Commander 120

This boat is a dream for my 6'5" frame. It is more like a one-man canoe, is what I tell people. I love the roominess and the dual seating options. It is a tad heavy but not unmanageable. It's not speedy, but storage is perfect with a locator on the trax system and a milk crate with equipment in back. I love it, but I'm a purist. (e.g. no pedaling & no trolling motor.)

After a lot of research I bought the Commander 120 for my first fishing kayak and I have not been disappointed. My kayak has a rudder and I made my own dashboard from a mahagony board with toilet bolts and large plastic knobs to mount it to the top tracks. I have two rod holders and a fish finder mounted on the dashboard in front of me. I also attached a bungee cord underneath the board to hold my two small tackle boxes there. I put a quarter inch high rail at the front and back of the dashboard to keep loose tackle from sliding off and the whole thing works great! I also added an anchor system on the left side that works great with my 5lb anchor.

The kayak is a little heavy and is a slow boat but tracks straight even without using the rudder. I am going to add a trolling motor to help out with covering distance on lakes and for bass fishing.

I am very happy with the kayak and call it my Budda Boat because it teaches patience. I give it a 9 only because it is a little heavy and a slow ride but I am very happy with the Commander 120 for a fishing boat.

OK, so I'm a newbee to kayaking. I did my research and found the perfect yak for fishing. Yes it heavy and I had to switch to a Thule Roller-type rack but its all worth it. Seat is comfortable for 3-4 hrs on Carnegie Lake, NJ.

Plenty of room for tackle box, milk crate in back, 3 fishing poles, anchor line, fish finder, etc. Very stable and tracking was good last night in windy return after dark. (I should have returned earlier, but I was enjoying the fishing.)

I'm almost 70 and getting in/out is no problem with the open cockpit. My wife, daughter and grandkids all think the mango color is cool. The only problem is now my wife wants one, so now you need to make a Commander 100.

I struggled for a bit between a canoe and a second kayak to join my Tsunami 16 foot kayak. I wanted the canoe advantages of taking my lab with me, coolers and a ton of gear...but also wanted to be able to go out with the wife together with the tsunami so wanted a second kayak. This boat serves both purposes and does so impressively.

Pros:
• It tracks very straight...as straight as my 16 footer.
• Decent enough speed to go play around with the other kayaks.
• Very stable...my dog can walk around and I can walk around in the kayak with no fear of tipping.
• The multiple seating options are more useful than one would imagine. On long paddles it is amazing how changing your position or sitting up on the perch for a while really helps change things up.
• It is a dream to accessorize...rudders, trolling motors, angler gear, coolers, cargo skirts. If you are a gadget person you can really individualize this boat.
• Entry and exit. It has the advantages of a sit-on-top with the dry ride of a SINK.

  Cons:

• It is a bit heavy, but for me the 12 foot length sort of cancels out the weight disadvantage for loading.
• It does not glide through the water, it pushes through. I expected this and it is still a very enjoyable paddle.

So in summary I would not want to take this places I would not take a canoe. As long as you view it in that setting (slow to moderate moving rivers, lakes, creeks)you will be hard pressed to find a boat that does so many things well. I do not find the lack of a flat floor any problem but it is certainly worth considering. Outfit this thing in camo...add a couple storage skirts and you have the ultimate nature attack vessel... being one part kayak, one part canoe and even one part Jon boat if you want to take it that far.

Nice hybrid; similar to native ultimate 12, but not as comfortable, also heavier. Is more stable and can carry more weight, would recommend. Only gave an 8 because of weight and native 12 turns on a dime compared to this craft, still a nice craft