Angler™ 144 (12’)

Pro's: This kayak is very stable. Due to the hull shaped underside, it tracks pretty well. It has plenty of space for gear in the back and dry storage up front. There is a place to set your depth finder, a pole holder and a cup holder. It handles choppy water and side waves very well. The price is great for what you get. Cons: The two extra storage areas are not waterproof. The rear one enters the hull so small amounts of water can get inside. They can be hard too unscrew and open. The kayak is heavy and the handles are not centered for balance. It tends to paddle slower than more streamlined kayaks ( well worth the loss in exchange for stability). The seat is ok but the plastic buckles, that support it, will break.

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.

I've had this kayak out over a dozen times now and in my opinion it's really good for the money.
Pros:
1. Super stable. Takes rapids very well. Ive been stuck sideways on rocks in several times with no issues. You would have to really try to turn this boat over.
2. Tracks fairly straight.
3. Molded seat is comfortable. I don't have any trouble being in this boat for 5 or more hours.
4. Craftsmanship is excellent. This is a well built boat.
5. Hull is tough. I've taken mine over some sharp rocks and the hull is barely scratched. I think this boat will last forever.
6. Boat is decent fast. Faster than and Ascend 128t but slower than a Perception Pescador.
7. I really like the round inset in the rear that holds a 5 gallon bucket. I prefer a bucket over a crate and this is perfect.
8. Price. This is the boat to buy if you want to fish on a budget.

Cons:
1. Screw on compartment lids are ridiculous. For some reason they seize up even with lightly hand tightening. I've literally had to hammer mine loose before. Plus the compartments are so small they aren't very useful, an average smartphone will not fit inside.
2. The boat is super stable but it's hard to stand up because there's no flat area for your feet.
3. Handles aren't mounted at the balance point. Sounds silly but it's really aggravating that when you lift by the handles only one end raises. By the way this is with the boat empty.
4. Rod holders angle outward. I would prefer them to keep your rod tips more in line with the boat. If you're fishing around overhanging trees you have to be really careful to keep your rods from hanging up.
5. Butt stays wet all the time. I know this is a product of having a boat with a molded in seat but it's still something worth mentioning. I can't see fishing out of this kayak in cold weather.

Overall I'm very happy with this kayak and highly recommend it for someone looking to get into kayak fishing. I plan to purchase a boat with a raised seat before winter but I will keep my fb 144 forever.

It is a great starter kayak, very stable. I have made some changes to the back rest, I added a yak gear seat. That was the best thing I did very comfortable especially sitting out on a lake or river for 6 hrs or more. Everything else about this kayak is great. I've also added a Lowrance fish finder w/flex shaft transducer mount.

I have been considering moving up to a more advanced kayak, but I've really having a hard time giving something up that I've grown very fond of.

I would recommend anyone just starting out to really look at the Future Beach Angler 144 because it doesn't require a large investment.

I initially bought this kayak for bow fishing and I must say that you can stand on it and bow fish pretty well with some practice. There is a kid on YouTube bow fishing on one of these while rocking out some AC/DC and he makes it look easy. I have used this kayak for several other uses in the past year and have been very pleased with it.

I will first talk about the modifications that I have made to this kayak. First of all I am 6'1" and around 240lbs. The "seat" that it came with had to go. I replaced it with a much better one. I did not like the anchor trolley system that came with the yak, so I replaced it with one that runs the full length of the yak. I mounted a ram ball for my GPS. I replaced the scupper plugs with some much more durable ones. I also replaced the carry handles. They were much too flimsy for the weight of the yak.

On calm water - I have had this kayak in swamps, small lakes, and large lakes. It tracks very well, and is quite easy to paddle considering its 30" wide. I would want anything wider than 30" though. I had the opportunity to paddle a 36" wide SOT and was not happy. I am able to stand on the yak and operate a fishing pole or a bow fishing system. Standing takes some practice but it can be done surprisingly well and easy after you get used to it.

On choppier waters - Pine Lake is heavily used in the summer months. I have on two occasions taken my Angler 144 on Pine Lake when all the watercraft was on it. It was fun crashing around on the waves and the yak never tipped, but a long paddle in choppy water would probably prove to be a beating. At least for me. I noticed that my buddy's Vapor 10 was going through the waves much better than mine was.

On slow moving rivers - I have had this yak on the Yellow River quite a bit. It's about 20yds wide with lots of turns. The river during the summer months is around 2-3ft deep. The angler 144 has done very well with it. Not as nimble as my girlfriend's Ascend D10 or my buddy's Vapor 10, but it hangs in there. I have had this yak over class 1 and 2 rapids with good results.

Kayak Camping - the Future Beach Angler 144 shines for storage capacity. You can hold a lot of gear with this yak. I put most everything in dry bags and there is a lot of up top and down below storage. I love kayak camping with this yak. The yak glides very easily across the water with weight in it.

I am giving it 8 stars for the following reasons: I do not like the "shark gill" foot braces. I much more prefer the adjustable foot pegs. The seat at least for me was not going to do the job for sitting long periods in the yak. My center deck hatch absolutely failed. The threads would jam and I needed I to really pry to get the hatch open. Then the hatch ring failed. I just sealed the hatch shut and mounted my Ram ball on the lid. I didn't use it anyways. I think the carry handles need to be more robust and durable. The yak is heavy.

Overall, I have been very pleased with the Angler 144. With the few things I don't like about it, there was MUCH more that I do like. After a season on the water, I have researched kayaks extensively and found that there isn't really one kayak that fits all of my needs without modification so I may just be too critical of this one, LOL. I have a friend that runs nothing but SOTs (he has a Jackson, Wilderness, and Native Watercraft) and he was impressed with the Future Beach for its performance.

Save your money, you don't need one of the $1200.00 ones, this one is the best bang for the buck. You can sit in just about any position, my cousin stands in his and fishes. Ultra-stable. Just typing about it makes me want to go fishing! 12 feet long, double hull type. 57 lbs. I did buy the extra padded seat for both .

Bottom line save the extra $600 and buy the wife something nice or a new rod and reel.