The Topwater 106 is the perfect small lake boat. I test paddled several boats before absolutely falling in love with the Topwater.
The good:
The open deck makes a great standing platform and this thing is as stable as they come. I have no issues standing and moving around. I can access the front hatch and the rear tank well without feeling unsteady. And paddling while standing is a breeze.
Note: I am 5'6 170lbs and have pretty good balance. If you are a taller, heavier, or clumsier person, you may not experience the same results.
The front facing rod holder is perfect for changing lures and landing fish. It is positioned where it works equally well from a standing or sitting position. I use this all the time.
The front hatch gives another storage option for things you need to keep dry or off the deck. It also gives you hull access if you want to run wires for your electronics.
The large rear tank well fits my Tuff Krate and a small cooler with plenty of room to spare.
The seat is fairly comfortable for a boat in this price range and has high and low positions. I have never used the low position because the boat is perfectly stable in the high position.
The gear tracks that come standard are big and seem like they will last quite awhile.
The carrying handles are sturdy and are leaps and bounds better than the cloth handles that a lot of other boats have. I have no problems lugging it around or throwing it on the car to transport it.
The built in universal transducer mount is a nice addition to protect your transducer if you choose to mount it under the boat. I personally prefer to use a transducer arm on a gear track so I can easily remove the transducer whenever I need to.
For a short, wide boat it actually tracks pretty well. It's not a fast boat and is not meant to be. The extreme stability and fishability is the trade-off for the speed. I can live with that.
The bad:
For a boat with this much built-in stability, the high seat position should be quite a bit higher. Hopefully Old Town will listen to the topwater community and design a higher seat in the near future. This is the only thing that kept me from giving this boat 5 stars.
When standing, my heals like to step on the low position mounts. I will probably end up removing the low mounts.
The paddle holder only mounts to the right side of the boat, but at least it is standard.
Overall:
Excellent kayak, built by a reputable company, in a price range that isn't out of reach for the casual fisherman. It is packed with features that used to be reserved for pricier boats.
I would consider the Topwater 106 a small water boat that really shines on smaller lakes, which is exactly what I was looking for.
