Showing posts with label seats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seats. Show all posts

Now Available: A Frame Seat Kayak for Less Than $600


It finally happened. A frame seat standard with a kayak for $549.

Manufacturers of kayaks have been scrambling to add offerings of frame or lawn chair style seats the past few years. The growing market of 35-65 year olds wantss something for better back support and kayak makers want to oblige. The problem previously was the price point. For a lot of those entering the kayak market, the $500-$600 range seems to be the ceiling. You want to make sure you like it and not be too invested if you don't right? At least that's the thinking. If you can, please demo the kayak you're wanting to buy. Sometimes that is just not an option. When it's not, consumers compare options and make a decision based on that.


Bass Pro Shops introduced an all new version of the Ascend FS12T Sit-On-Top Angler Kayak. Complete with an adjustable frame seat, large center hatch, day hatch, paddle clips, and side rails for mounting accessories. At 31" wide, with six scuppers and flattened deck, the new FS12T should be an option for those looking to stand as well. It has a 350 pound weight capacity and weighs in at 77 pounds. 

So how does it compare with other entry level kayaks? Truth is I haven't paddled one yet. Demos should be available soon at select Bass Pro Shops and I hope to be able to get to try one out. Looking at the specs, it is heavier than the super popular Perception Pescador 12. At an equal price point, the 17 pound difference is about the only advantage for the Pescador versus the new Ascend. The Ascend is 3 inches wider, has access to under deck storage closer to the seat and has two above deck wells with bungees opposed to the one of the Pescador. It's hard to tell the speed difference without actually paddling them but that will be remedied soon. 

One of my kayaking friends, Josh, sent me a great idea to do a multi-kayak comparison of kayaks under $600. We are hoping to pull that off early in May and will be gathering feedback from shoppers looking to get their first kayak as well as experienced paddlers. 

I don't expect this will be the last entry level offering we see with a frame seat. It also points out that manufacturers are listening and watching. Will these new Ascend offerings replace kayaks like Jackson, Native, and Diablo? Doubtful. What it will do is give people another offering to choose from. Hopefully Hobie and Malibu will follow suit. How many Outbacks would Hobie sell if it had a seat similar to the PA at the same Outback price point? Answer: A LOT! How about a lock in frame seat in the Stealth or X-Factor for Malibu? Yep, they'd sell a ton too. The trick however will be finding a way to do it without inflating the price. 

The future is looking bright for kayak design. It's a great time to be in the sport!

Firsts with the Jackson Coosa

This weekend I was able to buy my first Jackson Kayak. I chose the Coosa, an 11'2" river kayak that was designed for river running, rapid shredding, stand up fishing and all around versatility. It was new to me but had been fished some before. It's been quite a while since I have purchased a boat that wasn't used. Fishing mojo is transferable you know.

Sunday I had the opportunity to scout a stretch of river that has had little to no activity from humans for the better part of 40 years. There is a project  I am working with that is looking to make this land a public access take in/out for kayaking on the river. I'll have more on that later in the month but I wanted to set the scene of how special this outing was for me. Sunday was the first day in a new boat on a virtually untouched river. My Coosa was the first kayak in that river in a very long time or possibly ever. It is really hard to tell but it was special either way. I learned a lot about the boat, the river and myself. The latter two will have to wait a bit. Today I want to talk about the Coosa.

I have spent the better part of a year reading about different kayaks. I owned two already but knew I wanted to upgrade. In September I fished a kayak bass tournament on Purtis and saw what I wanted. I fished around a Coosa a good part of the day that a friend named Chris owned. He was seeing things I couldn't see and fishing standing up, sitting down, sitting elevated. After that weekend I started reading everything I could on the Coosa. Many folks encouraged me to also look at the Cuda, which I did, in both 12 and 14' models but the Coosa just fit what I needed. I had several offers to test boats out and just couldn't make the connections work out; (it flash flooded for the three days I had available). I watched all the videos, asked tons of questions from Jackson team members, Jackson owners not affiliated with the brand and to the general internet audience. I received dozens and dozens of answers, questions and thoughts. I found a good deal from a friend on one of the forums I frequent and we set up a meet. I bought the boat and headed home, breaking all my own rules and unloaded a kayak I had never sat in, paddled  or fished from. I had never even been in the brand much less the model. It was scary but I had to trust my research.

Sunday came and in true river runner fashion I dragged my kayak through the overgrowth down to the edge of the water. It was clear immediately why the replaceable keel guard was so important. The water had a lip to it and in 50 degree air temps I didn't want to get wet so I put the boat in the water parallel to the bank, with the Elite Seat in the high position and made my move. With a swift move I was in the seat and on the river. I paddled around like a puppy the first time they see water just to test out how it handled. It was amazing. I could 180 with a single paddle stroke. The "tippy" feeling I had heard so much about in the high position was so much of a non-factor I chuckled a bit. I didn't see what the issue was. I suppose it is a balance thing for most folks and understanding the core and the center line balance but after having a 14' Heritage kayak that was only 26" wide, this thing was a surf board. It just felt right.

I could instantly see more than my counterparts who were now in the river. I would point at an underwater landmark and they couldn't see it. At this point, I needed to try "it", a selling point for Jackson Coosa: almost everyone can stand. I have seen this done. I just had to get up the courage. I pulled on the strap and there I was, towering more than six feet above the water looking down on fish like a hawk in the sky. The feeling quickly turned serious as I realized  I didn't yet have my sea legs. I was wobbly. Think brand new baby horse, or giraffe. I kept my balance but there was some wobble. I wasn't trusting my feet and I later learned they weren't in a good spot. When I widened them out to the edges and rested my heels against the low position molding I gained a significantly more stable posture. With the excitement just beginning I sat back down and started paddling up this peaceful, resting river. I fished, I paddled and took in the views. I wanted to try different things.

The things I noticed that hadn't been talked about were evident quickly.

The Coosa is a shallow drafting boat. I was skimming over water 5" deep with no issues. The kayaks that were with me, a Hobie Outback and Heritage Redfish had a little more trouble. I was also the heaviest of the people on the trip.

The turning ability had been talked about but the ability to hard stroke once and 180 was not talked about much. My guess is this is a more advanced paddling technique or strength issue or some sort to where this is not a-typical but not typical either. Regardless, I loved it.

All of the videos I remember seeing that talked about rod stagers showed casting rods, not spinning. Spinning rods don't fit well in the rod stagers or the rod rest on the sides. I had to flip the reel skyward to secure it down on the side and the downward facing eyes on a spinning rod don't sit on the v style stagers. A groove in front of the stagers could accommodate those of us who like spinning gear on the river. It would cradle one of the eyes on the rod and keep it from sliding everywhere. I have seen another fix for this but it means hauling extra gear. I don't want to do that.

Storage was a huge surprise. The Coosa has vast caverns inside of it just begging for a camping trip. When I opened the hatches I felt like I could keep a dog or a cat in there it was so big. As I am rigging the boat out, the reach toward the back will be so much easier. It resembles a cargo plane on the water. I love that.

The handles were also nice. They are wrapped in a fabric cover but underneath is a very hard handle, great for getting the boat up a hill or onto the car. I appreciated the rigidity at it didn't fail when I needed it.

All in all, the Jackson Coosa exceeded my expectations. That is saying a lot. I can't wait to get to paddle it again this weekend and more next week. Hopefully soon, we'll be able to have everyone down to discover this river with me and see what beauty a virtually untouched river can hold.





Kayaking Events This Weekend into Next Week

Sometimes it is hard for folks to get connected to other kayakers. It's not like the lakes most of us are on are full of them. It's even harder to meet folks on a secluded river. Keeping that in mind, I wanted to let everyone know about some upcoming events in Texas that will allow for folks to fish together, meet new people, test out new boats and everything else kayak related. Without further ado, here you go:

September 15th:


Austin Canoe and Kayak Demo Day
Where: Hyde Park Quarry, Austin
When: 9A-5P rain or shine
What: Over 90 models of kayaks with up to 30% savings on select items
Cost: FREE
Contact: 512-719-4386 or 888-828-3828

Kayak Instruction, Inc Demo Day
Where: Paddle Point Park, Lake Ray Hubbard
When: 9A-1P
What: Jackson Kayaks with Tips, Tricks and Lunch Provided
Cost: FREE
Contact: 214-629-4794


Kayak Angling Clinic by Dean Brown
Where: Demo Pond at Bass Pro Shops in Grapevine
When: 3PM
What: A kayak clinic covering some very specific tactics and tricks that Dean has developed over the past few years, as well as some of his photography techniques (pertaining specifically to the kayak).
Cost: FREE


September 16th:


Austin Canoe and Kayak Expo
Where: Austin Store
When: 10A-5P
What: Lots of New Product, Savings and Lunch Provided
Cost: FREE
Contact: 512-719-4386 or 888-828-3828

NTKBF Kayak Fishing Bass Tournament
Where: Purtis Creek State Park, Eustace
When: 5:30A-4PM
What: Bass Fishing Tournament for Kayak Fishermen
Cost: $10 + $4 for Park Admission

September 17th:


Mariner Sails Wind and Water Sports Scotty New Product Open House
Where: Mariner Sails Wind and Water Sports, 11110 N. Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75229
When: Monday, September 17th, from 6:00pm -- 8:30pm

What: An informative open house and to to acquaint (or refresh you) with the Scotty line of fishing accessories. Our special guest for the evening will be Ryan Emile, from British Columbia Canada, our International Sales Representative for Scotty. Ryan will be presenting new Scotty items, ideas, as well as many helpful tips and suggestions from Scotty's vast line of fine fishing and marine products. Included in his new presentaton will be several new and upcoming "YakAttack inspired Accessories" that were co-created by 
Luther Cifers, the amazing YakAttack genius.Cost: FREEContact: 972-241-1498





Come back tomorrow for more events happening next weekend!


Let's Talk About Seats!

Kayaks come in all shapes and sizes. So do their seats. Some have tall lawn chair style seats while others have a molded butt scoop. It really depends on the type pf kayak you have AND what you plan on doing with it.

There are four types of seats that you can find in your typical kayak. Of these only two are really seats to speak of but I'll let you decide.

Backrest
The Backrest-
This "seat" is actually no seat at all. It is made to give back support and usually connects to some pad eyes to rest your back on. These are fairly in expensive and pair well if you are going to sit in that molded butt scoop that a sit on top kayak has for you. It's almost as if they were saying, "Hey, Dummy! Sit here." The backrest serves it's purpose and can get you on the water for a longer amount of time as it can reduce fatigue in the back. These run anywhere from $25-$89 and fit almost every kayak. A sub category in the backrest section are those backrests for hard molded seats like the Wilderness kayaks. These serve a different purpose but because they are a smaller subset, I am going to move on. Here is a good selection from Austin Canoe and Kayak.



Bottom Pad
The Bottom Pad-
If you are going to be in heavy chop, rapids, beyond the breakers at the coast or paddling like you're on a bucking bronco rather than a sleek boat, this might be a good choice. Filled with varying materials, this seat will give your posterior added cushioning to avoid bruising and saddle sores. Another added benefit is that it elevates you slightly off the deck so if you don't have scupper holes in the seat well you reduce the occurrence of a wet backside. These come in varying thickness and can be very helpful as well as easy to store. Prices start at $12 and go up but chances are you can find a good one for less than $40. Make sure you check out the varying thickness, method of attachment and get good measurements. You want to make sure it will fit.
Wanna check these out? Go here.

The Lawn Chair-
This is a newer style of seat and it only works with certain kayaks like Diablo, Jackson and a few others. The kayaks sometimes come with one of these if it is made for it but in case you need a new one, bought a used model without it or need to add as an upgrade (as in the Diablo models), these are available. The lawn chair style chair (more than a seat) has great back support, comfy bottom support and allows for a higher vantage point when fishing. If you really want to check one of these out look here. If you want to learn more about Diablo kayaks then you should check them out here.
Jackson kayaks can be found here.

The Full Seat-
Skwoosh Voyager
The combination of a back rest and bottom pad all in one nice, neat package makes up a full seat. They come in regular and high back styles and vary as much as your imagination can dream. Some of these seats have rod holders attached. Some have tackle boxes. The things to look for here are dimensions of the bottom pad (to make sure it will fit) and four attach points. Some seats only have two attach points and will side back and forth which causes less support. Bottoms of these seats vary in thickness and padding as well. One of the seats I paddle with is a Skwoosh Voyager seat. it has added gel padding in the bottom pad and is a high backed seat with some storage on the back. This seat has four attach points and does well in most applications.
The other seat I have is a Surf to Summit seat for angry water situations. It has a foam reinforced bottom pad that is two inches thick and is high backed
as well. Full seats are by far the most versatile of the group but that comes at
a price. Full seats range from $20 up to over $200.


Regardless of what you choose, always remember to try before you buy!










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