Kingfish

I bought this kayak about 20 years ago for $300 . 12 ft. light weight. easy to load I my pu truck and I live on the water and It's easy to load up and drag across the lawn to the water with 1 hand. It has a flat bottom for good stability and won't tip on it's sides like a v bottom when dragging and spilling your gear . I have gotten my money's worth out of it over and over again. am 70 years young and hope to get many more care free years out of it. I did buy a tall back seat for better back comfort .

I usually fish out of it with a bucket behind the seat with anything I want to carry in it. Considerable storage room in the front compartment. The 2 rod holders behind the seat work great. It's light enough to carry although I wouldn't want to carry it far without a wheel attachment. Paddle stores well on the side (never had probs with paddle bungees'). The inner deck bends when I stand but I have no feeling that it will break under my feet. I have never tried to stand in it on the water but I have leaned over the side with a chainsaw to cut the tops off of 15 stumps or so and I had no indication that it was going to tip. It is very stable. I would guess I have caught more than a thousand bass out of it since I got it. A rudder would be a nice addition.

Pros, very stable. It is kind of tippy with primary stability i.e. you will have a hard time standing, or even kneeling in this if you want to get off your butt for a few minutes. But you can take a wake, wave, or heavy chop broadside and it wont tip. You can lean way over while grabbing gear from the back storage area and it wont tip. Ive had it in 30mph winds in the river with heavy chop against the sea walls and it stayed upright. It can handle a full size milk crate behind the seat without any fuss. The dry hatch up front is easy to cover and uncover and is quite roomy. I keep my kayak cart with me when I launch, and just tuck it inside the kayak. It has built in rod holders behind the seat and 4 scupper holes for drainage. All of which is good. Also the price was low, under 400 if I remember correctly.

Now the cons. Its slow. Very slow. This means a long paddle i.e. 7+ miles are either out of the question or plan on being the last guy back at the launch ramp. It doesn't track well, if you get a tail wind prepare to do lots of one sided paddling to keep it straight. Its fine in flat calm water, but not so much if its windy. Again it wont tip you, but it wont go exactly where you want either. The seat sucks. Its just awful. It sits low in the kayak, so it gets wet, and stays wet. Its also very low backed, so unless you upgrade prepare for a back-ache. Its also rather noisy. The scuppers are noisy in calm water at speed, making a gurgling noise. And the hull slaps a lot, especially if you are anchored up with your back to the wind. The back end slaps heavily in the chop which makes stealth a fantasy when it comes to fishing. So prepare to anchor a little farther from that snook dock you want to fish.

All in all it's a great kayak FOR THE MONEY. As in, for $400 or less it floats, gets you from a to b, has plenty of room, rod holders, very stable fishing platform and can handle adding some accessories such as a scotty rod holder up front etc. But it simply does not compare to $1000 kayaks when it comes to performance or comfort.

It's a neat stable platform, though the cockpit set up is the obvious compromise. It needs a place to put the fishing pole when in the mangroves, and a quick store and platform for lure box.

All those can be added. I am also looking for a canvas canopy. But overall the price for performance are excellent.

I have been on plenty of trips in other Yak's, some high ender's and some low. It's not to be compared against a Yak that cost 1000.00 +, but rather other Yak's in the 450.00 or less catagory. For what you get (options/rigging) for the cost its a winner in my book.

I find it easy to tote/lift, lots of room for gear and lots of space to move around in. I especially find it easy to get in and out of. Being that I fish more than tour, and need to get out and stretch or wade often. I find this a big bonus seeing as I have seen some other Yak'ers fall or slip while getting in or out sometimes.

As for performance, its not the fastest in the world, but who cares when your fishing!! (Thats whats its designed for) For stability A++, Tracking is ok. The water does not collect like in other S.O.T. 's that I have seen. The drains are nicely placed. The seat is ok, could be better, but for the money its just fine, I personally put HD velcro under the seat to prevent slipping forward, as well as a Skwoosh pad for confort. I can Yak all day and with little to no fatigue.

So to sum it all up, for someone that is looking to fish from a Yak, and be on the water for less than 500$ this is a worry free purchase. Yes there are better Yak's out there for more money. In my opion though, the FISH CAN"T TELL!!!