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Name: paddler235043
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So sad this has been discontinued as it's a great fishing kayak. I've owned many kayaks, both SIN and SOT, and for a fishing kayak under $500 this is as good or better than any other. Purchased slightly used for $250 this spring and have had it out numerous times. Very stable, tracks well, paddles easily. Not the fastest, but definitely not a slow barge either, making it fun for fishing, camping, and exploring. Have never had a drop of water inside the hull, and using a little 100% silicone oil on the latches make them easy to open and close. Lots of below deck safe/dry storage space.
I've never seen the need to stand up when fishing in a kayak, but it seems plenty stable enough to do so if there were flat areas for your feet. Other kayaks that brag about the ability to stand up are usually much wider, heavier, and horribly slow to paddle, (think 'boat', not kayak). There are no adjustable foot pads, (which always seem cheap and a pain to adjust anyway), so I've grown to like the molded foot positions. At 200lbs I do get some water in the front scupper holes, but it's a SOT, so water is part of the package. You'll get wet from water dripping off the paddles too, big deal. The angle of the rod holders makes it possible to troll with two rods if the urge strikes. If you're worried about your rods getting snagged on trees, then stay away from low lying tree branches (duh), or lay them down on the deck.
The one mod that had to be done was the seat. I bought a one-piece molded high back plastic boat seat for $15 from Walmart, made some brackets from 1/2" galvanized conduit, and mounted the seat about 4" higher than the original molded location. There were factory screw locations in the kayak that worked perfectly for the brackets. Now I can sit higher, dryer, and in comfort for hours - even without seat padding. The gap beneath the seat is now my tackle supplies location. Even sitting side saddle with feet in the water is comfortable. The added seat height makes getting in and out a snap at 67 years of age, and has no effect on stability.
One oddity is the position of the side mounted hand holds; they are not in the middle balance location as others have noted. It defies all logic, but I've learned to live with it. The handles themselves are cheap-ish, but have not failed me yet, most likely because the kayak is not all that heavy.
All said and done, this 12' SOT Angler kayak is definitly one to grab on to if one becomes available. Easily transported on a roof, durable, well made, super stable, and surpasses most other models being made today. Is it everything anybody could want? No, buy no kayak will ever be, that's part of the fun - doing mods to custom fit to your tastes.
This particular kayak model should not have been discontinued.