Archives for August 2015

Advanced Elements Convertible

Here is another review for all those out there using inflatable kayaks! The advanced elements convertible inflatable kayak review from advanced elements. At 15 feet and 54 pounds the convertible is fast, paddles beautifully and looks great.

So why the Advanced Elements Convertible?

Featuring three seating positions the kayak is roomy enough for two yet easily switches to solo paddling by moving the seat. Its perfect for lakes class 1 to 2 rapids, inlets bays and coastal ocean.

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Its rugged enough for rocky shores and stable enough for white caps and wind. Yet its highly portably easily fitting in the trunk of a car. Setup is easy. Unpack, unfold, open the valve, attach the pump, inflate the main chambers, inflate the floor, inflate the deck lifts, pump up and install the thwart, attach and pump up the seats, insert the bow and ster sleeves and your done, in less than ten minutes your ready to paddle.

Features of the advanced elements convertible include:

Aluminum rib bow and stern frame
Molded rubber handles
Bungee deck lacing
D rings
Military valves
Two adjustable seats with mesh pocket and repair kit
Paddle holders
Six hundred denier polyester pvc laminent
Integrated tracking fin and landing plate
Rugged puncture resistant pvc tarp pollen and electronically welded seams
The convertible series comes with accessories High pressure action pump with a pressure gauge
Adjustable lumbar seats
Blue diamond ripstop fabric
Four psi inflatable dropstitch floor for extreme rigidity, compared to the standard pvc floor it is much stronger
Optional accessories can expand the kayaks versatility
A single spraydeck for one paddler can be installed, also a double spraydeck can be installed for two paddlers.
Sprayskirts
Footpegs
Kayak cart

Our Conclusion (Advanced elements convertible)

The advanced elements convertible has taken a truly great kayak to an all time high. Its an inflatable classic offering performance, comfort, quality and price. The kayaks long length provides ample amount of storage space making it an excellent choice for a solo paddler interested in fishing or camping trips, a family with kids or dogs, or two people out for a days excursion. With the optional accessories being highly versatile. In our opinion one of the best inflatable kayak values currently on the market.

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Heritage Angler 10

Hello everyone so this is the review of the heritage angler 10 review and setup of what I use. Starting with the specs it’s a 10 foot kayak and has a max capacity of 300 pounds which is more than enough to grow into.

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So why the Heritage Angler 10?

Starting from the front there is a nice carrying handle which is very sturdy, and up in the front there is also a dry hatch and inside you can keep many items, it goes as far as the back of the kayak so there is a lot of storage space there. It is about maybe 8-10 inches wide so you can fit just about anything in there.

It comes with a rod holder which is a pretty nice quality and fits big and regular rods just fine and is very adjustable and already comes with it so you don’t have to shell out to buy a new one.

In the middle console you can keep different items personally I keep my anchor there, a three pound anchor and I have some rope for that you can just as easily put a fish finder there. Nearby it has a cup holder where you can keep your anchor or bottled water.

On the sides it has some very nice foot pegs that can be adjusted all the way to the back dependent on your size and preference. There are several holes that allow you to find exactly what suits you and the same on the other side some very durable foot pegs.

Usually I have my whistle on me, always have one of those and I small tackle box just to have handy.

Moving on to the middle area, I usually put a ruler, a 30 inch ruler to see how long the fish are and nearby I have my paddle and a paddle leash connected to the side handle to make sure it doesn’t get loose the kayak comes with two side handles on either side.

The seating is very roomy and comfortable as far as the seat itself it only comes with back rests and no bottom padding but usually that is just for support if you’re wearing your pfd usually it’s just for support since you have the cushion of the life jacket there. You could always put a seat there near the bottom cushion but for me out on the water it’s pretty comfortable. Nearby I also have my life jacket.

Usually I use a dry box where I can put my camera and other items that you don’t want to get wet there.

At the bottom there are scupper plugs, what I did was get practice golf balls which are foam golf balls which can be picked up at any stores and can fill the scupper plugs. They are a bit cheaper to fill the plugs but if you’re out there and the conditions are tough you can open it up to let the water out I usually keep them closed in the meantime.

In the back there are two flush mount rod holders and you can fit spin and bait casters in fairly well and they are very secure they won’t go anywhere unless you get into some tight brush. They are pretty nice flush mount rod holders.

Farther back there is the hatch and inside the hatch you can keep items I usually keep everything in zip locks back there with your baits and tackles.

Features and specifications of the Heritage Angler 10

Manufacturer Warranty – General: 2 years limited
Manufacturer Warranty – Parts: 2 years (hull), 1 year (components)
Product Height (In.): 12
Product Width: 30 in.
Product Length: 10 ft.
Product Weight (Lb.): 48
Weight Capacity (Lb.): 300
Passenger Capacity: 1
Rod Holders: Y

Our Conclusion (Heritage Angler 10)

The Heritage angler 10 is a great kayak its got a lot of basic features that go great for its price range. Definitely recommend if your looking for something in the middle to low of the pack that still provides you with all the fishing benefits you may need!

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Jackson Coosa Review

Today we were presenting the Jackson Coosa Review, were going to give a little bit of a summary about it. A lot of people have been asking about this boat and the differences between this one the big rig and the Riviera Coosa.

It’s definitely a lot wider and the biggest things about this boat is it’s like a mini big rig it has a lot of features to it and we will go through each one of these in detail.

So why the Jackson Coosa Kayak?

It has an adjustable foot peg area that stick out their nice and padded.

The gum walls have a nice yak attack gear trick which is nice and embedded which makes it really cool and a lot more comfortable on the boat. At the front we have the extra water bottle holders when you pull off the hatch. There is an area to put your spools and some area where you can feed yourself some string whenever you need through a small hole. It’s not used too much in bass water fisher but a bit in salt water fisher you definitely want to use liters for that.

Also in the Coosa like the big rig are the pole holders or the rod tip protectors on the side of the kayak your rod slides easily into them that way if you’re going underneath some trees and such you’re not pulling out your rods.

A huge plus for the Jackson Coosa Kayak is the top straps that hold your paddle this allows you to put your paddle right there in your boat without fear of it floating away. The Cuda have this feature and the big rig and big tuna have this but some of the other Jackson Coosa Kayaks do not because the hatch is a little concave and it is harder to do this.

Bottom of your boat you have go pro hooks and the new style bungees for Jackson this year are fairly nice they all have some nice attachment points and let you just latch on your paddle fairly easily.

The back has another track that lets you do some modifications to your jcrate or any type of crate you want to put there you can put a ball or any time of track on the holder with attachment points which can be attached to your crate and it will give you a nice solid anchor for your boat if you flip over you boat or anything you won’t be losing your gear.

At the back there are some bungees they are all removable and can be taken away. You can put coolers or crates in the back and move your bungees up front so you could still use your bungees with a crate. The regular system only allows you to have one option bungees or no bungees.

The back hatch also has a flip out space just like the front one. It flips in reverse and has a nice locking point as well as a nice drag chain with a real nice chute just like the other Coosa. It has power pole mounts in the back.

The seat has a fabric which is actually used in Toyotas which gives you a real nice luxury feel with a great fabric. Its black and it’s a little harder but the cushion and the feel of it is just a whole lot nicer for really sitting there all day. You can sit in the other seats all day no problem but this is really nice.

There is a back rest with a nice upgrade from the past years models. Last year’s models were good but this years is made by Thermarest a great company for seats.

You can adjust the seating near the bottom by loosening up the straps you can put it in a back high position or a back low position. It drops down and is very stable. You can also adjust it to go up a bit higher there are 4 positions. The greatest thing about this is if you have a really heavy backpack or crate at the back and no gear at front you can adjust to do what you need to do. If you want to track low better you can push your seat forward and push your front end down and allow you to steer allow better in the water.

If you have full gear in the front like sleeping bags more poles, overnight gear etc. The front hatch is larger so you can take your seat back and put yourself farther back in the boat to counteract all of the camping gear you may have.

Jackson Coosa Review of Features and specifications

Length – 11 ft 8 in Width – 33.5 in Height – 14″ range Weight – 79 lbs w/o seat 85 w/ seat
Opt. Overall – 150-250 lbs
Capacity – 400 lbs
Material – Linear Poly
A NEW hull design shaped slightly longer for more speed
Wider deck/hull improving stability even more
NEW “Coosa Console” with fish finder integration
Yakattack gear track positions throughout deck
GoPro mounts
Multiple rod holding and staging positions for fly, spin and baitcasting styles
NEW padded flooring for comfort and stealth
NEW stand up paddle holder
PowerPole, Micro Anchor ready
Transducer savvy scupper
NEW Rod tip covers at bow
Drag chain chute

Our Conclusion (Jackson Coosa Review)

That’s the gist of the Jackson Coosa Kayak, this is a great cool boat that has a nice amount of padding in the bottom a great new seat. It’s really an all-around good boat that’s a little more stable than the original Coosa but not near as stable as the big rig. They designed that boat for everyone to be standing up. This one does not come with the standup assist bar, you can stand up but it’s not like the big rig if your 300 pounds you’re not going to be able to stand up.

Hobie Mirage Outback

The Hobie Mirage Outback has been a staple of high end paddling kayaks it has been reviewed constantly as one of the best kayaks with pedals out there and continues to impress. With the 2014 version we saw a great kayak with a few small issues but overall something very popular and useful with consumers. Now we see the 2015 version with some great improvements and were excited to bring you this walk through and review. If you want a certain kayak that gives you both stability and functionality to get the most out of the outdoors, you should consider this Hobie Mirage Outback Kayak. Fishing, taking photos, or hunting this kayak does it all. The wide hull gives great stability with stillness to help you focus on reel in fish. The Mirage Drive system it uses providing it controlled by pedals instead of paddles, which gives more storage space for storing your gear, not to mention there are storage hatches, a large on-deck cargo area, and 4 built-in fishing rod holders featured.

So why the Hobie Mirage Outback?

There a few differences from the 2015 and the 2014 models of the Hobie mirage outback. In the overall exterior hull design there isn’t very much of a change, where the main changes within the hull come is within the cockpit area. There is also a very nice new seat which is much better than the old. With the 2014 model you had a fixed handle and a webbed handle on the new 2015 you now have two soft grip handles on the inside of the hull which is perfectly balanced when you want to lift it up and put it on the roof racks.

Within the actual cockpit itself the 2014 was heavily ribbed for paddling as well as peddling. In the 2015 model there is very light ribbing around the sides and a much bigger flatter area for you to stand in. Also in the 2014 model it had a little pocket in the center and that has been removed for the hull to be flatter and now you have two storage pockets in the sides which is perfect for any of your soft plastics and any other gear you wish to carry.

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With regards to comfort the hobie mirage outback has a new seat and its a huge improvement and is one of the most noticeable changes. You are now higher and dryer with many adjustments that can be made to make you completely comfortable. The thing about the seat being higher too is it’s a lot easier now to get up and stand if you want to do some casting. The seat can adjust forwards or backwards to get the right angle you need. You also has lumbar support at the back so that you can create the right tension for your back support. The seat also has the ability to be raised up to a much higher level. With the pro angler series you can get up and really sight fish well and while in the seat changing the balance in the seat allows you to drop it down to any of the four settings that are available.

It will take you a little bit of time to get your balance right when you’re forwarding the seat. You can try a few stability tests to get better.

Originally I thought being in the upright position you would feel tippy but rocking the kayak you actually have no worries with stability. Going sideways you can access the rear you can get into the cargo hold very well without risk of the kayak tipping. Sitting sideways the kayak still is rock solid stable and maintains its positioning perfectly. When standing up the kayak also remains perfectly stable.

With the seat the life jacket selection is going to be very important. It’s still comfortable to sit sideways.

I am definitely convinced that the glide technology on the mirage drive on the 2015 model is equally as good as the old version and even better. I think if you are going to be using it in areas where you have a lot of shell like ground there may not be a need to upgrade.

I quite liked having the seat raised I felt that there was a much larger improvement in the action and you definitely feel it in the calves when your peddling with the seat raised position. You may want to switch to paddling if you want to get a full body workout when going to your destination.

They say the kayak is 10% more efficient, I think that number is pretty conservative.

Features and specifications of the Hobie Mirage Outback

12’1″ 33″ width 15″ height, 400lbs capacity, 81lbs fitted hull weight, 99lbs fully rigged weight
Four Molded-In Rod Holders
Large Covered Bow Hatch
Lowrance® Ready
Mesh-Covered Stowage Pocket
MirageDrive with ST Fins
Rear Cargo Area with Bungee® Tie Downs
Sail Mount
Twist and Stow Rudder
Two 8” Twist and Seal Hatches with Gear Bucket
Two-Piece Paddle with On-Hull Storage
Vantage CT Seating

Pedals let control the boat with pedals leaving your hands with more freedom for fishing. There is not so much effort in peddaling so you can go even faster and further. These Hobie kayaks are suited for you if your a fan of biking. Your leg recovery is much faster than your arms and shoulders so you can do more work with them. The Hobie Mirage Outback Kayak rides quite high so it keeps you dry in windy weather. However, the pedals also have some downsides. Thick kelp can get them stuck and it requires maintenance once in a while to loosen-up the pedals.

The drink holders featured in the cockpit allow you to have some cool drinks on a sunny day. There is prevention of the items getting wet with a front hatch which comes with an insert, while there is also a bungee system placed on both ends. The cockpit is quite deep so it seems like you are sitting in it even though you sit on it. The width offered from the hull offers great stability and provides greater center of gravity.

The backrest and the seat of this model is the most comfortable thing I have seen in a kayak. It is a well suited feature because your feet are positioned on the higher plane rather than the conventional sit-on-top kayak. You can definitely lean your back into it. To control it, you just need to use the rudder controls for getting it going in a straight line once you pedal. This is a truly hands-free kayaking experience where you can rest, sit back, or do anything you like. The fish finder feature enables me to cast, retrieve, and find fish easily. I can cruise across the lake while sorting through my tackle box for the next lure.

Customer Reviews Hobie Mirage Outback

“We debated forever between the Outback and the Revo 13. We made the right call. We live on a lake and these are the perfect social kayak. Very stable, very comfortable and a breeze to took around in. The turning is amazing and Hobie did a great job on design. The way the rudder pulls out of the water with cables is slick. The Mirage Drive pops in and out very easily. For sure worth the money for the 2015. The seats are awesome. Totally happy with purchase. Hobie is not cheap, but they are well designed and worth it.”

“I bought this for my husband, he loves it. It’s very comfortable and fast. He fishes and gets great exercise. I have a Hobie Pro Angler, both are awesome. They are very stable to fish in the wind. We love them!!!!”

Our Conclusion (Hobie Mirage Outback)

The Hobie Mirage Outback is an amazing piece of kayaking technology. The kayak is fast sturdy and amazing at doing what its meant to do. The price is a bit higher then other kayaks but most kayakers will agree what you get with the price is well worth the extra hike in cost. Definitely a recommended buy!

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Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120

Hey everyone today were going to discuss this beauty of a kayak the wilderness systems tarpon 120, which is one of the most popular kayaks from the wilderness systems brand which is probably the most renowned brand when it comes to kayak fishing.

It is 12 foot 3 inches long. The weight and the specifics are available in the information sections below. What I wanted to explain now that I had a chance to spend some time on the water with it is some of the things I like about it and what I don’t like about it. There’s aren’t a whole lot of things not to like about the wilderness systems tarpon 120 but a couple of things well mention here.

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Whats cool about the wilderness systems tarpon 120?

At the front of the wilderness systems tarpon 120 there is a neat little rubber piece where you can slide in your kayak paddle underneath if you’re not using it or if your fishing and you need to get it out of the way but you don’t want it to fall in the river. That comes in very handy for kayakers, I love it and its fairly quite useful and stable considering it’s just a piece of plastic.

I have had no problems with the front hatch leaking although some users have stated there is an issue. I have been through class 2, class 3 rapids with it and the water has actually come over the bow at some times and actually looked like I was sinking however the scupper holes emptied it out.

I wanted to point out some highlights of the hatch (which opens to one side left to right). Some of the lids on the front hatches have had some reviews about them leaking. However the reason they leak is if you look under the hatch you can see on the joint of the hatch a small plastic piece that connects the hatch to the boat there is a small ream where the joint goes in. In some of the boats the plastic on both sides don’t connect perfectly it’s like they drill straight through it. If you see one like that you should avoid it since it will leak however you can definitely repair this issue by using some type of glue or sealant on that area. I have never had much water come in and I have been in downpours have water come over the top and it’s really held up well – the lids tend to do a good job. You do have to make sure the lid string is pulled inside of it and does not fall out.

The foot pieces work real well, sometimes dependent on what you’re doing the piece is very easy to push in so it will slide up very easily. There is a bungee cord in the center of the kayak I have anywhere from a little small box with baits in to a bigger one you can just strap it in and you will not have to worry about it rolling up.

The two little side accessory spaces have molded in rubber and have good spacing. However if you flip the kayak over anything that’s in there is going to come out. So if it goes into the kayak it goes strapped in, that’s the only way you make sure you’re keeping it!

The center hatch I have had no problems with it leaking however the design does show a little bit of indent around it where it looks like water can get trapped. I have not have problems with water getting inside however it does get trapped around it so if it’s just sitting there when you open it water is going to get in it. Other than that it’s conveniently located and the hatch clicks down tight and has given me no problems.

The seats on these are very comfortable I am a bigger guy and I was a little concerned about the seat however I have spent up to 12 hours in one day inside the kayak and it does really well without issues. I have not done a lot of adjusting with it. I have raised the back up you can pull the front chord to raise it up if you’re trying to rest a little bit other than that you would be fine with keeping it in the down position.

The back has plenty of storage space which would come in handy if you decide to do some overnight trips in it. It has a handle in the back as well for easy carrying.

The wilderness systems tarpon 120 tracks great and I have no problems turning it. When I have to maneuver around rocks and shoals it turns very quickly for me without issue.

It comes in a few colors however I recommend one that is really bright and stands out since it would be safest to have something that is easy to see and spot.

What I don’t like about this kayak is the space under the seat. It has scupper holes however I have never seen a mount. If you are going through any rapids or shoals and water is coming into the kayak you are going to be basically sitting in a puddle of water underneath you. You can use one of the sponges and when it fills up you can stick one of your sponges down there and sponge it out not too big of a deal.

If you’re not doing any kind of white water kayaking where water will be coming in you really don’t need the scupper plugs out. It works great with the plugs in and stays really dry, you might get a couple of drops from your paddle but it’s nothing significant.

With a mount you’re going to get wet, if you’re a big guy when you hit waves the water comes in a little bit of course it runs right out. The front retains a little bit of water but its nothing major.

Features and specifications of the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120

LENGTH 12′ 3″ / 373 cm WIDTH 30″ / 76 cm MAX CAPACITY 350 lb / 159 kg DECK HEIGHT 13.75″ / 35 cm WEIGHT 67 lb / 30 kg
Phase 3 AirPro Sit-On-Top-Seat
Keepers XL Foot Brace System
Tankwell with Adjustable Bungee
Orbix Bow and Midship Hatches
Comfort Carry Handles
Side Carry Handles with Paddle Holder
Rudder Ready
SlideTrax Accessory System
Self-Bailing Scupper Holes
Gear Storage Pockets
Cupholder

Our Conclusion (Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120)

Overall the wilderness systems tarpon 120 is an awesome kayak to fish out of. We would highly recommend this for any type of fishing kayaker and its definitively one of the most stand out models out there.

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