Ultimate 12

I’ve owned this boat for almost 10 years. It’s absolutely amazing. The adjustable seat is comfortable, there’s ample room for storage, and it tracks decently well. The pontoon shape makes the boat very stable, but you lose a couple of inches in bottom clearance so shallows seem slightly shallower in this as opposed to a sit-in for example. This is rarely an issue, I’m just the type who likes to really explore so this minor limitation is something worth noting. By no means should it scare you away. The difference is hardly noticeable. All in all I’ve always preferred my boat to any of my friends’ kayaks because of the roominess and comfort. I‘ll paddle this boat until it falls apart. It’s an absolute blast and it will always hold a special place in my heart. It has allowed for innumerable adventures, and will be my go to boat for many more to come. I Absolutely recommend.

Very good quality, tunnel hull for great stability. Good fishing platform. Good for small lakes and slow moving rivers . Not made for class 2 . Highly recommend 👍👍👍

There are many watercraft on the market and many of them are good products. Native Watercraft's Ultimate 12 is in a class of its own. The initial stability makes it comfortable for beginner and experienced paddler alike; the secondary stability from the Tunnel Hull makes it easy to stand and sight fish...a treat for anglers using spinning, casting, or fly gear. With the spacious open deck area, one can easily pack dry bags for overnight camping or coolers and gear for a day on the water. In addition to the space, the adjustable seat makes for a comfortable ride. The Ultimate tracks equally well in moving river water and still lake/pond water and the shallow draft enables the paddler to get into those prime spots for angling. Lastly, the sturdy and light, mid-forty pound shell makes it easy to transport and use in a variety of environments. I've had mine for over ten years and consider the purchase one of the best decisions/investments ever.

I own 2 Ultimate 12 Propel kayaks. I have owned them for 7 years and really enjoy it. I use them mostly for fishing the lake and streams here in middle and Eastern Mass. These are great platforms to fish from, your hands are free to fish while you can still maneuver around the lakes and streams.

The Ultimate 12 was my first kayak and I absolutely love it, I since upgraded to a sit on top but still have the ultimate and it is now my 12 year old sons fishing kayak.. I can't say enough about this boat .. super super stable.. comfortable seat.. wide open and plenty of room for gear.. light and easy to load & unload yourself

I bought my Ultimate a year ago and have been very happy with it. It is the base model made of PE. I use it mainly for recreational kayaking on a lake. I decided on this model because I also wanted something easy to fish from.

This boat is very stable. I can easily hang my legs off the side with no danger of tipping. I thought since it was a wide kayak that it would be difficult to paddle, but I was mistaken. It paddles very easily and tracks very well. It is well constructed and the seat is comfortable. The only criticism I have is that the cost is kind of steep. I would recommend it to my friends.

Just finished 8 day trip down the AuSable in Michigan. My Ultimate 12 performed flawlessly. It is very stable and the seat is like sitting in my lazy boy. I'm thinking about upgrading to the 14.5 so I can carry more gear, otherwise, the 12 is perfect for fishing.

I purchased my Ultimate 12 fishing model 2 1/2 years ago. I am over 65 and 250 Lbs. I have used this kayak in a large salt water bay and tidal rivers on Cape Cod along with freshwater ponds. Its an excellent little boat, very stable and safe and good to fish from. It loads easily into the back of my short bed pickup truck. I have used it in rough water with no problems.

I have paddled many kayaks and canoes over the years but this one has by far the most comfortable seat of any of them. I'm 5'10" and 215 pounds and I find the boat very stable.

Though it is often advertised as a sit-on-top kayak I consider it a canoe hybrid, though it is more stable than any canoe, probably due to the dual tunnel hull that resembles a pontoon boat. It sports a fairly wide beam which is why it is paddled with a kayak paddle.

I have the basic version that weighs 50 pounds, and about 45 pounds with the removable seat out. I keep the tops of the gunwales free of attachments so that it can be pushed up onto the canoe rack on top of my car and the light weight makes that a fairly easy proposition.

This boat tracks straight without a lot of correction. It is not as quick as the Pungo 120, but is not as slow as the Hurricane Phoenix 120 sit-on-top I had a while back. After paddling kayaks for the last few years I appreciate the open bow that provides easy access to gear and the ability to stretch my legs and back without getting out of the boat.

This boat does have a sharp underside to the gunwale so when you grab it to pull the boat out of the water it cuts into your hand a bit. That's the only really negative aspect to the design that I've noticed so far.

I rate this boat a 9 out of 10 overall. If it was a bit faster I'd give it a 10, but nothing in this world is perfect.

December 2012 follow-up: I reviewed it already and its 4 main points that make it a keeper are:
1) very stable yet manueverable in a moderate river or lake...
2)Keeps you DRY all year round...
3) rugged poly roto molded with very nice adjustable seat and foot rests...
4) you can put a trolling motor on it easily! I bolted a small block on the stern to clamp a 30# Minn Kota to and steer with a simple pushrod and band-clamped 'horn' like an RC airplane rudder. A $25 digital controller throttles it more efficiently and much cooler than stock tiller/throttle. So I can cruise all day on a 30 amp deep cycle battery (about $100-110) with nothing in the way and still paddle when I want to get in close. For a lake with electric motors only (like a reservoir), this is ideal and you can pull it up on an island to 'stretch your legs'.
See my project: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp6LYs4JCNA

I expected to get a good sit on top kayak. So I went to the boat show in Farmville, Virginia...home of America's largest small boat store. I saw every boat worth looking at from all the makers. When I saw the Ultimate 12, it looked odd... like canoe/kayak with an odd looking seat and those weird double hulls things. So I thought. The sales rep was blunt: "Go take it out for 15 minutes; it will not turn over unless you deliberately do it. It will be faster straight, turn faster, track better and far more comfortable than anything here..."

And he was right. I got the sand color one and have had it in the river, on lakes and even Lake Gaston, NC one day when it was windy. The local Orvis shop manager had my exact same boat and outfitted just like mine at a local fishing expo/event at the James River in Richmond, VA. The Orvis guy can paddle whatever he wants.

Mine has been out on the hottest summer day, the cold winter days and all in between. Never tipped, never a problem of any sort, totally reliable and faster than nearly any guy in any kayak. And drier than ANYBODY from the shore to the rapids of normal churn. The drop down 'skeg' at the rear stabilizes it in a straight line. I use it all the time.

The seat is amazingly comfortable and fully adjustable; has adjustable foot rests. I even made a steel bracket that clamps on behind the seat and add a 12V battery and 30# trolling Minn Kota. Runs all day on a reservoir lake to fish with and plenty of room inside for a cooler, baits,rod, etc. Be sure yours is the model with foot rests... the original Ultimate 12.

Summary: I have never seen any small boat that comes close. You will never wear it out or break it and likely never tip it over. Do not stand up in it to fish unless it is a dead still lake. Some fly fisherman do that, but not me. Take my tip: get a very good 2 piece paddle. I settled on an all fiberglass, long one (240 cm) that has bent handles (for wrist and forearm comfort and better control) called the Werner 'Cascadia' model. Pricey and worth every penny! A paddle for this boat is like underwear or shoes: not the place to skimp on quality and comfort!

Above all! Wear a damn life jacket (about 60-80 for a Mustang made Basspro self inflator pro type). A river or lake doesn't know what car you drive or what degrees you earned. Be smart.

Ultimate 12 or larger; your pick. A 12' cartops easily at 55lbs empty with seat installed. Go look closer at them now at Native Watercraft. When other guys see mine, they know I have the best small boat on the water. And so do I.

I have had my U12 for a little over a month now an love it! I use it to rec paddle and fish our little lake where we live. It is extremely stable which is why I purchased it. This is my first kayak and I would not say it rides like a canoe, I am extremely fearful of the lack of stability I have encountered in canoes in the past. The seat is so comfortable and the ability to slide all the way forward to reach gear in the front is awesome when fishing. I plan to get the front and rear skirt to keep rain out, and continue to decide how to rig it for fishing. Great boat, I have stood up in it a couple of times which is amazing, just ask my wife. Buy it.

I bought this boat to fish the slow rivers. I own a QCC 700 and a WS Alto. I have owned several other performance sea kayaks so I expected this boat to paddle like a boat dock but I really didn't care since my time in the boat would be drifting and fishing.

I took it to the lake to try it out and I set my expectations very low so I wouldn't be disappointed. Boy was I surprised. It paddled like a kayak. It was fast enough to go somewhere, tracked straight and turned quick when needed. I couldn't believe it. So I ran a few more tests. The first thing I did was stand up. I even stood on one foot. The water came up high on the side of the boat but did not come in. How could this be? So I pulled into the shore, called my dog and she jumped right in. She jumped from one side to the other. No worries. This thing won't turn over. The only thing I didn't get a chance to try was how it reacted to strong winds and waves. I suspect it will blow around a bit but who cares. That is not what it is meant for. It is a rec boat and a fishing boat. I quickly outfitted mine with rod holders, anchor system, some cleats and a few more custom mods. I can't wait to get it on the river.

If I had to state a few negatives it may be that the plastic seems a little soft. My other plastic boats seems to have a harder plastic compound. I don't know enough about plastics to say if this is true but it seems to scratch easier than my others. I am also a little worried about the foot pads. They seem like they might break. If they do I will build some stronger ones.

I would recommend this boat for any recreational paddler that has no intentions of serious sea kayaking. I did not get a rudder or skeg and see no reason for it. For fishing it is a no-brainer. Buy the thing. You will love it if you use it for what it was designed to do.

Just bought an Ultimate 12 two weeks ago. Solid, stable, light enough to be usable for hard to reach places like the dozens of small lakes here in Northern California. I've used it for trout fishing several times now and am very happy with it. The 12 was priced right. The accessories, on the other hand, are pricey and have to be special ordered. Which is the reason I only gave it a 9

I purchased the Ultimate 12 a few weeks ago mainly for fishing and photography. For it's intended purpose it is a good boat. Tracks well, not to much wiggle and easy to get into and out of. I did find that my 220 paddles were not wide enough for this boat and had to get 240cm paddles. I just wish this boat were a little lighter, or I was 20 years younger. This boat feels/handles more like a canoe than a kayak, over all very nice.

From reading reviews etc thought I would really like this boat for a kayak photog. platform. For me, even w/ the skeg down there was quite a bit of stern-wiggle when paddling. When I tried to use the footpegs to actually push on, the sides flexed out, and the foot pegs moved - I found it incredibly fiddly and difficult to get the little button on the foot peg aligned w/ the little square on the rail and often the little button didn't pop out into the little square so the footpeg didn't lock in place; not a good system for me. When paddling, I kept banging into the sides - the sides are very canoe-like and pretty much go straight up, no curve inward as in other SOTs. I also found that I was sitting ON the bar that the seat hinges on - not so comfortable. So, I decided that the Ultimate 12 was not the yak for me.

I have a Wilderness Systems Tempest 165 pro, which I like for general paddling (except that the seat/cockpit has gotten a tad too narrow for me). Besides wanting a yak w/ wider seat, I also wanted something more stable to use as a photography platform; after much testing I got a used LiquidLogic Manta Ray 14

Great bass fishing boat and like the fact that the seat can be raised. Very stable but standing isn't recommended. I installed two rod holders on each side behind the seat. It's a keeper!

An almost perfect boat for photography. I'd give it 9 and a half if the scale had halves. Extremely stable, paddles easily, it is no racer but moves out pretty smartly and isn't much troubled by wind. I can get into very shallow water with the skeg raised.

I *love* this boat. So why isn't it a 10? I'm annoyed that the gunwales are unnecessarily wide at the center. There are depressions in them, I assume for fishing lures, etc. and a deeper round depression (to hold a drink?). When paddling I keep hitting my knuckles on the side and twice caught a fingernail on the skeg slider. The round depression is in the wrong place. Any can/bottle you put there will be knocked out when paddling. If they had pulled the sides in with some tumblehome, the trays for lures and the drink holder would be better situated in an extended seat pan. Petty complaints I know but they came so close to perfect.

This is a fun boat. I bought it a couple of weeks ago for fishing primarily, and because I have a few friends who are pretty large and have had some issues in the past trying to fit into a sit-in kayak. I like the versatility of the boat. It has an interesting hull design that allows it to remain stable in just about any condition. It comes standard with a drop skeg, and is pretty fast for the design. I have been to coast in it and down a river with some minor class I rapids and it handled everything well.

The seat is extremely adjustable and slides forward to reach items stored in the bow of the boat, and also detaches and can used as a camp chair. Very comfortable. They have some great accessories as well including front and aft covers and a 3/4 spray skirt. They even offer detachable cup holder :)

The down side is that it is pretty heavy for its size, over 50lbs, and a little unwieldy if you have to portage any distance. But not any more so than a small canoe.

Overall I like it pretty well. It's versatile and fun. I give it a 9 out of 10!