Old Town Predator

[OEX Sunset Beach]

ICAST winning Boat Old Town Predator, fresh off the truck.

come check it out, I will have it available to demo all next weekend

Predator 13 (http://www.austinkayak.com/products/12677/Old-Town-Predator-13-Kayak.html):


Length: 13’ 2”
Width: 33.5”
Seat Height: 15”
Leg Length: 48”
Weight: 72 lbs.
Max Capacity: 400-425 lbs.
MSRP: $1,299 US



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[ful-rac]

Hmmm...when I think of Old Town kayaks, I think of really cheap crappy kayaks you can buy at sams club or Costco...

But THIS....looks pretty cool!

Looks like a cross between a Hobie PA/Ocean kayak Trident/Jackson Kayak....The front and rear handles look like they're a little funky to grab...but overall looks interesting.

[steveooo]

Looks like a lot of cool features packed into it :luxhello:

[easyday]

Looks like a hybrid of a bunch of different brands.

[HELLSTER INC.]

Great lookin boat, must go demo this one!

[roadx]

one things for sure, kayaks are not getting any lighter :doh:

[MrPatrick]

Watch the I-Cast video of this yak, the front hatch looks iffy.

[stephenG]

Pretty good lookin yak, I like the seat. Of course without a mirage drive it doesn't stand up against any hobie.

[PAL]

Watch the I-Cast video of this yak, the front hatch looks iffy.

The same hatch is on the OK Prowler 4.3. Works great, no leaks in my experience.

[MrPatrick]

I stand corrected sir :)

[beef78]

I might actually demo a kayak...

[GregAndrew]

Pretty good lookin yak, I like the seat. Of course without a mirage drive it doesn't stand up against any hobie.

I will bet dollars to donuts that it surf launches and lands far better than a PA or Outback. Although I would like to see a pic of the hull.

[Sdspeed]

The shorter version looks interesting for those of us that can't store or transport something longer or heavier.

Old Town Predator MX

Length: 12 feet
Width: 34 inches
Weight: 68 pounds
Max Capacity: 375-400 pounds
MSRP: $1,199

[PE.rider]

Old Town has better notoriety back East, and makes excellent canoes. I owned 2 wooden classic canoes for duck hunting, and these were solid units with excellent durability and craftsmanship.

I'm not surprised to see the mix of the best features of other kayak players, since they are owned by Johnson Outdoors (Ocean Kayak, Necky Kayak, Carlisle Paddles, ExtraSport PFDs, MinnKota Motors, Cannon downriggers, Hummingbird fishfinders, etc).

I WOULD like to see the hull shape, demo it to see how it handles choppier waters, etc. Frankly, it wouldn't hurt to have this vessel be 10-15 lbs lighter; though the trend is moving towards heavier boats (Wilderness, Jackson, Moken, Hobie, etc). Really a buzz-kill since I'm getting older and my back problems aren't going away :).

On the other hand, this is a 13 footer, so fully rigged, the weight would be heavier.

Is the demo unit there for just this upcoming weekend or will it be around on weekdays?

Thanks.

[Siebler]

Frankly, it wouldn't hurt to have this vessel be 10-15 lbs lighter; though the trend is moving towards heavier boats (Wilderness, Jackson, Moken, Hobie, etc). Really a buzz-kill since I'm getting older and my back problems aren't going away :).


Thanks.

As the boats get bigger they have to be heavier unless you want a structurally unsound kayak or you want to give up a lot of features and lower cost that comes from RotoMolding instead of Thermoform.

OEX MB should be receiving our Demo any day as well and we already have inventory of these boats on the way,. As mentioned above these are made by the same company as Ocean kayak so no worry on quality. Just like buying a Perception (owned by CWS who owns Wilderness).

[PE.rider]

"As the boats get bigger they have to be heavier unless you want a structurally unsound kayak or you want to give up a lot of features and lower cost that comes from RotoMolding instead of Thermoform."

Though that may certainly be the case, it seems the sport is getting harder to load/unload before and after each outing.

I may have to recruit a few special helpers to assist me with my burden...

[vincentek9]

overall looks very nice. they could have shaved off some length by just putting normal kayak handles on the front/rear though... that front handle looks very uncomfortable.

[PAL]

Test fishing the Predator, first impressions: stable, comfortable seat, thoughtful rigging touches, paddles better than anything so big should. Plentiful storage and lots of Ocean Kayak DNA in this Old Town.

My good friend John P. put the Predator through a surf trial. The nameplate reads Old Town. Johnson Watercraft is mainly marketing the Predator for the freshwater and flats, not surf-launch SoCal. Keep that in mind.

It performed well, was easy to keep pointed straight out or in, and shows off tons of buoyancy up front - check out the picture. Feels good and steady on sloppy water - the designers understand secondary stability. The cockpit holds a ton of water when flooded, and emptied slowly with the one-way scupper plugs in the boat.

Today, the bow hatch leaked. It seemed a little loose on the 'yak. Further testing is warranted. On first impression, I like the Predator a lot.

[JarrodMc]

That is a pretty cool looking boat. It seems to have some nice features