Castaway

I bought the old town castaway,as I Live on Tillamook Bay, in Oregon. I was apprahensive about tracking, but the Castaway tracks great in 10-15 mile per hour winds.It handles the waves well without a rudder.The hull is great fast and responsive, (same hull as Castine) and very stable. I do wish they could engineer a drain plug. And yes the molding around the cockpit does come off.

A little glue, I suppose. The seat is very comfortable,but adjust it before you get into the water. The foot pegs work great, they are easy to udjust on the water, but the taller you are the harder it is. I'm 5' 9" and it's a perfect fit. All in all I am very pleased with this kayak and would promote this kayak for anyone looking for a very versitile touring Kayak.

This would actually be an 8.5 rating. After doing a demo of 7 kayaks and reading as much as I could find, I saw a red Castaway for $450. Since this was less than most of the other 12.5 foot kayaks around, I read all of the Castaway and Castine (same hull with hatches, bulkheads, and foredeck rigging) and Old Town reviews that I could. Two college professors in the area highly recommended Old Town due to the Polylink 3 construction--stiffer, better insulated, and harder to damage, they said. After reading all the reviews noting dissatisfaction with softer polyethylene kayaks with oil-canning, bent hulls, denting, and scratches, I got a lot more interested in the Old Town Line.

Before you think I am an Old Town flunky, I really didn't see Old Town as my first choice. There were a lot of reviews on Old Town boats mentioning poor construction (usually bulkhead leaks and trim), or that they were too wide, too slow, etc. The other kayaks that seemed to be in my price range that I could find in the area were usually Perception boats, and I really liked the Monterey, Carolina, America and Sundance that I tried at the demo. Bottom price for any of them? $500-$799; July is not a good month for sales. A few of the Dagger and Necky boats looked good, and the reviews on the Pungo 140 have been excellent. I planned primarily to use the kayak to go fishing in areas with less engine traffic, so I didn't need race speed, but I didn't want the proverbial pumpkinseed boat, either. Tried a couple of Walden boats, too--liked the Scout all right, except for the knees-outside position, and couldn't get used to the Vista (no offense, Vista lovers! I'm not good enough for your kayak!). The popular Old Town Loon series seemed a bit too wide from my demo experience, and I knew I was looking for something narrower, but not too expensive. So, I had an idea of what I liked and didn't like, and knew I needed something over 12 feet, 27" wide or less, with decent tracking vs. handling, and moderate stability vs. speed. Then, marching through the store again, I saw the floor model Castaway that had been marked down to $400. 12'6", 26" wide, and a hull that seemed to be close to the Perception Monterey that I was so pleased with at the demo. After checking it out in the store for defects, I did the impossible--I bought it without having tried it!!!! Heavens no!!

Don't try this at home. I do not recommend buying a kayak without testing it unless you are prepared to live with the consequences, or you have the money to buy another boat that you like better. I don't. I am happy to say I got lucky. Enough blabbing about the search, here's the review:

Slipped the Castaway into the lagoon off the river (river averages 100 yards wide, medium slow flow, 3-10 feet deep. The lagoon is 2" to 8 feet deep and a big more sheltered from the wind). Rocking it back and forth brought nothing alarming--it had the comfortable feel of a well-balanced rocking chair: Not too tippy, but with enough lean to help with turns, etc. Very responsive to hip flicks, sweep strokes, and accelerated pretty well. I would rate the speed a bit faster than the Perception America, but not quite as fast as the 13.5 foot Carolina (also note that the Carolina is just under 23" wide and goes for $699 MSRP. The Carolina also turned like a log). I cannot prove the speed comments as I did not time paddling speed with any of these boats, so I admit to this not being an objective assessment. The folding seat was comfortable for 15 minutes around the lagoon, two hours going a mile upstream fishing on the river, then back down and around the lagoon again. Luckily, my old fishing PFD fit fine, and the paddle I chose off the rack worked better than its price suggested.

Of course, I had to slip a fishing rod into the back deck rigging, and actually ended up fishing half the time. While non-fishers may not care, it was easy to fish from, and being that low to the water meant casts under trees and bushes were a snap--you're already at water level! I finally stopped fishing after catching a few smallmouth to remind myself I was supposed to be testing out my new kayak. It was a pleasant realization that the kayak worked great for its intended purpose.

Acceleration was fine; turning was very good, once I got a feel for the amount of lean; cruising speed was good, and it will glide quite a way after you stop paddling. The foot braces adjusted easily--I forgot to adjust them onshore, and was able to reach inside the hull and adjust them while on the water! I had a good test day because the wind was coasting down the river at about 10-15mph (according to the weather forecast). This meant I got to paddle upwind, crosswind, and downwind. The reviewers' comments about this hull's tendency to lose tracking downwind (I believe the term was "with a following sea") were correct. The Castaway did lean a bit with the wind at its back, but I found that if I leaned the correct direction with the correct stroke, I could straighten it out without repeated correction strokes (I was incapable of doing this with the Walden Vista a few weeks ago). Crosswinds were not a problem at all; I crossed the river three times across the wind, and it NEVER windvaned, so I've got to say that the tracking was nice. If the only problems I have are downwind, what am I complaining about!? Upwind was no challenge at all. The hull splits the wind and the waves (which were just beginning to whitecap) nicely. In the water, I couldn't be happier for the money. I give the boat an 8.5 overall while comparing it to much more expensive boats. Compared to the boats in its price range, the Castaway is a steal.

Out of the water, I transported it cockpit-down on a set of four foam canoe/kayak blocks snapped on the cockpit rim, a 1" wide nylon tie-down strap over the middle of the hull, and nylon ropes front and back (doubled through the carrying handles. Not only did it not slip forward or backward during its two trips, it didn't move sideways, either. Since it has a stiffer hull, I just made everything snug (not tight) and didn't worry about warping my new boat. Yes, a nice Yakima or Thule rack would have been nice, but this transportation setup cost a grand total of $15, and took five minutes from package to peel-out. After my trip today, it took even less time to cartop it.

The Polylink boats are heavier than comparable kayaks of the same length. The Castaway is advertised as 54 pounds. I put my PFD on my shoulder, and the Castaway on the PFD, and carried it 100 yards back from the dock to my car (my launching spot was grass-to-mud--easier going than coming, so I decided to land at a dock instead). While this wasn't a whistling carry, nor am I a lumberjack-strong type (5'8", 158), I am sure I could do it repeatedly without much problem. Plus, I was able to re-cartop the kayak easily. With no rack in the way, I simply fit the foam blocks back on the cockpit rim, lifted the kayak back on my shoulder, and slid it onto my car's roof crossways. Then I rotated it until it faced forward, and tied it down. Why the details on something so simple? Because this "heavy" kayak made it easy to do.

Looking forward to a longer, more extensive test on a variety of water. Of kayaks in this price range, this is the 10. I'll update my review with more water time.

The Castaway is a nice boat for lakes and slow moving rivers. It tracks well enough to hold its line on still water after you stop paddling, but it still responds nicely to sweep strokes. The foot pegs are solidly constructed and easy to adjust from within the boat. I’ll agree with the other reviewers here that the boat’s plastic is nearly indestructible and does not deform or oil can at all. My Castaway has been dragged over and bounced off of countless rocks with only cosmetic scratches to show for it.

If you paddle the kind of water this boat was designed for, you really don’t need a skirt; however, the boat’s cockpit is similar in size to many touring and whitewater boats. This lets you use an “off the shelf” spray skirt, if you want protection from rain or want to try leaning the boat far enough over to submerge the cockpit edge. If you get a skirt, I’d recommend either all-nylon or neoprene with a nylon or GoreTex adjustable tunnel. The boat’s high seatback would interfere with the tight tunnel of an all-neoprene skirt.

I’m selling my Castaway to buy an “old school” whitewater boat, since my interests have shifted in that direction. Still, for a flatwater day tripper, the Castaway is a good deal. It handles well for a rec boat, is decently fast, and has plenty of space behind the seat and between your legs for drybags or gear. Too bad Old Town doesn't offer thigh braces for this boat--those would greatly extend its capabilities.

First off: I am not a boat snob. I do not look down my nose at the “lower” categories of kayaks. I have paddled many types of water in all kinds of boats. I believe every boat has a purpose and place to use it. You wouldn’t take a Ferrari on a mud track, and you shouldn’t take a touring kayak down a trout stream.

What are the features of the Castaway?
Castaway is considered somewhere between a rec and a light touring boat. Old Town stripped down a Castine and called it the Castaway. They removed the bulk heads and storage compartments to lighten it and make it cheaper. Don’t plan on any overnighters with this boat. Switch over to the Castine, or Nantucket if that is what you are doing. This kayak does feature rear deck rigging, carrying handles, an Old Town standard seat, and adjustable foot pegs. The length is 12 feet 9 inches, and the width 26 inches. A happy compromise between “long and fast”, and “short stubby and slow”. Cockpit is well sized at 34 inches long, no claustrophobia here.

Where would I paddle the Castaway?
Simply put: this kayak is for lakes and rivers. I would not recommend any real big water, (ocean, great lakes) for several reasons. No bulk heads. Yes you can put floatation bags in place, but that doesn’t negate the extra width this boat has, which is a detriment on big roll-y water, a blessing on flat water. It’s width to length keeps the water line lower on the hull, which is very important on low water rivers. In short, It’s not long and skinny, and it’s not short and fat,but somewhere in between. It keeps more of the boat out of the water, and is much less likely to drag on the river bottom. The boat tracks OK, but does not come with a rudder. Again, Castine does as an option, but on low water rivers, you can’t use it anyway. Where the Castaway loses on tracking, it makes up for in maneuverability. Very forgiving when you make a last minute re-routes around logs and branches in the water.

Hey youse guys at Old Town did this right:
Poly link 3 is the material Old Town uses to make it’s plastic kayaks. THIS STUFF IS AWESOME! It’s indestructible (virtually) and holds it’s shape beautifully (no oil-canning). Far and away, the seat is the best on the market. It doesn’t feel cheap, the plastic is heavy, and the molding fits the body just right. (folks at Perception: take notice, you seats need improvement). The foot pegs are first rate. This kayak, and all made at Old Town for that matter, really show they cared about how their less expensive kayaks looked and felt. In short: it doesn’t feel like an over-grown milk jug-style rotation molded plastic boat.

Hey youse guys at Old Town, consider this:
The rear deck cords would better on the front. Can’t use the rear one. This boat is meant for short trips, you need the deck cords in front for your water bottle and stuff. And another thing, the deck area right above your legs is a little low. I am 5’ 9”, 165 lbs, and the deck is so low, when my feet are on the foot pegs I have to angle slightly to fit. I wouldn’t recommend this kayak for anyone taller or heavier than me. If you are taller, the foot pegs can adjust farther toward the bow, but I hope you don’t have feet, because they won’t fit! And another other thing, Old Town please put in a drain plug! I wash my boat out, and I can never get all the water out.

A great boat! Can't be beat for the money, tracks well and also turns great. Bought it for My wife and daughters and they love it. I can't wait to stuff some float bags in it and try it in light whitewater. I'm 6'4" with a 36" inseam and I can fit in it barefoot.

This is a no frills boat. What you get is a great hull, but very little else. The Castaway is perfect for the person who wants a great boat for a modest price and is willing to do without the extras. I bought this boat for my wife but fell in love with it myself, it is nimble, tracks well and has excellent glide. It also performs well in high wind.I found that it has plenty of room for my gear with careful packing.My gear is bulky heavy and worn out,and I still got it all in.I did find that it did not handle as well with a heavy load.I ran the Moose river Bow Trip with this boat and it did very well. My one wet exit with this boat could have been prevented with a spray skirt.With no dry hatches and a good load I found myself swiming after a set of rips put a few waves into the cockpit, it was a soggy sleeping bag kind of night.I would recomend a spray skirt. My main complaint about this boat is no dry hatches,but then I bought it for my wife not myself. This boat is also not made for tall people. I am five foot ten and 200 and fit fine but there is very little room left for longer legs.Great boat I love it, it performed well on a long trip despite the fact that it was intended as a day tourer.