kayak selection? feel free lure 11.5

[nealec]

looking at a lure 11.5 kayak. i like it, but was wondering if anybody could tell me what they liked/disliked. going to use it for skinny water. thanks

[jad2t]

I fish out of a Ride 115 and enjoy it a lot but if I had it to do over again, I'd absolutely by the Lure 11.5 over it. The seat in the Lure is far superior to that of what comes in the Ride 115. Also, one thing I thought was cool at first was that the entire hull of the Ride is one massive dry well. It was cool until I realized that this means the stuff you want to keep dry like your phone, keys, cellphone, etc will slide around as you drag your kayak up and down gradients to get in and out of water and you'll sometimes have trouble reaching them. I'd prefer to have a couple large, but isolated, dry compartments like the Lure has.

Twice I've had a fish fall into the center opening (I opened it to get my phone out to take a pic and left it open) and flopped around all over the place in there getting out of reach and I had quite the time getting them out.

[TNtroller]

Never been on Lure yak, but I have a Ride 115 and like it. I think the seat is very comfy on the Ride which is the reason I bought it. The Ride has some short cords/loops inside the hatches to attach things (small dry bags, etc.) so they don't go sliding all over the place.

[XxthejuicexX]

I have a lure 11.5 and love it! The seat and the reinforced/padded standing platform are what sold me on it. It's 36" wide so it's really stable, not as fast as a ride 115, Jimmy can leave me in the dust if he wants to. My complaint is that it tends to spin left or right when you stop paddling, not sure if a rudder would stop this. Storage is just fine. I can load a milk crate along with 7+ rods on the back of it with no problem. I use the center storage pod to keep all my pliers, scents and things like that. I have my battery in the large hatch being held in place by Velcro straps. The rear wheel helps when moving across flat ground but if it gets rough it tends to make the yak tilt left or right.

[Travis C.]

My complaint is that it tends to spin left or right when you stop paddling, not sure if a rudder would stop this.

Yes.

Other than the speed (which it's not intended to be a fast boat...that's the Moken line) depending on your body's build or strength car topping it can be no fun especially after a long day of fishing. Its heavy and wide BUT that is what gives its stability and capacity. The boat is 76 lbs.

There is a Feelfree team member on here but his work schedule has been hectic this summer so he is not on much. He has both Lure sizes and Moken 14's with far more in depth of the nuances.

Could try pm screen name: txnative

[XxthejuicexX]

Yes.

Other than the speed (which it's not intended to be a fast boat...that's the Moken line) depending on your body's build or strength car topping it can be no fun especially after a long day of fishing. Its heavy and wide BUT that is what gives its stability and capacity. The boat is 76 lbs.

There is a Feelfree team member on here but his work schedule has been hectic this summer so he is not on much. He has both Lure sizes and Moken 14's with far more in depth of the nuances.

Could try pm screen name: txnative

Travis you are correct, it's not intended to be fast. I would not want to try and load it on top of an SUV at the end of a long day. My dad fished out of it last weekend and loved it. He said it was better than fishing out of the John boat we have.

[bfish]

It might not matter to some, but FeelFree is not a domestic product. Jackson kayaks are made here in TN. Wilderness System I believe are from SC and Natives are made in NC.

[Alphahawk]

I owned a Ride 115 for a year. I loved it but hated the seat....which has since had a new seat option made for it....the new seat is very comfortable. The Ride was a joy to paddle and tracked well. Out of the 5 kayaks I owned to me it paddled the best. I have fished out of the Lure 11.5. It is tougher to paddle than a Ride 115...a Coosa.....and a Big Game Prowler II. It is a wide boat and yes it is very stable. It does not track as well as the BG Prowler II or the Ride 115. It does track far better than the Coosa. I think the wheel in the keel messes with the tracking of the Lure. I liked the seats in the Coosa...BG Prowler II.....Native Slayer Propel 10 much better than the Lure. I recommend not to get hung up on one brand. I also highly recommend you demo anything you might want to purchase...and I don't mean a 20 minute paddle......take it out for several hours. Some on here have much more experience in fishing kayaks than I do and hope they chime in. A lot of people get into kayak fishing only to put their boat up for sale a couple of weeks later. Reasons for that could be kayak fishing is not for them...but many times the reason is they bought the wrong boat and are extremely uncomfortable in it. I no longer have a kayak but I loved it for the few years I did it. Really missing not having one now as I am bank bound until my boat gets here.


Regards

[XxthejuicexX]

It might not matter to some, but FeelFree is not a domestic product. Jackson kayaks are made here in TN. Wilderness System I believe are from SC and Natives are made in NC.


I am all for buying local/american but I also want the best product I can get, Felt that the feelFree was that. Mike's Jackson rig is pretty sweet too. That was my second choice but I got a great deal on the FeelFree from Hook1.

[XxthejuicexX]

Good write up Alpha. I am always willing to let someone test my yak out.

[SAMBOLIE]

THIS LOOKS APPEALING

http://www.seethroughcanoe.com/clear-canoes.html

[Travis C.]

My dad fished out of it last weekend and loved it. He said it was better than fishing out of the John boat we have.

The 13.5 would be a good replacement for that. I have helped car top it on a SUV and.......lots of grunts. It is an awesome boat though.

I SUV top the Moken 14 now on my SUV and 76 lbs spread out over 14'8" is no cake.

[Travis C.]

I have fished out of the Lure 11.5. It is tougher to paddle than a Ride 115...a Coosa.....and a Big Game Prowler II.

Regards

Chris found out that going longer on the paddle than normal helps a lot with the Lure. He also paddles the whole time in the high position so that may be a factor as well.

[MNfisher]

I have a Jackson big tuna and a cuda 14. The big tuna is very stable, and can be tandem or single use. I bought the cuda 14 this year, because the more I fish out of a yak, the more I want speed. The cuda is not near as stable as the tuna, but I still comfortably stand and fish out of it. It paddles almost 2 mph faster than the tuna. I used to be all about stability, the more experienced I get, I'm happy to trade stability for speed.


Mike

[Travis C.]

I used to be all about stability, the more experienced I get, I'm happy to trade stability for speed.

Mike

I can definitely see that. I was out on Fathers day at OH and it was windy with lots of boat traffic. The Moken 14 (which is more of a ocean big water platform) had no trouble even with my 7 year old sitting in the back cargo area. We moved at a real good clip against waves and wind. But then again the boat was doing what it was designed to do.

[jad2t]

I would not want to try and load it on top of an SUV at the end of a long day.

The Ride weighs about the same and it's always harder to lift it on top of my Jeep after a long day of paddling! Kayak fishing is a great upper body workout!

[XxthejuicexX]

The Ride weighs about the same and it's always harder to lift it on top of my Jeep after a long day of paddling! Kayak fishing is a great upper body workout!

I really thought mine weighed more than yours. Then again, I just drop the tail gate and shove it in the excessively large kayak hauling truck.

[jad2t]

I really thought mine weighed more than yours.

Let's not get into one of those debates... this is a public forum.

[XxthejuicexX]

Let's not get into one of those debates... this is a public forum.

Hey now! Mine also seems to turn to the right too.

[Reel Tune]

There are a lot of great boats out there. Figure out the weight capacity you need, and add more weight. I weigh 220# at just shy of 6'1" and need a boat with a weight capacity of at least 400#. I carry a lot of gear, of course a lot of unneeded gear, but I have it incase I need it. Figure out if you're going to be fishing one type of water exclusively. Some only spend time on moving, skinny waters and they prefer a shorter boat with more maneuverability. Some spend their time chasing fish on larger bodies of water, or tournament fishing where they may need to get to a spot quickly and they prefer longer/faster boats. Consider your transportation options. If you will be car topping you may not want a heavy boat, if you are hauling in the back of a pickup you may not want a 16' boat. A lot of people are trailering now like myself.

Like said earlier by others with a lot of knowledge paddle as many boats as you can, and spend some time in them. Test tracking, speed, maneuverability, use different strokes, see how long it takes you to paddle a mile or two, and see if you get fatigued quickly with a particular boat, see how wet the ride is.

If, and after you purchase try it naked without any rigging for a few trips, and see what you want and where before you start putting a lot of unneeded stuff on your boat.

I have an ATAK, Ride 135, and Commander 120 if you would like to check any out and are in the Nashville area.

[nealec]

thanks again. i wonder if i could save a few bucks if i waited till this fall to buy?

[Reel Tune]

You could, but can you wait? September is usually when the next model year start to come out, and the current model year usually doesn't clearance until after the 1st of the year. Used is also an option. There are usually good used less than a year to two years old available, and if you don't like it you can turn around and sell it and get something else, for about the same price you paid.

[tsuggs]

I have a native ultimate 14.5,stability is average but that baby will fly.I like mine because she can be solo or tandem.

[jon1977]

looking at a lure 11.5 kayak. i like it, but was wondering if anybody could tell me what they liked/disliked. going to use it for skinny water. thanks

I would recommend buying one of each so you can give one to your brother.