Zoar Sport

Decent tracking and maneuverability for The length of the boat. Being from northeast Ohio we have all sorts of different waters to paddle being Lake Erie, The grand river, and other smaller inland/ man made lakes that the Zoar sport performs well on all. Very stable for beginners and great performance for experienced paddlers. This product is discontinued so if you get the opportunity purchase used or like new definitely worth the buy.

I borrowed this kayak from a friend to use while camping. The kayak had a rudder installed. This kayak was a breeze to paddle. It tracked very well and was very steady. I had also taken my 17 ft canoe and fell in love with the kayak. My daughter used the kayak for the first time ever kayaking and I could not get the kayak away from her.

Turning was a little slow, due to the length. Also paddled a tandem Old Town and there was no comparison the Necky was easy and very relaxing to paddle. I also found the seat very comfortable. The adjustable back was perfect.

Bought my 2008 Zoar Sport in late 2007. I have logged many, many miles in this boat, and I have enjoyed 99% of them. The only complaints I have are that thigh braces should be standard (you can buy Necky brand braces and DIY), and the Extrasport seat can be a little trying on long trips.

It is an awesome boat for a 3-5 day trip, and I have had no leaks with the rubber hatch covers. I prefer these to the beret-style with plastic covers and cross straps. Stability is amazing- I can see why an Angler version of this boat was made. With this much stability, it is not a super-quick handling boat unless you have some skills at bracing and good paddle technique (which I do hee hee). I have paddled it on slick bayous and rivers and in wicked chop and surf and like to deploy the rudder in chop, as it improves tracking.

I don't think the rudder is standard anymore, so if you are buying this boat, I would suggest having a rudder installed and thigh braces. I am 5 ft 8 and 145 pounds, so I definitely need thigh braces in this boat to maximize the fun. I may be insane, but I have paddled this baby in 4-6 ft seas without a spray skirt and stayed pretty dry. Only time I came out of the boat was due to my own stupidity- lots of chop, no skirt, and heavy winds in the Gulf of Mexico. I was cutting up in the waves and zigged when I should have zagged. Re-entry is easy using cowgirl/cowboy method and paddle as an outrigger. Even when I had to deliberately do wet exits WITH a skirt, the rear deck is ample enough to get you back on board fairly easily.

The boat is roto-molded poly and mine is the sunrise fade- colors are still beautiful and all the fittings are like new- even after salt-water use. There is a neat little spot to install a compass on the front deck and I did put one on.

I would definitely recommend this boat to anyone with a $1K budget. I will ALWAYS keep this boat, but I am a fairly advanced paddler, so my next 'yak will be something more along the lines of the Looksha Elite or Eliza Composite- something faster and more agile in heavy surf. I have been using a Bending Branches Journey paddle with my boat, have a basic Aquabound paddle as a back-up, and a Surge Carbon. I prefer the BB for touring and the Surge is brand new, so I am excited to get out on Lake Michigan and see how that works out.

I purchased a Necky Zoar Sport as my (gulp) 4th kayak. I wanted an inexpensive boat that I could leave locked up at a public landing and not worry like I would about my "good" kayaks.

I say, for the money, this is a pretty good boat. It's not super-fast, but there are other boats for that. It's a good beginner boat, or one if you want a roto-molded boat it's pretty good for the money. I'm a little disappointed in the seat, it could be more comfortable when I look at other boats at this price break. It can "sort of" hold an edge, again more so than other boats at this price-range. I would say at the 14 foot range, a day tourer, this is a pretty good boat and better than some. It can handle a larger paddler, but so can Wilderness Systems Tsunami 145 - which has more comfort, but less performance. I'd recommend the Tsunami for anyone with knee or back problems over this boat.

I think if you're looking for an "all around" kayak to do some rivers, lakes and even some big water, it's great - especially for the money. Don't look for speed, or cutting through the water, because it's a little clunky - but at 14 feet, what can you expect? For what you're paying for, you get a pretty darn good boat. I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a better boat for the money...unless you buy used.

I have had my Zoar Sport for about 3-4 years now (purchased used from this site) and used it on several ponds, lakes, harbors, and tidal rivers in NH and Maine. It is a great beginner kayak and serves well as I try new activities. I have not used it in the ocean but would not have reservations in doing so. It is a very stable kayak, and I have never tipped it over despite some "less than graceful" entries. It's a little wider than a touring kayak. This past year I rigged it for fishing and that has worked extremely well. There is space for flush mount rod holders behind the seat, and a Scotty rod holder in the front. There is also plenty of room at the ready for an anchor, tackle, moving around, and handling fish (I'm 5'8", 180 lbs). I do have a rudder which has helped me, especially when fishing the tidal rivers last year in strong currents or wind. But prior to that I didn't need the rudder very much. I haven't tried to roll or re-enter after tipping it, which wi! ll be the next step before ocean fishing. Its not the fastest yak on the water, but the lack of speed is easily offset for me by the stability and ease of transporting it. The weight is reasonable and I have no problems loading it on my jeep with the aid of some hully rollers. All in all I think the Zoar Sport is a great kayak for the money, especially when I compare it to some of the more popular plastic kayaks.

I bought a Zoar Sport in 2004 and have paddled it on Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and on inland lakes and rivers. I like the stability a lot and I like the roominess (I'm 6' 2" and 220). It cruises along well enough and the rudder comes in handy when I feel lazy, but the tracking leaves a lot to be desired. All in all this boat works well for a beginner and I thoroughly enjoy it. I don't find the seat that uncomfortable.

I use the Zoar Sport in the Hudson three times a week and it is a very good mix of stability and agility. Not the fastest boat, but it does just fine in flat water and rough. I have the rudder and don't use it much, but it comes in real handy in a fast running current and high wind. An excellent all around boat, very well made.

I purchased my Necky Zoar in the Spring of 2002. It is my first kayak. Since then, I have taken it on many lakes and rivers in North/Central Indiana. I have found it to be exactly what I wanted. It is very stable (I regularly fish from it), it runs very shallow (even with 200lb me and some gear in it), and I can easily paddle it upstream in a river (without the skeg). I will agree with other reviews that the seat is a disappointment. My lower back is often sore after a day on the water. However, I happen to like the thigh braces (I can easily lean the kayak with my lower body while fishing). My next kayak will have a better, more comfortable seat--but I am otherwise a great fan of this boat.

I have owned my 2003 Zoar Sport for over a year. I am 6' 180lb. The boat is a great beginners boat. It is very stable which also causes it to be slow for a 14 footer. Lots of room for packing gear. Seat is a bit uncomfortable, especially when compared to Wilderness Systems Phase 3 seating. The knee braces are cheesy. They appear to be added to the boat as an afterthought. Rudder is nice, but would like to see a better footpeg system. The boat tracks very well, with or without the rudder. All in all, I would highly recommend to any beginner. You would have to do something seriously wrong to tip over.

This is a great kayak. I'm 6'0" 195lbs and just getting started. I tried a lot of kayaks at a demo day and have rented some too. I liked the Zoar Sport the best. I found a great deal on a used one on this website. I have used it so far on lakes and just recently took it on a river with class 1 rapids. At first I used the rudder a lot but now I hardly use it. It kept wanting to go left but I found it was me and not the kayak. I recommend buying a video and/or a book (I have both) on kayaking if you are a beginner. The Zoar Sport is very stable and easy to get in and out of.

This is really a great boat, I could not be happier. It is VERY stable and although not the fastest one around, still fast enough for most of us to enjoy. It is easy to turn and with the skeg down it tracks very well, even in pretty windy conditions. My twelve year old daughter, who never used any kayak before, had a blast with it on her very first try. My fourteen year old son, caught a bass fishing from it, also in his first try ever on a Kayak (as I told you, it is really very stable).

I use it for costal touring and nightly workouts on a lake in the back of our home. This is a superb little kayak, the only small setback for me is the fact that it is rather on the heavy side - I drive a Ford Expedition and to haul it to a car top that is about six feet high, after a day paddling, is really a workout on it's own. But then again, I bought it mainly for workouts, therefore under this circumstances the weight should be considered a plus as well. Great job Necky!

What can I say, I love this boat, I have been kayaking for 3 years, and have had the zoar sport for 2 years. I am very satisfied with the stability of the boat, as well as it's preformance on both open water and river. I would recomend this boat to anyone new to kayaker.

Bought the Zoar Sport with a skeg, cheaper, and on a 14 foot boat I didn’t think a rudder was necessary… I may have been wrong; there have been times in big water when a little direction control would have been handy. The dollar difference between the skeg and rudder is enough for me not to regret my choice. The boat fits very nicely. At 5’10” and 200 lbs, I don’t feel stuffed in and there’s enough room to move. The only problem so far is the weight; this is a heavy little guy, though probably no worse than comparable boats, but loading it back onto the car after a paddle can be fun for others to watch. The Zoar gets a gold star for stability, nothing seems to bother it. It tends to move a bit with the wind but not enough to bother me. The seat gets hard after a few hours but so does my car’s so that’s not an issue. All in all a great boat, nothing to complain about, no leaks, lots of room for me and gear, stable, solid, very secure… I’d buy another one with out a second thought.

Yet another vote for the Zoar Sport as the "big person's kayak." At 6'-2" and 200 pounds I am not extremely tall nor very "beamy" and yet I had a *lot* of difficulty feeling comfortable in most of the kayaks I tried. I have canoed for over 40 years and set out last summer to find a plastic kayak that I would not quickly outgrow. I had never been in a kayak before last year but recognized from the outset that fit is important and can only be determined by plunking one's bod into many possible boats -- that reviews can only be helpful to a point because they are based on *other* bods than one's own!

Through rentals and loans I tried a variety of boats from 12 to 15 feet or so: Perception Acadia, Carolina, Catalina; Prijon Calabria; Wilderness Systems Cape Lookout, Cape Horn, Alto, and Manteo; Walden Odyssey; and a few others I'm forgetting. Of all these, the Zoar was the best fit by far, and I bought one. One of the main attractions is the easy in/out. Others have complained that the Zoar's thigh braces are too far forward -- well, for how I'm built, the braces on boats like the Calabria (even though these were adjustable) were way too confining. The Zoar's allow me to make very firm contact with the lower portions of my thighs, yet it's easy to disengage without a lot of contortion. Some boats like the Alto I couldn't even get into, let alone feel comfortable paddling.

The boat handles well and feels a lot quicker in the water than some of the beamier, flatter-bottomed models I tried. The secondary stability is wonderful and reassuring. I am not a skilled turner, yet I feel that this boat will keep me interested as I learn more.

I got a boat with a skeg because I liked the idea of rock-solid foot pegs and I do not plan to do ocean paddling. (Plus it was cheaper.) Now that I have used the boat a few times I find its overhanging skeg a liability in putting the boat up onto the car rack and in storing the boat -- the skeg hangs out where it can very easily catch the ground and as a result can be bent, or the bearing stressed. I will probably take it off and store it in the boat. It is certainly helpful in windy situations but where I'm mostly in small lakes and rivers I can always go ashore and fit the skeg in a few moments. Just for the ease-of-handling issue, I guess a rudder is better as it can be rotated completely up onto the deck and kept out of the way while the boat is being carried.

I recommend the Zoar Sport very much for its craftsmanship, handling and comfort. It is a bit heavy but that is a small negative to be considered with many positives.

Outstanding! What a great boat, a real pleasure to paddle. I've been out quite a few times in my new ZS and I am amazed by the amount of space even for me (6'2" 250). A solid buy. Nice job Necky.

Just purchased two Zoar Sports for myself and my wife. Main reason was the price...dealer going out of business and offering them at a huge discount. We hadn't used short boats before, just tandem Kayaks and 16' Prisms for bay and sound daytrips. We found these Zoars to be very stable both primary and secondary, able to turn on a dime even without the use of the installed rudders and able to hold their own with longer boats. Put the rudders down and they track beautifully in almost any wind which is surprising due to the dolphin nose sticking way up in the air. But just because of that nose they stay extreemly dry. The only complaint is the seat back.C'mon, Necky, look at the Widerness system Phase Three seats and make something similar. If you do I'll give you a perfect 10! All in all a great paddling kayak with ample room in the cockpit and hatches, double bulkheads for boyancy and very capable in both smooth and wavy conditions. Except for the seat and backrest it seems to be well made and offers the performance of a much longer boat.Paddlers should consider a paddle of at least 230cm due to the width of the boat. Very satisfied!

Just purchased my Zoar Sport today; got a great deal on a 2002 model from a huge canoe/kayak store up in Farmville, VA. The dealer seemed very knowledgeable and even raved that a friend of his was very competitive in a Zoar versus longer touring crafts in local lake races. It came down to the Prijon Calabria or the Necky Zoar for me, and I'm glad I went with the Zoar... had a Looksha before and liked it, and the Zoar is cut from the same cloth: a great, responsive, all-round coastal and lakes tourer that is not too big and not too small. Seems to track just fine and lean just fine; the speed was good for a 14' craft; good primary and great secondary stability. I paddled into a stiff breeze, and then back in a following breeze, and even broach (broadside) to 1' chop and it handled just swell. I am 5'9" and 190 and it fits just fine; the thigh braces may be just a bit too forward, but the seat is very comfortable. I look forward to more paddling in my Zoar, and hope to get my girlfriend comfortable in a decked boat finally -- good job, Necky! I give it a 9 because, hey, no boat is perfect...

I cannot say enough good things about this kayak. It is perhaps the best all-round "generalist" kayak for the cost. Excellent for beginners (very stable). I have paddled a Necky Zoar Sport for three years and I am very content. This is an outstanding kayak for fishing and camping. I recently purchased a kevlar Daggers Sitka for longer and more difficult expeditions, however will continue to use the Zoar for day trips and as a back-up. Excellent kayak.

After another year of paddling the Zoar Sport I would still give it a 10. It handles well in rough weather or flat water, turns on a dime but tracks well (with a rudder in the high winds). Very satisfied.

I highly recommend this kayak. I am an avid kayak enthusiast and just happened to come across the Zoar sport at an Army/Navy surplus store that also sold kayaks. Like other large men 6’1, 250lbs, I have trouble fitting in most kayaks, the Zoar sport fit right and when put through its paces on both Cape Cod and Massachusetts North Shore it performed admirably. Choppy seas, high winds, and other stormy conditions did not effect the kayak’s performance. I did not need the rudder most of the time out on the ocean, but felt it better to have one and not need it then to need it and not have it. Its cargo capacity and handling make it a great asset for long day trips or a camping out on a river trip. I did put the Zoar sport through some tight maneuvering tests on the Ipswich River and its handling was sharp and the kayak highly responsive to the actions needed to overcome many obstacles. The Zoar Sport is just as advertised: an excellent coastal explorer.

I bought my Zoar Sport 3 mos, ago, have paddled it under many circumstances and I love it. At 5'11", 200 lbs. it fits me well,handles great,...no cup holder!!

I will agree with everyone who's posted, Necky does make some great kayaks. I got an Alsek, kinda a precursor to the Zoar Sport a few years back and to me it is a quality boat. the Neckys track extremely well, and I for one, like the dolphin bow, for breaking big surf. I will admit however if you are paddling into the wind, you should go ahead and drop the rudder, becuase the raised bow does have a tendency to go with the whims of the wind, other than that, I am a super happy Necky user. Last year I also purchased a Santa Cruz. With the large cockpit, it gets those who feel trapped in the smaller std sized kayak keyholes. It also has the raised bow, and breaks surf great. You will want to go ahead and get the expedition model on this one as well, to give you an adequate dry storage in back. The huge front bow on both the Santa Cruz and Alsek, and Zoar model, will allow you to remove the airbag, and stick a couple of sleeping bags in dry bags up there as well, doubling your storage capacity. The S/C aside from being a great entry level boat, has great secondary stability with its' chined sides. The boat will track effortlessly, but also be able to turn on a dime much quicker than the large touring boats. As far as customer service goes, I have had no problem getting in touch with any of the guys at Necky for ordering extra trimlock, which I also fixed some of my old Perceptions with. Generally all round, great boats, super company.

I bought my Zoar sport about a month ago without really knowing much about kayaking. I've been happy with it but now that I know more about paddling technic, edging and such, I've realized the thigh braces on this boat are poorly designed. I'm 6'1" and the braces barely touch my thighs. The're more like knee braces, and after a full day of paddling my knees are rubbed raw. Other than that, the boat tracks well and I've got no problems with the seat.

I bought my Zoar Sport a month ago, been out 3 times on local lakes to test things out. I'm 6'4", 230 and the boat is incredibly perfect for me. I owned a Santa Cruz last year, a little wider boat and thought it was pretty comfortable, but this boat is amazing. The fit is perfect, the thigh braces perfect, the leg room perfect. Any tall or large person should love this. The boat performs very well also, tracks well, very stable initially and secondary. Rides very stable on waves. I will take it out into Puget Sound the next few months and give an update on its sea legs. Only problem as the previous poster noted is the seat. It's like a half seat, very poor. Will look into alternatives.

This kayak is it. After buying and trying then selling several kayaks I bought a new Necky Zoar Sport with rudder. Burr (see below) must have been sitting in his kayak backwards because this baby tracks. My rudder stayed out of the water. I am 6'2" and weigh 200 lbs. Found this boat easy to get into (and out of). Easily the best poly touring boat I have paddled.

This is a follow-up to my first review, which was written after paddling the Zoar Sports once! I continue to rate the Zoar Sports at a 10 after paddling them for 50+ miles! They track well, respond to a lean, Initial stability and secondary stability are great! If I had unlimited funds, I'm sure I'd have a couple of Kevlar boats, but I think I'd still have the Zoars to paddle those rocky lakes, ponds, and streams!!

Just bought two Zoar Sports for my wife and I. Tried out a couple of boats by OTC and a couple by Necky, decided on the Zoar Sport. Believe it was the diamond hull that sold me. Will post another review after a few weeks of paddling, but really like this boat!

I purchased this boat mainly for excursions on lake ontario. It handles very nicely and for a lake as rough as ontario, a rudder is very much appreciated. It is extremely easy to load and unload in the water and on your vehicle. For being plastic, I was surprised with the ease it moves. A good general purpose kayak. If you're new to the sport of kayaking, its a good choice.

My wife and I have a Zoar Sport (for her) and a Zoar (for me); both boats track. and turn very well. My wife is a small person and finds the Sport to be very nimble and easy to handle, but it also carries my weight (210 lbs) without any noticeable decline in responsiveness. It edges nicely, too.We have had the sport out in 2 ft. chop, and it feels very stable and secure. Having a rudder is a nice option on a windy day, and the foot pegs are easy to adjust. We tried a bunch of boats, and liked the Zoars hands down for handling, comfort and price.

I have two Zoar Sports. I've paddled them on the WI River.....(a large fast moving river) I've also paddled them in small rivers and big creeks with I & II rapids. With the skeg down they track exceptionally well and with the skeg up are agile enough to keep me out of trouble. There is enough room to carry camping supplies for a few days and they are a breeze to handle when it comes to cartopping. I've added some padding on the seat and seatback. I reviewed and tried a number of boats in search for the "perfect" tour/rec boat. I think the Zoar sport comes pretty close.

We went to a demo day in the Florida Keys last February. It was like being in a candy store. While this was an opportunity to find the right kayak for my fiance', it was also a chance to test whats new, I already owned a WS Seacret. We looked at dozens of kayaks and maybe tested half a dozen. We asked tons of questions of the representatives. The Necky rep was the most knowledgable of what real weekend yaksters wanted and needed. She went out first and loved it, and I agreed, I would gladly have one for myself as well. :-)