Tarpon 120 Angler

I have owned my Tarpon 120 for about 10 years now and still have no desire to switch to another kayak. I bought my wife a Hobie kayak last year and thought I would need to get myself one in order to keep up with her. Well I don't. Yes her seat is more comfortable and hands-free peddling is handy but I just enjoy the rhythm of paddling - it is therapeutic in a way.

The Tarpon is tough. My son knocked mine off the roof rack of my 4runner on to the concrete many years ago - no damage. I have used it in all kinds of water environments other than rapids and it handles wonderfully, except when trying to surf the shore-break larger than about 2 feet, then I usually end up getting rolled. Otherwise plenty stable and controllable. I use C-tug wheels to maneuver it to and from the water which really makes this process quite effortless. The seat is plenty comfortable with a thin closed-cell pad placed on the seat bottom, I am good for hours of paddling or fishing. I think I will keep my Tarpon for another 10 years or so.

Wife & I tested twelve different kayaks (sit-in, sit on) in the water, before settling on the sit on two Tarpons. We couldn't be happier! The tracking is really good and the paddling is easy. The weight is not bad, but we don't lift it as individuals, but as a team. We've run against the tide, in swells and rough weather, still love them.

One thing that this kayak has that many didn't, was a truly comfortable seat. If you aren't comfortable, you can have the best kayak ever and you will hate it! I would readily recommend them to novices to learn with, bet they keep them.
Did I mention they are a blast to fish from?

I have been using my WS Tarpon 120 for fishing for about four years now and really like it. I originally bought it for my wife as I also have a Hobie Outback but learned that the Tarpon is a great kayak. We use it to fish out of and it is great for that. It tracks great and is faster than the Outback. It has enough room and I love the track rail system. I have my fish finder, GPS, and rod holders mounted on it and it works great. It is fairly stable as I can side saddle in it no problem. When it's not windy or I'm not going in a strong current and need a rudder, I prefer the Tarpon over the Outback as it's lighter to carry and has my fishing gear setup better.

Pros: track system, tracks great, plenty of storage space, lightweight, stable, comfortable seat, rod holders.

Cons: tougher to control in windy conditions or strong currents without lots of paddling adjustments.

Owned this kayak for several years, but had to get rid of it last summer to make room in the garage. I enjoyed this kayak very much, particularly how comfortable and stable it was. My only criticism was that it was a heavier, slower, kayak than the our other kayak and I always seemed to lag behind in a group setting. Didn't really bother me though - I still loved it and hated to see it go!

Recently downgraded from a large canoe to a Tarpon 120. The stability and comfort are exceptional. My wife has back issues and felt she could stay on the water all day as the seating system is so supportive. Definitely would recommend this kayak.
We purchased the Tarpon 120 from AKC; their customer service is outstanding and the boats exceed our expectations.

I've had this boat for over two years now. I'm an average size guy, at about 6'0" 190 lbs. It is a great all-around fishing kayak. Performs best on river trips. Performs adequately on big water like the great lakes or the ocean, but if you primarily fish bigger water, I'd recommend the 140 or 160. I am looking to trade it on a 14 footer. Considering the Tarpon 140 and Trident Ultra 4.3.

Pros:
-It's made very well...solid. -Awesome seat...your butt will stay dry.
-Able to handle at least the recommended weight capacity.
-Tracks fairly well for a 12' boat. -Hatches are very water resistant.
-Stable. Easily able to climb back into it when taking a dip on the river to cool off.
-Lots of storage and will keep your gear reasonably dry under the deck.

Cons:
-Slow for big water. -Water slap in big water.
-Scotty mount rod holder is too far forward.
-"Slide Track" accessory tracks are not as convenient as advertised...can get in the way.
-If you are a serious fisherman, you will quickly outgrow this boat and wish you bought the 140 or 160.
-At 69 lbs, will be heavy for smaller paddlers.
-No way to secure valuables and belongings in small hatch between legs...should have a dry bag in this hatch. I bought a dry box and velcroed it to the bottom of the boat to secure my cell phone, wallet, etc. Otherwise, your belongings slide everywhere.
-Side pockets under rubber mesh netting are worthless...water accummulates in these pockets and you cannot store anything in the pockets that cannot get soaking wet.

Overall, a jack-of-all-trades, but master-of-none boat. Best for river trips, including 3 or 4 day trips.

I received my Tarpon 120 angler Kayak about one month ago. I had paddled several other kayaks and decided this one offered all that I was looking for. I saved up my money for about six months a little at time, and then I had to order the kayak and wait three weeks to get it in. Well it was worth the wait. I absolutely love it! I cannot imagine a more perfect boat for me. If you love to fish no matter your location, I highly recommend this boat.

While, I can believe there are certain kayaks/boats out there that are tailored to a specific style of fishing, the Tarpon 120 does it all. I have family in the panhandle of Florida and I have taken this boat on the intercoastal water ways (my favorite) with great results. I also took it out into the surf off the beach on a calm day. It handles great! And, a couple of weeks ago I took it out on a rather big lake in Mississippi. Today I went out on a river. Again, the kayak had stellar performance in ALL areas. I like to canoe in clam areas like swamps and flat water with no wind, but this kayak works well for this as well.

I am about 155 lbs at 5'7" and this is easy for me to handle and I can move at a quick pace and it tracks great. The seat is very comfortable and I have stood up in the yak on several occasions (Haven't fallen in yet, I probably will eventually knowing me). Buying this boat was the best choice, and I have no reservations or even any complaints. The possibilities are endless with this boat. I was able to get it in my favorite color as well... camouflage. So, you can bet your boots I will be using the kayak for slipping into my favorite swampy bow hunting locations as well. The boat can hold tons of cargo. I don't think I could overload it if I tried. I am thinking about mounting a small seat of the front rail system above my feet, so my son can ride with me. (He is too small now, but once he learns to swim and is able to come safely, I will look into it.)

In summary, I feel this is the ultimate outdoorsman's kayak. I could paddle around in this thing all day, and even if I didn’t catch a single fish, I would be happy! (which is good for me because that happens more than I would like to admit) This boat gets the highest possible recommendation possible from me. If you choose this boat, you will not be disappointed! I plan to keep this boat for years to come and I might buy another one/two for the rest of the family.

I've had this for about 7 months now and I love this kayak. The only negative is that it is a little heavy and takes some work to load it on my roof rack. It is a dry ride unless you move your weight forward in the seat. Then water will come up through the forward scuppers.

I find the seat very comfortable and can spend 6-7 hours in it, just shifting my weight around a little to adjust comfort. I have arthritis in my back and still have no issues.

I love this kayak to fish from and I usually carry three rods. The front rod holder is a little too forward to reach without scooting up the seat.

Overall, I would buy this one again in a heartbeat, and I can't wait to go out fishing again.

This is the 3rd kayak I've owned now--hopefully the last. I first bought a Mainstream Twist SOT from Sam's. I think Sam's has converted thousands to kayaking with their cheap kayaks. That one lasted only long enough for me to determine I loved kayaking over all other forms of boating. About 2 trips and I'd had enough of paddling myself to death trying to keep it moving forward. It had unbelievable drag. It was so bad it would actually make a churning sound at the stern! From there I went with a Wilderness Systems Cape Horn 17 touring kayak. I loved that kayak and took it out almost once a month for 6 months--not often enough. There were several problems with the Cape Horn. First it's an open water touring kayak and I never used it for what I intended: long expeditions requiring food and camping gear. Second I find I mostly take short trips down narrow winding streams and it proved to be a challenge with longer hull. Thrid, I didn't use it as often as I would have liked and felt uncomfortable having so much invested in it. So I decided to go with a shorter (and cheaper) recreational model kayak. It HAD to be a Wilderness Systems model because I was very impressed with the build quality of the Cape Horn. The one I settled on right away was the Pungo 120. I'm 6' 3" and I need leg room. I test paddled the Pungo and fit the bill for a shorter kayak. At one point someone on a Tarpon 160 breezed past me giving me a chance to test the speed of the Pungo. I caught right up with no effort. So I decided on the Pungo 120 but I didn't buy that day.

I took home a WS catalog and when I looked through it I saw the photo on the back of the guy on a Tarpon 120 angler model. It really looked comfortable to sit on and I was attracted to the HUGE tank well on the back. When I came back to get the Pungo I happened to see a Tarpon 120 sitting right at ground level. I decided to go ahead and sit on it to see how it felt. To my delight it felt totally comfortable. Back when I bought the Cape Horn I sat on one of the original Tarpons and my lower back started hurting right away. Just to make sure I took a Pungo and sat in it also. I quickly realized I felt more comfortable on the Tarpon. One of the major problems I had with the first SOT I bought was the fact that I was sitting in a puddle of water the whole time. The longer I paddled the deeper the puddle got. It was like sitting in a bathtub filled with cold water. But this Tarpon 120 has a seat that is actually raised up above the level where your feet go. So there is no puddle to sit in. Another thing that sold me on the Tarpon was all the storage space it has for only a 12 foot kayak. That tank well on the back gives you room for a quite a bit of cargo. I also like the front storage hatch as well as the 5 in day hatch right behind the seat. I had a day hatch on my Cape Horn and used it all the time. It has a very small hatch in the cockpit area that I'm not sure I'll use very often. However I'm glad they provided access to that space. If I ever do go on a camping expedition it would come in handy. I would probably stuff food and any other small light items down in there. The designers basically provided storage access to every square inch of the hull. I really like the paddle holders they provided on each side. It's also nice having 4 handles all the way around to grab onto. With those side handles I've been thinking I could put a good death grip on them as I take a ride over a waterfall! I'm still debating the wisdom of that idea though...

With my first SOT I followed someone else's advice from a review and bought some of those yellow practice foam golf balls from Walmart to plug the scupper holes. Trouble is water seeped right through them even after I glued em down with silicone. The Tarpon 120 has no less than 8 scupper holes. I'm not exactly tickled about all the holes! As a matter of fact I was going to give the kayak a 10 but for that reason I should knock it down a peg to 9. ;) I went to Walmart and bought 8 brass screw type drain plugs from the marine dept. They expand to fit the holes very snuggly and ZERO water makes it past them. As a test I pulled off one of the front plugs and water flowed right in and left about a 1 inch puddle in the area where your feet go--plugged it right back up and stayed dry. The tips of the plugs stick up from the surface but the designers were good to place the holes in places where you don't have to worry about bumping them with your feet.

I took a chance buying this kayak without testing it first. However I was not surprised that it was so well mannered. I would say it cruises about the same speed as the Pungo 120. Neither of the two paddle as fast as the Cape Horn of course and at first I was missing the crusing speed I was able to maintain on the Cape Horn. After awhile though I was able to adjust my paddling to a point where I felt like I was moving along well but not "working" to keep it going as was the case with the first SOT I had. It was every bit as enjoyable and relaxing as the Cape Horn albeit not as fast. It also tracks straight just like others have said while still being very maneuverable. I have the model without a rudder To test it's turning ability I took it down a very winding narrow stream that used to push the technical limits of the Cape Horn. I was very pleased with the way it made turns. On open water it did have a tendency to want to blow left or right in a headwind. However it was still very easy to keep it going straight even without a rudder.

There's nothing about this kayak I feel the urge to complain about. I also can't think of anything I would add. One thing I did though is fashion an extra-high back rest out of a peice of oak pallet wood and some high density foam. I slip it between the strap that holds up the back and the back itself and it works beautful! The back rest is already fairly high but I'm tall so I like a higher back rest. It's like a recliner now! I also added some foam padding on the back rest and cut out some foam to cover the seat. It doesn't really NEED it but I have a permenant injury to my lower back and I don't believe it's possible to get too comfortable while kayaking. :O) At first I wasn't sure if I liked the rubber hatch cover. While it pops open quickly I had some trouble closing it back down at first. Then I realized it's just like a Tupperware lid where you push down on the middle and it seats fairly easy. Something I REALLY liked about the Tarpon 120 was when I was able to gain access the front hatch right on the water without fear of tipping over. Unthinkable on the Cape Horn! Of course that's not something I can see making a regular practice of... I never used the cargo holds on the Cape Horn but I somehow ended up stuffing several items in the front hatch that I used to be able to place on the outside of the Cape Horn.

The Pungo is no slouch! I really liked it and would have bought it without hesitation. The more time I spend with this kayak though the more I know I've got THE kayak for me. I never took the time to write up a review on my other kayaks but this one has me wanting to rave. Something I'm seeing about Wilderness Systems is they listen to what users say about their kayaks and they make changes accordingly. I'm not going to name names but some kayak makers are putting out some cheap products. I think we all know one of the main culprits. This kayak is VERY well thought out and it's a keeper for sure. Two thumbs WAY up! Now I don't feel so bad having parted with my beloved Cape Horn...