Loon 126

I have paddled this kayak on many dirrerent lakes and in many conditions. It did well everywhere. The 3 piece construction says it does not flex. The seat is very comfortable. I am 6ft 230 lbs. This kayak fits me well.

I am an intermediate kayaker. Most experience has been lake or ocean shoreline to date. I have never owned a kayak and had been looking for a recreational kayak for some time I just happened across new Old Town inventory coming in with a local retailer and decided to check out the Loon 126.

I love this kayak and fits my needs. I'm a larger 5'11" and 215 lbs guy, so cockpit size, stability and ease of entry were all important for me. It checks all these boxes. It is a bit harder to turn than I have experienced in other recreational and has been described in other reviews, but this is to be expected. It has a slightly heavier weight to enable a much higher carrying load capacity. From research, it appears to be 5-10 lbs. heavier than the average for this size but at the same time, it's load capacity of 450 lbs. far surpasses the 300-350 lbs. rating for other similar sizes.

The removable cockpit Deck is ingenious though after use, I don't think I will be making much use of the USB port. Thesest is extremely comfortable and the ability to adjust the angle of the seat to take the thigh weight strain off the hips is ideal for hours of paddling.

Great features, moderate price point and very versatile to meet my different paddling adventure needs.

Bought this kayak last summer and I couldn't be happier. It is fairly light for the design, and extremely stable. I'm 5'10" and 210 lbs and I slip in and out easily. It has plenty of storage for a day trip and could be stuffed for an over-nighter. I added two rod holders which was super easy. I always tell my paddling friends, you get what you pay for. This kayak gives a lot of bang for the buck!

Let me start off by saying that I haven't been kayaking in year. My Wife & I wanted to try it now that we are retired. We went to a local kayak rental/tour place. They had the nice sturdy Wilderness SOTs. We were our for about 2 1/2 hrs on a local river. Very nice time. It was well worth the time and money to get re-aclimated.

That said, we then did a lot of research. It came down to either the Wilderness Pungo 120 or the Old Town Loon 126. Well, the Old Town Loon 126 won hands down.

Since purchase, we have been in quite a variety of conditions ranging from going upstream against a current with head winds to calm river to the Intercoastal Waterway. These boats performed admirably!

I especially enjoyed how they handled the Intercoastal Waterway when some power boats came by and didn't really mind their wakes. Yes, they rocked a little, but just went with the flow. (This was one of my Wife's biggest worries.) They also did excellent going across the wakes. A little up and down, but cut through it nicely. I feel that was attributed to the length.

This model has the 3 layer design. This would really payoff if the cockpit ever got swamped which put my Wife at ease (me too, for that matter)..

There are a lot of what I like to call creature comforts: Starting with the seat - simply marvelous, nicely adjustable foot pegs, cockpit dash which has holders for all your stuff & a nice bottle holder too & a dry well which even has a way you can bring a small power source for any usb devices, paddle holder, bungies, good handles for carrying, a second larger dry well - aft of cockpit, and lots of room.

I can't say enough good things about our new Old Town Loon 126 kayaks. We got ours' in cloud color. Such a great investment!

If you are in the northeastern part of South Carolina, stop in to see Randy at Waccamaw Canoe & Kayak Co. His shop is just over the border in Shallotte, NC. He's the best! Such a wonderful guy who enjoys kayaking and even more, sharing about it.

Hope this review helped you! Happy paddling.......

I sold my 1999 Old Town Loon 138 because it was just getting too heavy for me to man handle. Replaced it with a current Old Town Loon 126 and rigged it for fishing myself. Added 2 flush mount adjustable rod holders behind the seat, fish finder and a rod holder on the work deck, anchor trolley and a soft tackle bag behind the seat. Spent far less then the $100 extra for the Angler package. The 126 glides effortless and I like the work deck it comes with. It is made out of the 3 layer Polylink material so it is indestructible.