Friday, May 31, 2013

Wilderness Ride 115 - a review

I was excited to receive my newest kayak .

I ordered the 115 with a 240cm paddle (this boat is wide) and the hi-rise seating.  You need the big paddle for sure:
Length:11' 6" / 351 cm
Width:33" / 84 cm
Max Capacity:500 lbs / 227 kg
Deck Height:16.5" / 42 cm
Weight:76 lbs / 35 kg


This boat is nearly 2 inches wider than it's big brother the Ride 135, it's two feet shorter, but only 6lbs lighter.  So it's a big boy kayak even though it's shorter.  In a side by side comparison the cockpits are identical the length is gained off the bow and the stern making for bit of a "bull shark" design.

I got the boat in the water immediately and this is what I found:

Pros:
Paddles remarkably well for a 11.5ft kayak.  You can absolutely stand and fish in it.  Its well laid out just like it's big brother.  Turns on a vary tight radius.

Cons:
It does not track nearly as well as it's longer brother and the cut off the rear of the boat means that when you put the seat in its full rear position I was taking water into the tank well (scupper plugs are an easy solution.

Over all I'm very pleased.  If I give the 135 a 4.75 rating out of 5 I'd give the 115 3.75 rating.  I certainly wouldn't prefer it but I like it, I like it's size and hope it will be a little easier on my smaller guests.  I plan on fishing out of it when I get home from vacation and I will update...

Update - I've fished from this boat and put family and friends into it for years now.  It is a great boat for any angler and is mostly used by my 12 year old daughter.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.