Reviewer:

kingbrown

Rating:

3

Date:

8/29/2012

Review:

This boat is incredibly stable, you can stand and fish with ease. Very comfortable seat and love the adjustments. The reason for the 3 stars is that it is only good for river fishing in my opinion, because it is very slow, and a beast to paddle.

Reviewer:

FJcruisin

Rating:

5

Date:

8/3/2012

Review:

Got her out today and what can I say.... this yak is awesome! I absolutely love it! It paddles very much like my Ultimate 12 did, but seems more managable in the wind. There seemed to be a perfect balance between tracking and control in a tight situation, such as fishing laydowns and other tight quarters where having a good amount of control is needed to fish the small area. The captains perch makes it the one to get over the Ultimate 12 IMO. I loved my U12, but the Commander is better thought out and seems to be a little more stable IMO. I stood for quite awhile and was very impressed. I have been standing in kayaks for years, but this is very close to my Mariner in terms of stability. Its pretty light too and I plan to keep it simple and not add a bunch of gear that cant be easily removed, so it will be used on short trips. I will use my Mariner for long trips, rough water, and as my tournament yak. Overall, I couldnt be happier. I had no trouble car topping it on the roof of my VW GTI with my Thule Glide and Set saddles. I did manage to catch one little bass on its maiden voyage and also set the hook on a better one while standing, but she came unbuttoned while reaching for my net. The open design of a hybrid kayak keeps everything within easy reach and thats why I wanted another hybrid again. I also found it very easy to reach for things in the rear tank well while sitting on the captians perch. It is easier to get things out of the bow than the U12 was too, because the kayak is a little more stable when your body weight is shifted to the bow. I love how easy it is to store your paddle in the bow. The U12 foam block filled the bow and the Commander leaves room on either side of the foam block for the paddle to slide into. Its little things like this I noticed. Also, the slidetracks and keel are great additions over the U12. The seat is nice and on pair with the better seats out there. However, not as comfy as my Native seat, its pretty darn good. I did get a little sore sitting on the captains perch, but its worth it! I just think that captians perch is the coolest idea! Wilderness should come out with a removable captians perch seat that has a back rest though. I would buy one in a heartbeat. I used a 240cm paddle and it was perfect for me in length. Im 6ft tall and have long arms, so this size worked great sitting on the perch, standing, and sitting in the seat. I used my rudder a little too and it does help the kayak track a little better, but some anglers wouldnt really need it on this kayak. I need to get it out on a very windy day to test it out, drifting some shorelines while fishing. I didnt use it much today. I installed a YakAttack Might Mount on the stern for my Visicarbon light and it works great. The anchor trolley also worked great. I love the hybrid style for being able to keep a couple rods, anchor, small cooler, and a small tackle bag in front of me. Everything is within easy reach. I will not be installing any scotty rod holders up front, there is no need IMO. I want to keep it light and simple. I will be installing my side board from my Mariner with its fish finder and transducer arm, so I can use it on both kayaks. I will be using YakAttack MightyBolts and thumb screws for it on the Commander. I currently have it so it can be easily removed from my Mariner, so it will transition to the Commander quick and painless. I am so glad I decided on the Commander over another U12. I wanted another 12ft hybrid and IMO the C120 is the one to get. Freakin sweet kayak!! Good job Wilderness Systems!!

Reviewer:

Bryant Family

Rating:

5

Date:

7/30/2010

Review:

We purchased two Wilderness Commander 120's from your company because of the excellent customer service and knowledge of products. We have used them weekly since our purchase and like them better each time. They are excellent in both river and lake, very stable, and the seats are extemely comfortable. We recommend these for pleasure and fishing.

Reviewer:

ZachPA

Rating:

5

Date:

6/9/2010

Review:

Just an awesome kayak. Extremely well balanced, very comfortable with 2 seating options(strapped a canoe seat on the top seating position for added comfort), easy to paddle! Worth every penny!

Reviewer:

azyakster

Rating:

4

Date:

4/30/2010

Review:

I purchased this kayak after doing my homework reading the reviews and doing comparisons...thanks ACK for making this effortless and for the reasonable and fast shipping. The Commander works well for my type of lake fishing and tracks exceptionally well..I really like the ability to change seating with the added captains chair..The padded armrest are also another nice feature..The only reason I didn't give 5 stars is not real satisfied with the humps in the floor...I stand up fish a lot and need to move around a bit. I cured the problem by filling in the gaps with a small floor board and now I can stand in the middle and move around..The quality of Wilderness Systems kayaks is unbeatable and my next purchase will be one of their SOT's for ocean fishing..

Reviewer:

Scott M

Rating:

5

Date:

10/9/2009

Review:

I bought the green Wilderness Commander from you Sunday and tried it out yesterday on Town Lake. It is a nice boat. Taking a break with the boat beached impressed me with its appearance. The simplicity of its style was more pleasing than the clutter of a sit on top. In the water, it tracks straight but is easy to turn. It is not the most efficient kayak, but not much below my Tarpon 160. The seat is very comfortable. The water that got in was not a problem. It was easy to pump out on the shore by elevating the bow and collecting the water at the transom. The main motivation for getting this design is to take my 55# Aussie with me. He caused the bow to be lower in the water than expected, producing a bow wave, but not a concern. The Commander is very stable. The dog can lean over the side and drink lake water without tipping the boat any. You can turn around and get gear out of the rear payload bay with no sensation of flipping. The dog had plenty of room. He could go forward straddling the front brace, turn around easily, and even lie down on the bottom. The funky floor shape was easily fixed by covering it with three boat cushions. I highly recommend this for dog owners. The boat cushion comes in handy when stowing the seat, sitting on top of the deck, and as a seat for the shore. When the dog was off the center line, the uneven weight causes the boat to yaw to the opposite side. There was no need for a rudder except to correct this tendency. I'll check back with you after I try it in the wind at the coast. A SlideTrax paddle holder would be nice on the side. However, the high and straight bulkheads allow setting the paddle most any position fore and aft or even across the beam. You should push your vendors to come up with more accessories for the tracks, such as a paddle holder, cup holder, running light, and flag pole for visibility. There are very few accessories for the tracks right now. I searched the Internet some more about kites and sails. My goal is to find something for downwind hauls. The first device I will try is a 62" or 68" golf umbrella made by GustBuster. That may require a rudder. The umbrella is a simple solution since it deploys and stores so easily, and it is a nice accessory to take a break from the sun sitting in calm water or on the shore. The Commander is an excellent boat. I was much more impressed with it after some experience on the water.