Kayak turned up quickly, well packaged and as described. She’s a deceptively big kayak, only 3.3m in length but a wide beam and clever layout make’s it feel like a large vessel once on board.
Stability: 10/10 - This kayak won’t budge. When you sit in the big stadium seat you feel like you’re on a comfortable sofa, never feels tippy, just sturdy and very sure of itself. You can comfortably stand on board without hesitation.
Comfort: 10/10 - As mentioned, the stadium seat is incredible. Although it’s raised you still have good control with the paddle. She’s quite wide but paddle strokes are surprisingly easy and comfortable. Heaps of leg room, I’m 6 foot 1, and do not need to go to the furtherest foot peg settings. The foot pegs are comfortable and well placed. You could be considerably taller than I and still be comfy.
Speed: 7/10 - She’s no rocket on the water, but if you’re buying a fishing kayak you’re probably not expecting that. Still faster than my cheap 2.6m sots due to the longer waterline just don’t expect to be racing anyone.
Tracking: 8/10 - The rudder is essential. She tends to wander a bit without the rudder engaged. It’s easy enough to correct on the fly with your strokes but once you deploy the rudder you can just paddle and let the rudder point you where you want to go.
Storage: 10/10 - You won’t run out of room to put things, all compartments are spacious. The rear well is immense, I can fit a small folding camp table, a large folding camp chair and a 60L canoe drum in there with ease. Up front I’ve loaded 60L cargo dry bag and a 20L dry bag on the bow comfortably. The mid-ship dry box is roomy enough for tackle or even a slim tackle box and it really seems to stay dry. The bow dry box easily fits keys, wallet, gopro, etc and again it stays dry.
I also fit a 30 can esky on top of the mid-ship compartment and then a backpack on the floor in front of the seat between my legs. It didn’t feel cramped, like I said this thing is deceptively huge.
Agility: 7/10 - using the rudder you can get her to turn nicely and quickly bearing in mind her size. She coasts well once moving but takes a few good strokes to get her going.
Manageability: - At 28kg she’s no lightweight. I can lift it straight up and down from the roof racks but some would definitely struggle to do this solo. The wide beam of the yak makes the lift quite awkward however if you have 2 people or watch some of the clever load/unload vids on youtube this won’t be an issue.
Accessories: 10/10 - She has 4 flush rod holders and 2 more on railblaza mounts. It almost seems overkill but having different spots to put your rod is handy when trolling or casting or paddling. The foot pegs, rudder system, seat and bungy cords all seem to be good quality and work as described/expected.
Value: 10/10 - There’s a lot packed into this yak for a very reasonable price, just be sure it’s the type of craft you’re after. Fishing and camping are perfect as it’s unbelievably stable, huge rated capacity and room for everything. If you’re looking for a fast, easy to manage, light tourer though perhaps this isn’t for you.
Suggestions: I’ve put a couple of clips on the bow to secure the bags I load up there, some decking cord here would be good. Not a big issue but worth mentioning.
The water bottle holder is a bit slim for some water bottles. Again, not a huge issue as there’s plenty of room elsewhere.
All in all I like this kayak. It has a specific program for me - camping, and works well for that. If you’re after something as a daily exercise yak, or a nippy little river cruiser then you’ll want something a little more nimble and a bit lighter. Like I said, usually people buying fishing kayaks are looking for the qualities this has.
Customer service with Baysports was excellent, helpful and professional.