Before I get going (you might want to make a cuppa this could go for a while
) I started yak fishing in a Prowler 13 then moved to a Profish 400 so comparisons will likely be to these two yaks. I am 6'2" around 85kg.The Where: Manukau inner harbour (Mangere Bridge)
The conditions: Slight wind against tide chop initially dieing to flat calm - Not ideal for a yak test but beggers can't be chosers right
The test time: Approx 1.5 hours paddling (no fishing
))The short version ( no pics just words):
- Easy to lift on and off the car with solid handles (much easier than my old P13 but heavier and a little more awkward than my PF400)
- Quick to setup: Seat already attached, FF in center well etc
- Quick accelerating up to speed and cruises nicely
- More stable than the Prowler 13 but less than the PF400
- Seat (standard 4.3) too hard for my liking and felt the bones in my butt after short time (no thigh support)
- Tracking: I could not get this yak to track straight without using the rudder (pulled fairly hard left)
- Dry ride due to high foot-wells and nose and large amount of rocker
The long version:
Saturday morning rolled around and with the wind and rain pounding the windows it was out to the garage to skope out the new Ultra 4.3. I'll start with the design and features.
Design and features:
From the front...
- Front Hatch: AWESOME!!! Easy to open and close and seems to seal very well (hose test). Can fit the C-Tug trolley through the opening after removing the wheels and folding the supports in. Plenty of access for installing wiring etc.
- Centre well system: SWEET!!! Heaps of space inside the well and no ridges etc to stop containers sitting flat. You might need to buy more tackle to fill this sucker
According to the 'spray with a hose test' the new lid is pretty well water tight. There is a small issue with water running down the lid and inside the well when opened though. The new hinge design is a really good addition I think, allowing larger type of cable/connectors to be fitted through:- Factory fixed seat: OK. While I really like the design of this seat it just didn't suit me on the water. I found the foam far to hard for my butt and after around an hour of paddling (in comparison on my PF400 with high back seat and blue foam cushion I can get 4-5 hours with no un-comfort) the pain had started to set in. I found that the hard foam combined with the lack of thigh support meant that all my weight was effectively sitting on my butt bones which I can only guess is not good for circulation. In saying this I understand the factory seat can be removed and replaced with aftermarket options...the next test
- The rudder system: Hmmmm. One of the first things I noticed after adjusting the foot supports (I paddle with slightly bent knees) was the lack of travel I could get from the rudder pedals. After investigation I noticed the pedals were tilted down (possibly due to a mould shrinkage issue?) which resulted in them clashing with the moulded section of the deck at the end of the footwells. The results was a very limited rudder angle (see first two pics). I also noticed that the groove for the rudder to sit in when up was two short meaning you could not use the foot pedals to brace in a surf situation. I understand this issue is already being looked at on the tool.
- Rear rod holders: Not so sure. I would personally have preferred standard flush mount holders. My main concern with them is controlling the material thickness at the bases. One of the ones on the yak I had seemed quite thin and I wonder how well they will last with metal gimbal butt rods. Maybe a plastic cap inserted from the top or glue on from underneath would remove possible issues? Not sure could be perfectly fine and time will tell.
- Rear well: Again, I didn't get to use it but it's huge and seems very usable.
- Wear strip: Personally I think it is too short and leave the rear scupper edges exposed to damage. To me having the wear strip gives the impression of being able to grab the front handle, lifting the front of the yak with straight arm and pull the yak out of the water. This is not the case. As I mentioned I am 6'2" and have to lift the front of the yak up to above my waist before the wear strip is taking the load. This may be fine and doable after you realize this but I wonder if the strip could be made longer for a bit more tolerance in lift angle.
On the water...finally
- Speed: Impressive. I am not one to read into the whole hull speed, a 'k' here a 'k' there discussions but to me this kayak did seem to paddle very well. It certainly seems to go along at cruising speed easier than my current ride, PF400 (although remembering it was a flat calm day) and the top speed I reached was faster than I have any any other yak - around 11km/hr. At one stage I ended up in the middle of the channel against the roaring outgoing and still putting on 4.5km/hr (going hard though
) This is after putting the paddle down and picking up the camera :- over_10.jpg (14.17 KiB) Viewed 5970 times
- keel.jpg (15.6 KiB) Viewed 5970 times
Now I have just about run out of words I know so I think I will rap it up...
Overall a very easy to maneuver kayak on and off the water. Easy to paddle, stable and plenty of storage. Some awesome new design features that will definitely take a lot of the DIY and guess work out of setting up a fishing kayak. For me there are still a few small things this yak could do with to make it into the ultimate beast.
Cheers
; Kawhai 3lb 
; Kingfish 25lb 
; John Dory 2lb? 
