Yukon Expedition

The best kayak money can buy.. this was the first kayak I ever bought but not the first one I ever tried. My boat is close to 20 years old now, and I’ve even tried others since, and I’ve never reverted buying this thing.
it really is the Land Rover of kayaks. You can go anywhere and haul just about anything in it.
the only two drawbacks I would say it has is

1. You really do need a rudder with it. It’s not the end of the world but the experience is a magnitude of a billion times better with one than without. Let me explain why.. the thing thing that makes it so “go anywhere” is also what makes a pain in the ass. So it has no keel or chines which allows it to not get caught on much of anything shot of riding directly into a boulder or dry land. I floated along in several inches of water where friends have had to get out and drag their boats. With all that said without the rudder to keep you going straight you have to constantly paddle to correct your course.. stop for a few seconds to check your phone or just take a break and you will find yourself sideways or even completely turned around 180 degrees. So IMHO a rudder is paramount to an enjoyable time with this thing.
2. it’s heavy as FUCK!, no I’m not exaggerating.. it takes two people to move this thing around or to load it up. Which isn’t the end of the world as I rarely go out alone, but it’s something to keep in mind. Online will say it weighs around “50 lbs” they are lying… it’s just shy the weight of unmanageable, just imagine whatever the heaviest thing is you can comfortably lift, then make it 20’ long and unbalanced regardless where you grab it from.
but even with those two things I’d never own a different boat.

it’s big enough to pack for a week or even 2 long camping trips,

It can quite literally go anywhere

Super maneuverable, it’s not the fastest boat, but it’s faster than every Rec kayak I’ve been out on the water with. I’d say an easy pace where I’m still doing more paddling than floating, but taking it easy I can got 3.5 mph and I’d say paddling hard will get to 4.5, maybe more if you’ve got good form.

Anyway I think I said it before in this but I’ll say it again I’ll never own another boat. I love this thing. If something happens to it I’ll find another ones.
IIRC I think I paid $250 for this thing used. And I would have paid $2k for it if I had to.
well I doubt too many people are out looking for them things or looking at reviews for them as I think they quit making them around 2005 or so.. but if this review helped you then that’s great! And I hope you found or find one for a decent price. I really mean it, if I had to buy one again I’d pay $2k for it without batting an eye.

The Jeep of kayaks. Great camping boat with lots of capacity. Stable and roomy to spend long paddling time in. I paddled Yellowstone Lake in the park in September and felt safe. I have done 300 miles of the Wisconsin River with this boat. Desolation Canyon of the Green River which has some good whitewater. I am not afraid to admit I hit rocks and the boat does fine.

I frequently take week long trips on rivers that often start in mountainous regions and end in flat areas. The need for a boat that can handle everything while loaded down from small, quick, tight rivers and creeks to raging class 4 wave trains and then the flats of lowland rivers has left me with absolutely no alternative than the Yukon Expedition. The plastic is widely regarded as the best in the business. Durability is unbelievable. Basically, this is a 14.5' whitewater kayak with a rudder.

Pros:
Maneuverability
The Yukon is really unmatched in maneuverability for 14.5' touring offerings. This is a major concern for my trips as the beginnings of rivers would be a nightmarish deathtrap (broach-fest) for most touring boats. With the rudder down, it will hold a great track. Rudder up, and you are in a long whitewater boat that looks to pearl off at any chance.

Durability
This boat is as indestructible as a plastic kayak can be. Of course any boat will not last forever, but these really are built like tanks. Rarely do I see a Yukon hull in bad oil-canning or warped shape. The stresses from low volume loaded runs will forever alter most plastic boats for the worse. My yukons do not have this problem.

Gear capacity
As my trips are mostly or entirely unsupported and in remote areas, I need places to put things. For a 14.5 the volume of capacity is great. at 350lbs, the weight capacity is fine. The hatch openings are big enough to get larger items in as well. I add some additional outfitting to the decks to offer more tie down points as well. The under deck net makes a great place for a map case and my solar panel when not in use. Lots of room for everything I need. Always, a little more room is needed...like a backpack. The problem is, more room turns into more stuff. The capacity is more than ample for week long trips.

Comfort
It is akin to a bathtub fit...spacious and comfy. The deck is high enough to move the legs about without the straight leg of death syndrome found in some lower deck boats. I actually will put comfort as a con as well and let me explain. The stock seat is not great at all. Prijon is function over comfort. To fix this, I take out the stock prijon backband as it is NOT comfy. I build a custom 1/8" x 1" aluminum bar and minicell high-back seat formed to my back. This seat back fits into the receivers for the prijon backrest. In the seat pan, I have a wilderness phase 3 pad with the leg-lifters for the most comfy sit you will have in a performance boat. I can go all day with this set up.

Speed
Well, it is fast enough to not lose sanity on a large featureless body of water. It will keep up with longer, faster boats as long as they are not actually paddling as hard as you are. The whole issue of speed is VERY subjective in kayaking. I gps test all my boats in this regard. The all-day (8 to 10 hours) cruise speed I can paddle in this boat is around 3.5 mph not factoring current or wind. While the yukon is not a poke boat, this is not a fast boat on flat water. The max speed will be hit fairly quickly. There is a big diminishing return on the effort you put in to the speed you get out after about 4 mph. But that is not the intended purpose. It is a net-speed boat for rivers. Where this boat excels is in moving current. In current, the maneuverability of the boat affords down-river speed. Very little time will be needed in slowing for set-ups, unbroaching yourself, etc...

Stability
This boat offers the most defined and relaxed primary stability of any performance tourer that you will find. The width and the hull shape create this. The secondary is rock solid as well. Rolling is easy as the boat basically falls into the upright after about 2/3 roll stroke. I have literally napped in this boat while deploying my kayak sail. It is a rock star in current as well. Again, this is where the boat excels. The looseness of the hull which one might cuss without a rudder becomes your best friend in heavy current. Without a keel, you are free from the normal anguish and current-slavery of normal 14.5' touring boats.

Now the Cons:
Speed
If you intend to use this boat on flat water, just be aware that the width and design limit the speed somewhat. It is not the fastest boat on the water.

Comfort
The stock seat and backband are not the best for all day use. Some simple, easy modification makes this boat comfortable.

Flat water tracking
There are those who wish to say that super attentive paddling will alleviate the lack of tracking. Bottom line: you will always be fighting this boat to track straight without the rudder. Drop the rudder and you are going to enjoy this boat much better

Wet ride
Part of the design of this boat for whitewater performance causes the boat to plunge through the wave or rapid rather than lift over it. A good skirt will be needed to stay dry in waves or rapids. Somedays in the summer, we will paddle sans skirt...we just keep our sponges handy. A deck bag will deflect the water rushing over the deck and help keep you dry. Not that one should be alarmed at the prospect of getting wet while kayaking, but there will be some water washing into your chest in big features.

I would give this boat a 10 because of the unmatched performance abilities that are offered in this platform. However, since there is no perfect boat, a 9 it is.

Here is a link to a series of videos from a trip my group took down the length of the Greenbrier River in WV...I was paddling my mango yukon and there is a green one as well. enjoy and go get a YUKON!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgzTITJZNrw

This boat was left outside, in the sun for about 10 years according to the guy I bought it from. That would be death for most plastic boats but not this one. It shows a lot of spidering in the plastic but I worked the plastic from front to back and got 0 cracking. I was very surprised by the plastic not being brittle.

Pros:
Durability, stability, agility, and ample storage.
Cons:
Not really a great boat for a smaller paddler.
Not really a fan of the hatch covers. They are a bit flimsy although I do like the fact they are so flush fitting!

All in all I would say if you find one, buy it.

On the positive it was a great creek boat, had fun in class 1's etc. But as a sea kayak of any kind it failed. BTW: I am swift water trained, and an avid whitewater and sea kayaker. I have owned and paddled many boats and this was by far the worst. I had other experienced paddlers jump in (to see if it was me) and their opinion was sell the boat! I did!

Again, a great creek boat but a total failure as a touring boat. Hence the 5 rating.

The way the seat is fixed to the boat is unstable and weak: no matter how hard one tightens it down, the seat slides around when doing hip snaps and rolls -- and once in class III water the seat actually popped out of its housing. When rolling this boat or when in rapids and doing hip snaps and bracing, both the base of the seat, as well as the back rest, easily come loose and move backward toward the stern, sometimes popping out of its housing. This is not good. I have another Prijon, purchased for my daughter: a Capri. It's a great boat, but its seat housing presents the same issue.

Otherwise it's a great boat. This boat is easy to roll, is highly maneuverable, can take a great deal of gear, is tough as buffalo horn, is fast, can travel upstream brilliantly even in fast rivers, but when it comes to snapping your hips in a high brace or rolling, the seat will pop out.

To remedy this, I have tied ligatures of paracord between the foot brace mounts and the seat mounts. This is not an ideal solution but it's a temporary fix until I can find a better way to brace the seat to the gunwale and hatch coaming.

By the way, I paddled this boat half way across the state of Missouri (on the Missouri) last June -- it was fully loaded with about 150 pounds of gear, food, and water (I weigh 170) -- and it performed brilliantly in a 5 mph current around wing dikes etc, *without a rudder*. If you learn how to edge this boat, you do not need a rudder. That said, it WILL broach on you, especially in a river without a rudder, if you don't learn how to edge it.

Prijon: fix the seat.

The Yuke was a better recreational kayak then my current sea kayak and lets face it we use these things for recreation. There is a need for a good sea kayak that has some of the qualities of the Yuke. I wish the Mariner Coaster came in blow molded plastic. The Yukon is great boat if I didn't trip with fast sea kayaks I would still have it.

Since then I have paddled it at least another 500 miles of rivers in northern Sask, as well as class III in Idaho and Washington, and a 4 day trip in the saltwater San Juan Islands.

It's currently in my garage.

I have the rudder, but I took it off once I learned how to paddle this boat. The key is to NEVER allow yourself to get offline. Use 2x the strokes at 50% power, and steer with part of every stroke. The best use for the rudder would be on a open water day with a loaded boat and fighting a wind. Otherwise, paddling technique will keep you moving straight.

Are there faster boats? Yep. Boats that are easier to turn? Sure.

This boat is the Kawasaki KLR 650 of kayaks, and the Skidoo Tundra 250 of snowmobiles. (both of which are equally fun touring vehicles) It will get you there, and get you home, in one piece.

The Yukon tracks much better than the whitewater boats that I'd paddled recently along the same track, quite a bit faster, and relaxing to paddle. (although certianly not as well tracking or fast as a 17' sea boat). She's stable as a rock, places that I'd been a little nervous in the WW boat, I paddled hard and blasted right through. Quite a lot of water comes over the bow, right up to (and in) the cockpit, but even with the extra water weight she was stable and easy to paddle right through the rough stuff (skirt is on order...)

I was comfortable taking the Yukon anywhere that the more experienced WW guys were going - while carrying all of their drinks, snacks and gear. Can't beat that.

Strangely enough, I find that my Yukon (with the rudder UP) handles better in rougher waters than calm. On a calm lake it seems to prefer veering to the right. Rougher waters seem to produce a much straighter line. Again, I am almost positive that in calmer waters, I am trying too much/too fast and doing things very poorly. The rougher water forces me to stay more focused and slow things down.

For the most part, I really like (ok, love) my Yukon. I wish it was a little faster and lighter. While this might be viewed as a negative, I think of it as the opposite. The Yukon has provided me with enough pleasure/confidence/curiousity to WANT to pursue (in due time) a lighter and faster kayak. A lesser kayak would have had me selling my paddling gear all together and simply walking away from kayaking.

Rating anything for the first time is really a crapshoot as it is really a baseline for all other things to come. If somehow my Yukon had to rate me as a KAYAKER, I am sure I would receive much lower marks than I am giving it. I think a lot of shortcomings mentioned for this model are more the fault of the "yaker" and not the yak (as in my case). There is always something better if you can find and afford it. For me, the Yukon is a pretty good start.

So far I've only sat in a Yukon - but the seat is the same as my Excursion's. Maybe Prijon should have the straps connect farther forward - and hinge the seat? Personally I'd rather just have the bulkhead all the way up next to the seat backrest so you don't put anything back there - but that space seems to be the norm for manufacturers...

I have never been able to fill the boat up with stuff (with the exception of the time I loaded an 8" dutch oven, soft cooler, camping gear, and charcoal). I did read a comment about the drink holder that I think is correct. Put your bottle in the net under the deck (inside the cockpit), and it will stay in place. In the summer, I freeze a nalgene bottle and use a Outdoor Reseach padded cover to keep it cool longer.

If you like to surf, do be careful. Landing them loaded can be tricky. They will dive! Wake from large passing vessles traveling at "Squat" speed can be very dangerous in any kayak, but the Expedition tends to run into the trough real fast, torpedo the face of the second wave causing tons of water to pour over the deck. I started using a deck bag. It locks into place and you don't have to worry about anything being swept off the deck.

The Yukon-Expedition will let you explore, and it doesn't lock you into a particular type of paddling.

Holds a ton of gear. Compartments seal very nicely. The seals I have however, don't fit quite right anymore, I think I need new ones, these have been used pretty hard. Not for the beginner though, could be hard to paddle straight. I can paddle it with precision in whitewater and flat water alike. I can paddle it like an arrow in open water (Lake Erie) without a rudder (as long as it's not windy!). I don't have a rudder, but I suspect it would help the wind problem.

Very roomy boat. I'm 6'5" and have no leg or foot room problems. My first two touring boats had no cockpit room. The boat rolls fine ... with some practice ... even with gear in it. My girlfriend even rolled it after teaching her to roll only 3 months earlier! I never HAD to roll it though! Very stable boat.

Highly recommend as the Sports Utlility of kayaking ...

I have used mine in everything from class 2 WW to the open ocean and find it to not excel in any one area, but provides suitable performance over a wide range. The statements of tracking problems with no rudder in windy and sea environments are familiar to me; I am going to get a rudder this winter. This boat does demand a fairly strong paddler in anything more than flat water due to it's volume. It is definitely a true multi-purpose boat. (remove nospam for email)