Reviewer:

Joshua

Rating:

5

Date:

5/15/2013

Review:

Great fishing kayak. Handles really well with rudder installed. I take it to the coast and its been excellent. A great buy for anyone.

Reviewer:

Risk

Rating:

5

Date:

1/11/2013

Review:

GREAT YAK!!! Full of standard perks. Paddles surprisingly good, stable and quite fast for a fisher. Chicks dig it. ACK packages securely for shipping.

Reviewer:

mike

Rating:

4

Date:

9/20/2012

Review:

Been paddling a Trident 13 for the last year.At 250lbs its alittle wet for me which is why I bought a 4.7.Surpisingly agile.The hardware on the rudder is much improved over the T-13.The center hatch is a great idea if you want to stow a FF/GPS.Its a much dryer ride than the 13 [for me].Its definately faster.For me the forward rod holders should be farther forward.I had to limit my hard paddling with a rod in.The center hatch skin is thin so I overlaid a 3/8 cutting board and installed a couple rod holders.Problems solved.I purchased the Ice Box.Its easily accessible and keeps fish cold.All in all great yak.Great for fishing.

Reviewer:

Chip

Rating:

4

Date:

6/19/2012

Review:

I have been kayaking for most of my life. Started out white water kayaking and did most of the rivers in the southeast but this is my first fishing kayak. I did a ton of research before buying the 4.7. Here are my observations of this boat. Boat is somewhat heavy, and I am a healthy guy, but I still am able to load it by myself on my truck rack. The boat is fast, and I mean fast. It handles well despite of its overall length. I use it in the bayous of Louisiana and open water as well. I have had this boat for about 3 months and used it a lot so I’ve had the opportunity to see various weather circumstances and conditions. I’ve found the boat to be much more responsive in the turns without using the rudder. I usually do not employ it in cramped areas. I will say that I could be considered a “basher” of those who use a rudder to make up for poor paddling skills but I must say that the rudder is a huge advantage in windy weather on open water. I also use it running with the current or running downwind to steer the kayak while fishing and it works great. I bought my wife the Ocean 13 angler and I like the way the rudder cables tie into the rudder body better than the 4.7. The 4.7 uses a threaded u clamp and even though I tightened it down really well, I lost one the second time out and used a plastic tie that seems to work even better. The boat is really thought out well with the 4 rod holders and the central storage pod. I like the center hatch but do envy the Ocean 13’s rod storage under the seat area on my wife’s. The live bait well would be awesome, since I use life bait a lot, but for some idiotic reason Ocean does not make that available here but only in new Zealand or there about. This is the same company right? They do have planes that fly out of their country and they do export things out of that country right? geeeez!! That is unacceptable! The seat that comes with this boat is very good and comfortable for a day on the water. The boat is stable at 29 inches but when it gets in “nervous water”, with 2 foot ways boat gets a little squirrelly at anchor, once under way rocker helps boat stay stable. Definition: water in 2+ waves with VERY short wave duration, less than 3 seconds between crests. I am getting water from somewhere inside my boat. I suspected the hatch, due to complaints on this in older models, but I have run a water hose over the boat section by section and could not get any water. I am concerned I have a small split in the hull that opens up under wave pressure. I’m still investigating this. It seems that when I am in high waves there is MUCH more water in the hull. 2+ gallons, which made me almost sure it was the front hatch But I was in it just this past week and no water got around the front hatch area and still had some water in the hull, not as much, but some water is still bad water. I don’t like the way the front hatch was molded into the boat. They basically created a well or pool area that just holds water towards the rear. The design on the Ocean 13 is MUCH better. I see no benefit for the way it is designed anyway. To say I am not concerned about this intrusion of water would be a huge understatement. Don’t get me wrong, the boat is not going to sink but it slows the boat down considerably. A gallon of water weighs 8.35 lbs. that’s over 16 pounds of moving weight in my boat, not good. I also bought the ice chest pod and it is a really nice addition. It has a very low profile that really drops the center of gravity. The insulation is not all that good though, as ice melts pretty quickly. I really like the skid plates on the rear of the tail fin. That was a smart idea; I just wished they would do something similar on the bow. Back in the day we used duct tape and replaced it after several trips to keep the scratches off the nose. The bungee on the front bow is awesome for holding your paddle for quick retrieval. The ones on the side are difficult to strap so I will most likely be changing them to clips in the future, although this is a concern for fishing line to get caught on. I find the middle hatch to be somewhat flimsy. I initially mounted a Scotty mount for my fish holder on it so I could use it for live bait while I was fishing something else, but when I had a fish hit that line it almost torn off the hatch. Way to flimsy for anything that will give it ANY torque. There is an area in front of middle hatch for this mount but it’s really tough to reach, making it really useless. I have since mounted my rod there and bought a Scotty extender for this and it really does work well. It does require a little fore thought prior to getting in the kayak to set up due to the way Scotty mounts are adjusted but it’s workable and will take some torque. I made up my own anchor trolley, which you will most definitely need, due to the fact again, Ocean does not sell one to fit this boat in the US, stupid, because it comes set up to accept the blocks on the bow and stern. All in all, not hard to make a good one out of some local parts gathered from some chain stores. Overall, this is a nice boat, but one that needs to see some bigger water. If I was on lakes, bayous or other smaller water all the time, I would opt for the ocean 13. If you have a lot of water to cover and you visit some water beyond the breakers, you will not beat this boat other than if you use a touring yak. The only reason I am giving this boat only 4 stars is for the lack of product support for this line from Ocean Kayak.

Reviewer:

Tampa

Rating:

5

Date:

2/8/2012

Review:

This is a great ride and cruiser. A little heavy but once you get her going its an easy paddle, even into a head wind. It cuts through waves and chop very well. The storage hatch is big, I can carry alot and can keep it all right in front of me. There is also a nice recessed area that made for a good control panel for my electric lighting and live well. There are brass inserts for a trolley anchor set up on the left side, and around the far rear storage area, as well as 16 on the hatch cover in addition to the Fish finder mount area. The round hole you see in front of the stainless hatch hinge is where a tranducer mount fits and is molded to be flush with the bottom of the kayak, very nice when moving from deep to skinny. You can buy the mounting bracket here from ACK. The 4 rod holders are well placed and allow for a full paddle stroke with out your rod getting in the way. It tracks very straight and you almost dont need the rudder but it is a nice feature to have when trying to make time, because I can keep my pace and not have to make paddle corrections. The speed and distance you can cover in this kayak sets it apart from others. The seat is a bit hard on the bottom, but does give decent back support. The seating area is also raised and there are two scuppers under the seat, it is however still a dry ride, with me being 225 plus all my gear. The molded handles are very nice and give you a secure hold when working with it, one less thing to snag my line on, and the handles on the sides are perefectly centered as far as balance goes. I can pick it up by one and it stays level so no cart needed if this big guy is close to the launch. The bait well / storage area right behind the seat is nice, because it is separate from the rest of the storage, has its own scuppers, and just beggs for a customized imagination. So I made a bait well that slides into it, doubles its capacity, and uses the internal scuppers to drain salt water pumped in from an electric pump. Overall this is a fishing machine and am looking to take it offshore this year, which it is also very well built for in my opinion. I got a camo color one, each one is similar but unique. Tight lines.

Reviewer:

Daniel J. Lockerby

Rating:

5

Date:

12/30/2011

Review:

This is one great Kayak. I have had it for almost a year now and have used it on ivers and in the ocean. Very stable, even with my 250+ lbs on it. It tracks very straight and moves pretty fast in the water, even in head winds. I like all the built in rod holders and live well. Just wish I could find the live well lid and pump. I like the cooler also. I makes a great cooler or storage turnk depending on your nees at the time. Daniel

Reviewer:

Steve

Rating:

5

Date:

12/10/2011

Review:

Great Yak. Lets start with the size. It is long at 16 ft but this suits me well. I have plenty of room to store my gear and fish. This yak cuts through the water and waves very well. I have had no problem with it wanting to roll over. I get in and out of the yak while in the water with no problem. It has 4 rod holders, which come in handy. The center storage hatch is great. You can install a rod pod in it. The hatch itself is ready to mount all kinds of accessories. The live well is a nice feature, though that is not what I use it for. The main problem I have with the yak is it is made tso you can install all of these cool accessories, BUT you can not get any of them here in the states. I have midified mine a lot though. Great yak. Worth the price. Oh, a little heavy. If you are not going to be parking close to the water, get some wheels for your Yak