Old Town Predator

[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]

Originally Posted by PE.rider

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