Kayak Review: U-boat 2021 New Design tandem sea kayak fishing
Model Number: UBP-K10-1
Manufacturer: Nigbo Beilun Yinhe Kayak Co., Ltd.
Cost: $950 + Shipping (about $800 home delivery to South Korea)
Purchase Site: Alibaba.com
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/U-boat-2021-New-Design-tandem_1600221179336.html?spm=a2700.galleryofferlist.normal_offer.d_title.37ce27bct58KsA
Disclosure: I’m just a guy. I love fishing. I love fishing kayaks. I bought this kayak personally directly from the manufacturer. I paid full price. I have no affiliations with the manufacturer or Alibaba, or any other company for that matter. This review is sincere!
Review: I’ve been looking for a modular pedal kayak like this for some time. I live in a small apartment, so I don’t have the storage space for a full-length kayak. I also wanted one that would fit in the back of my mid-size pick-up truck. I have been using a Point 65 Tequila for the past year, which is okay, but I got tired of a wet ass every time I used it, so I wanted something with higher seats. Also, I wanted a pedal kayak, for sure. My dream kayak was the Point 65 Kingfisher for these reasons; however, I could not order one in South Korea—I tried many times, but no one would/could ship one here. I’m kind of glad now, because I got one that is even just a bit shorter, so it fits into my truck with the topper down. Also, the quality of this one is excellent for the price. I’m super happy with it. No regrets at all about ordering it.
First impressions: My first thoughts when I opened the boxes was that this kayak is better quality than I expected. The seats, the h-rails, the 10 mounting rails, the storage bins, and the rudder system were all high quality. Everything was mounted well out of the factory, much better than my Point 65 Tequila fisher. The color was also better than expected, and better than the pictures show (Lime Green, I think it was called). When I got to my apartment and opened the pedal drives, I was even more impressed: They are extremely similar to Hobie’s first generation pedal drive.
The plastic of the hull is satisfactory. I’m not a plastics expert, but I’d call it mid-quality based on my experience with others. It’s thicker and sturdier than the cheapest kayaks, but not as sturdy or durable as Point 65 or Hobie kayaks, the other brands I’ve recently used. The only thing that wasn’t good quality was the buckle straps: Two broke right away, but the manufacturer promptly sent out 4 more replacements along with the buckles as soon as I mentioned an issue with them. [Note: I hope that the production manager sees this, so that they can upgrade the quality of the buckle straps, the only weak point thus far.] The way the seats work, however, add additional secureness between the pieces, so there are three things holding it together: the interwoven shapes between the pieces, the straps, and the seats. I wasn’t worried about it coming a part while on the water. It’s quite secure once it’s put together.
Storage: All pieces are about 150cm long, I can’t remember how wide. I got all three in the elevator without much trouble (It was just a bit hard doing it alone, lol). It fits in the back of my truck, just barely!
Shipping: This was my first time importing something. It was a bit more complicated getting it sent to South Korea than I imagined. I’ve bought plenty of stuff on Amazon and Aliexpress, but in this case I had to do the import paperwork myself. Fortunately, someone was around to help me with that when I needed it most. It was also nearly the cost of the kayak, but that is understandable because it comes in two huge boxes.
Service: I just want to call out the great service from Alice Mei (Nigbo Beilun Yinhe Kayak Co., Ltd.). She was so helpful, kind, and professional as I prepped my order, arranged shipping, and followed up on the replacement parts. [And the same goes for Yoki Ma of TJ China Freight, who helped with the shipping.]
This experience boosted my confidence in ordering stuff from Alibaba.com. I was never worried about something going wrong with the order. It all worked out fine in the end, largely to their help (Alice Mei & Yoki Ma).
On the water: It tracks very straight, so much better than my Point 65 Tequila, which zigzags every which way. It’s also much faster. Due to the shape, it’s not as fast as any of the Hobies, but it is far faster than any paddle kayak I’ve used. I didn’t measure, but I probably did about 3-4km of movement on my first trip, and I didn’t feel any strain at all.
It’s stable. I set up the one-person style for the first trip. Because of the length (9ft) it’s not quite stable enough to stand and fish off of, but it is possible to stand if needed, and I had no trouble moving to the front to adjust stuff in the front hatch.
I was out for about 4 hours on my first trip. The seat was sturdy and comfy enough. No discomfort.
It’s got a Hobie-style transducer space underneath. I didn’t mount mine yet, but my Scotty rail set up fit on perfectly the first time. It was nice to finally have a sealed place to store the battery, too.
There is a storage space under the rear seat which is not useful, however, unless your storing something more permanent. Once the seat is mounted, there is no way to open it! Not a big deal for me, however. There is plenty of space behind the seat and in the front and rear for my needs.
No water got in the hull or storage bins after my first trip, which also made me happy.
The rudder system worked well. No issues there. It has a manual pulley for stowing while launching/docking, which worked great.
And the bonus, I caught fish! On my first trip, I went to a spot where I was skunked last time on my other paddle kayak. This time, I was able to move around and get to way more spots. Ended up with 2 small Blackhead Bream and 5 Asian Seabass. That made it so worth it. Having the pedals meant that I could fish for nearly the whole time I was on the water. Man, that is so much better than with a paddle kayak, which is not nearly as much fun to fish in.
All in all, I am extremely satisfied. I wouldn’t hesitate to order another boat from Nigbo Beilun Yinhe Kayak Co., Ltd. I highly recommend their company. Again, this is based on personal experience—I’m not affiliated with them. I’m just a guy who likes fishing and kayaking!
