't bad at all for a plastic SOT of this size. Load capacity, at 475lbs is more than adequate. I weigh 175lbs and carry approx. 40 lbs of fishing gear, which allows me 260 lbs of additional gear, more than enough unless I nail a 200 lb thresher shark, hey what are buddies for?.

I've had the boat out a number of times, so far, in less than ideal conditions, 3-7 foot swells, with white caps. My advice would be ...get the rudder kit, the boat weather cocks, in big water, use the thigh straps(far more control)and wear a PFD!!!.

The hatches are great(though the multiple toggles may be confusing to those spatially chalenged folks out there), barely leaking an 1/8th of a cup in 11 hours of 4 foot swells and 4 surf landindings. v I would have given this kayak a 10, but thats god like, therefore I offer a 9.

More kudos to the Tourer. I too recently acquired one - a local dive shop had a demo on sale with the rudder for 600 dollars, and I couldn't pass it up. Unfortunately, it had a lean to one side when it free floated in the water. No problem, I called Cobra and they sent the shop a brand new one with a rudder also and it was mine in mango. What a deal! Its a sharp sleek design, very stable and pretty good speed, not as fast as a Tarpon 160, but probably better than a Scupper Pro and more stable than the scupper. It tracks very nicely without the rudder but in the rougher stuff, the rudder really helps immensely. I bought it to fish, paddling is a means to that end, but I enjoy just paddling for the zenlike experience also. So far I've taken it down to the Chesapeake Bay about 6 times and paddled out to a couple of blitzes with the diving birds and bass underneath. The speed is appreciated for this, also a lot of fun at dusk one night fishing topwater when the stripers were busting on top, lots of excitement. I've had it also out to a local lake for crappies, bluegills and bass, its also a great lake boat, when the water is calm it flies along easily. Good points as mentioned the storage hatches, tankwell behind the seat is super too and the rudder has worked flawlessly. Water will stay in the footwells some but not too bad in the seat. With all the new fishing kayak models coming out like the Emotion Fisherman and the Malibu Extreme along with the Tarpon 140, this kayak may get overlooked, but I would put it on your list of tryouts or possibles, especially if you can get a good deal like I did. Only drawback is some minor hull slap in light chop, but other than that, an awesome fishing machine. I'm looking forward to outfitting it in the Spring with the rodholders, depthfinder, etc. Lets go fishing Tourer style!

I purchased my Tourer to do some fishing in the Jamaica Bay area in New York. I must say that it is fast, and stable. The only draw back is on the seating area since the water have no place to go and if you get water in the seating area it will stay there. As a fisherman I was able to get my friend Jon to install two flush mount rod holders and of course a rudder (a rudder is a must when you ride a Tourer with a rudder you don't want to ride it without it) I can easily store all my gear inside the front "A" hatch and my ice box and tackle gear in the tank well in the back for easy acces. I am 5'9" and weight 200 pounds and I am very comfortable in my boat. Even with the wet seat situation I will still give this boat a "10"

An excellent boat very stable and fast.I paddle on Lake Mead and fish as well.It seems to me to be the best all around sit-on-top out there.The rudder is an absolute must! Personally I could use a couple more tie-downs but Im the only one to use it who said so.The boat is a little weak in the seat area,this can affect how well the small hatch in front of the seat closes.my first outing I could not close the hatch without taking my weight off the seat.However wedging styrofoam under the seat cured the problem completely and gives flotation thats the only reason the boat did not score a 10. I highly recommend this boat for all around use.

I have had the Tourer for about 7 months and paddle on San Diego Bay. I bought it because my smaller, wider boat would not keep up with my paddling companions. It is not quite as fast as their lighter, narrower sit-inside boats but is stable and has plenty of room. It is a wetter boat in weather than the sit-insides with skirts, but in San Diego - no prob. I have yet to need my wet suit. As previously stated, the tankwell is quite handy for my battery box (depth finder power) and flotsam found during paddles, as well as my dry bag. The rudder is a must, even in the Bay, as current, wind, waves and swell make the boat very difficult to steer. My friends have also noticed this in their boats over 12 feet in length. Camping with my boat would require dry bags for all internal as well as external storage, as it does leak, probably around the gasket of the 8-dog "A" hatch. The 10" by the seat barely gets condensation. It has a small pot for small items. This is a fairly fast and quite stable all-around sit-on-top.

I bought mine for fishing on the Gulf Coast. I concur with the previous reviews. The hatches are flush mounted and reduces wind resistance. I can stretch a bungie across the hatch to slip my net under. Withdrawing the net is easy as there in no raised lid to snag it on. A 25 qt. ice chest and folding anchor fits nicely in the tankwell. It is great to have the tankwell and not have to sacrifice a storage hatch to have one. There are enough eyepads to attach net, stringer, bungie-type paddle holder , etc.,. The scupper holes near the seat allow you to set your pole into it and change out lures without getting the reel wet. The Tourer now comes equipped with a rope cleat to which I attach my anchor. There are plenty of flat places to mount a rod holder, GPS, and fishfinder. I unfortunately had a leak in mine. A phone call to Cobra was all it took to have a new one delivered (at no charge) within a week. There was no third degree. They were very apologetic and offered a new one without question. No trying to push me to have it repaired. It is nice to know that you can buy something out of state and not have to worry about being left out in the cold when a problem occurs.

This kayak is fast for a sit on top and handles great. The best thing about it is it weighs only 50lbs. and looks good to boot. I have a rudder on mine and find it a must for easy turning but it turns ok without it. Iam 6'4 and 250 lbs. and 50 years old with this I can keep up with the young guys.