Stealth-12

Love this kayak. Had a cheaper Chinese made kayak for my first kayak and it only lasted a couple years. The Malibu stealth is built in the US and you can tell. I have not had any water leaking issue s like some say. Even on windy days when water is pouring over the front.

2018 model. Two trips dropping shark baits in the bay one day rough, one day smooth as glass.... Pros: Stable boat that tracks well, Slow, but it is a wide boat, with a rough texture bottom. Con's: X factor seat: Locking mechanism sucks, already locking up with sand from bay water. Straps that hold the seat in, bottom out in the lowest position and seat never gets tight.
Live well: I sealed mine with plugs with the thought of using for dry storage unfortunately the gasket on the lid leaks, I lightly poured a half of a five gallon bucket of water 10 minutes ago got a half a solo cup of water inside. Also if you're a shorter person like myself 5' 6" the shape of the livewell locks your ankles in and is kind of uncomfortable. X hatch front hatch: they have an inner liner that just does not stay in place, and on the rougher day I was out that also leaked. Sorry, for the bad review but these are things that are going on with this model, I hope other guys are having better luck, I'll be selling this kayak at the end of the season.

I bought my '16 Stealth 12 on Craigslist as my first fishing kayak and have been beyond happy. I use this primarily in reservoirs, lakes, & the California Delta and it performs perfectly. Tons of dry storage and plenty of room in the back for a milk crate/yakbox and a small cooler. I can stand on this very easily and though awkward at first, once you get the hang of it this thing is very stable. I love this kayak and can't wait to use it more.

When I bought this boat in 2011, I thought I was getting the end all be all in a fishing kayak. Killer storage, a bait well, foot pegs, built like a tank, even a "seat" for my little boy to sit up front. Yee haw! Well, the best I can say is, ehh. It's really slow...it doesn't glide well. Paddling against a 2 mph current is a chore. It takes on water like nobody's business. I'm a lake and stream guy and I have to drain about a half a gallon of water every time we use it. Last, at 5'10 and 175 lb, I'm still in pretty good shape and nimble. On this rig I feel like I have two left feet. With all the features, it's just hard to navigate. I just looked at pictures of the Bass Pro Shop Ascend 10' and 12' sit on tops. Flat interior surface from stem to stern. That's a good design.

We just bought a Stealth 12 to go along with our Native Propel 10. This is an easy to handle kayak in the water. Loading it on the roof of my wife's Forester XT was a bit of a chore but we are both short and old. A trailer is necessary to carry both.

The biggest drawback that both my wife and I complained about was the manufacturer put a retaining cleat right at the widest part of the yak on both sides. This just happens to be where your hands go when paddling so we both kept knocking our fingers and thumbs against that cleat. That was our only complaint.

We love the storage on this boat and the live well is perfectly located. It's big enough for ice and beer. Nyuk yuk yuk.

I bought this Kayak about a month ago, I really like the fact that it came with a live well and all the storage space and a big plus was the width at 33" it was one of the widest out there, well on my first trip into the bay, the day was beautiful and the waters were really smooth, I tried to stand up and it was really hard to get up from the seating position, you do not have anything to hold on to to help you get up, the only thing you do have is the sides of the yak to help you more or less get up, well i finally managed to stand up but i was facing the rear, when i tried to turn around I ended up flipping over, on my second trip I had the rods and the bait bucket behind my seat, I tied getting the bait from the bucket and again I ended up in the water, not too happy with this purchase now.

This kayak is fantastic for rough waters or smooth waters the fear of flipping it is not even in thought, it has the casting platform, the live bait well (plumbing is not included) is does an excellent job of keeping shrimp alive all day long! There is tons of storage space for over night camping gear or just a place to put some extra gear!! The stability is out of this world amazing, the low profile gator hatch is fantastic for the small children who like to tag along!!! This yak is well worth the money!!

If you are like me then you research the heck out of anything before you buy it, and reviews help out a lot. As you research this kayak you may find some negative comments as you would with any kayak. I would like to address some of the negatives you may come across and explain to you why you should not let them deter you from buying this amazing kayak...

I have been kayak fishing for the last ten years and I have owned many kayaks. I have been paddling the Stealth 12 for the last year at a minimum of twice a week. Many of the negatives you may read about are regarding the older Malibu Models. Malibu has taken everyone's advice and made the improvements which I find is a great feature about this company.

Some say on the 12' model there is no room anywhere to mount accessories:
I have been able to mount a gps/fishfinder combo without being in the way of the cupholder and there is ample room for scotty rodholders anywhere you can put your mind to it, I am not sure what other items may need to be mounted but I can promise there is plenty of room. I also like the option of buying the X-wing to mount accessories I may not always use but like to option of clicking the unit on when I need it. Keep it simple, however I can promise you that whenever your heart wants to put on this kayak, you will find room.

Difficulty keeping the seat tight:
This all depends on which seat you use, many of the Crack of Dawn seats now have an additional two straps that prevent the seat from sliding forward like I used to battle in my old Emotion kayak. This is not affected by the kayak itself. Many kayaks do not come with a seat at purchase which allows you to pick what is right for you, I recommend the Crack of Dawn Spider Angler Seat, most comfortable thing out there!

Leaks, Leaks, Leaks:
This has been the major concern you will read about in many places. I have fished out of at least 15-20 different kayaks and have yet to find one where the hull stays completely dry. I can attest to the older model Stealth's weakness being the minor leakage, this is not due to the gator hatch though, if you use the bungee on the front properly it gets a great seal. The leakage occurs when you take water over the side and since there are two side hatches water can find its way in there. There have been modifications made to this on the newer models so it's not an issue anymore. I would rather have those hatches and put up with two teaspoons of water rather than not have those hatches at all. IF you fish the flats or calm lakes you don't need to worry about this at all as the kayak sits higher off the water than other kayaks, I am 5'9 220 and probably load the yak down with another 50 pounds.

Outfitting:
many kayaks do not come with a seat or paddle, unless it’s a beginner kayak. The fact this boat already comes with rod holders is a blessing. As for the livewell pump, I would hold off on that until you take it out on a few trips. In many cases you only need a strainer in the livewell scupper to make sure your bait doesn't swim out, I can just open the hole and the water flows freely through keeping several dozen shrimp alive all day. If you’re feeling crazy just add a battery operated bubbler in it. The possibilities are unlimited with this yak.

Water coming in the scuppers:
This issue was posted by someone who has never been in a kayak, there is an easy remedy though. It can be fixed two different ways, foam golf balls will fit in the hole and stop water from coming in, this is great for the flats and clam water fishermen. If you fish in the ocean and plan on taking on a lot of water, scupper plugs may not be an option since you will want your kayak to self-bail, which is what scupper holes are for. I have fished the popular kayaks like the Hobie Outfitter and Revolution and pro Angler, WS Tarpon 140 and 120, and many others, weighing 220 pounds I have found one kayak that does not suck in a ton of standing water in the tank-well through the scuppers, that would be the Stealth 14 footer (that’s right, not the 12) I have both sizes. If you are 200 lbs. or lighter you won't need to worry about this. *

Plastic Nicks and Scratches:
They all nick and scratch when made of plastic. My only problem with the surface texture of a brand new kayak is that I need to smooth it out with an abrasive to add all my sponsor's stickers. I like the 12 footer for being lighter and quick to get up and going without compromising stability.

When shopping for a kayak write down the 5 most important things to you that you want out of a kayak, and find a yak that caters to them. For me it's the Stealth because important factors to me at stability, riggability, ample storage, ability to take out daughter or dog, and can handle ocean conditions.

I recently purchased a Malibu Kayaks Stealth - 12. I am the owner of four previous and current Kayaks (sold two Ocean Kayaks - Drifter and Scrambler XT to pay for Stealth 12). I also own a Malibu Mini-X (see my review - 10/10) and a Wilderness Tarpon 130T (see review 10/10). I purchased my Stealth 12 from Efren Salazar with SPI Kayaks here in South Texas (Excellent Dealer - Highly Recommend!!).

I first put the Stealth in our pool the night I purchased it to check the stability. WOW!!! It surpassed my expectations and I had a Ocean Kayak Drifter and have a Tarpon 130T (I fish solo from the middle position) and Mini-X. These are three of the wider Kayaks made. The Stealth blew them away in stability! The Mini-X comes in second but the extra length does make a difference. I could walk forward and back, in circles, etc. without getting dumped or even feeling close to getting dumped. The crazy thing is I can stand dead center on the bait hatch and it is even more stable than my feet placed out at the widest point (which is very stable)! I crawled quickly up to the front and even opened the awesome gator hatch and climbed in and then crawled to the back (not slowly) and sat in the back tank well comfortably. This thing is SOLID and STABLE.

The following day I went evening fishing and paddling in the Lower Laguna Madre (Bay - Gulf of Mexico). I was even more impressed at the stability through moderate waves. It had better glide than the other four Kayaks and tracked very well without a rudder. I am glad I went for the 12 instead of the 14 as turning was agile as well (have heard the 14 is sluggish).

I would consider this to meet all expectations as THE BEST FISHING KAYAK MADE! I would recommend without hesitation, my friend with a 2010 Tarpon 160 is jealous at the stability and ride in a 12' 4" package! No regrets on this one and if I won a prize of any Kayak in the world, I would pick another Stealth 12 without hesitation! I picked the Yellow and it is Sweet. I have had two yellow Ocean Kayaks and Malibu's yellow is crisper and looks great while being highly visible to other watercraft. Buy one with confidence that your getting the best! If in South Texas, look into calling Efren at SPI Kayaks (shop in La Feria - rentals at South Padre), he's a great dealer of many brands and I wouldn't buy from anyone else.