AUSTRALIAN KAYAK FISHING FORUM

by **YakMan** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 9:58 am

Conditions;1.3m swell
8/10knots breeze
6.5k paddle distance

Paddle;Kevlar shaft,glass blade Skee
Length set at 214
Pitch set at 65deg for chop.

First impression....how stable the ski was.I have lifted my seating height 10mm with an Epic seat pad(just felt I needed to get a little higher in the ski due to the beam to achieve a good paddle "catch").

Stability
Plenty of it even with a 6lb bomb hanging off the side on the downrigger.The ski would have to be as much if not more stable than the Elite 4.5.

Speed & the ride;11.8kph max speed
6.5kph average.
Yes the ski is the fastest fishing kayak that I have paddled.It punches through the swell well with very little water over the deck and would smoke any current fishing kayak on the water.The ski maintains a good cruising speed with minimal effort.My average is probably down as I deployed the downrigger bomb for a bit.The main thing that would limit the speed of this thing would be a persons fitness & level of paddling technique.

Hullslap there is a little.It reqiures more effort & room to turn the craft that the Elite.I went out without a seat however feel the addition of one would increase the comfort and ease a little muscle fatigue in the lower back area.This addition however may prove detrimental to hip rotation and thus technique.

The layout.
For me this is the standout feature.Love that centre hatch and the associated stowage.Everything can be stashed in that centre hatch making it awesome for those of us that have to negotiate a shorebreak on a regular basis.The downrigger position is awesome.The rear tankwell is good for life jacket stowage( please dont start with the why aren't you wearing it spiel)I feel it a little too far back to serve any other use.
The adjustable foot pegs are great and I feel manditory for correct paddling posture.
The rod holders lay the rods and the reels too close to the water.They should be rotated a few deg towards the rear of the ski to overcome this problem.

Weight;
Lighter than the Elite.I can manage to load and unload by myself.

The conclude this is an awesome craft and my best kayak to date.You can argue all you like but the fiberglass ride is king.I am one very happy Hobie8tor.

by **bazzoo** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:48 am

Phil , thanks for the report and i for one am so pleased with the way the ski performed as i guess Matt and i started the ball rolling a bit on these Stealth Evolutions in Australia , its very gratifying to me to find that a guy with your experiance and expertise loves the ski . I have been involved with glass skis and wave skis i guess all my life as well as racing kayaks , and when i first saw these i was so impressed i sold most of my fleet of boats and had a re organisation as i liked the look and potential of the Evolutions sooooo much . So you can see why i am gratified that you like the ski .,i love my Evo 465 ,it does everything my sea kayak did and just as well with the added advantage that if i want to i can surf it and carry my rods and lures in the hull and there safe and out of the way and i dont have the porcupine syndrome of rods sticking up in the air all over the place when i just want a paddle . Thanks Phil great report

by **Peril** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:53 am

Setting up the downrigger. Meloncutter in the background

by **bazzoo** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:24 pm

Love the rashie Phil , mines Green , so i think Daftwullie may steal it :lol:

by **Davebeat** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 4:21 pm

Great report, and even better seeing it on the water for the test drive.

by **abubain** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:23 am

Hi Stealth Guys

Any standout reason for choosing the stealth Evo over the Kaskazi Dorado?

I'm guessing this is the closest competition to the Evo?

by **bazzoo** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:22 pm

Hey abu , yes mate there is and the main one is cost , the evos are a lot cheaper to buy than the kazaksis and they are finished better in my opinion . You must understand that i have an evo 465 so naturally i am going to think there better than the kazkasis . I have paddled both and found the Evo much more comfortable as i'm not paddling uphill as i was in the kazaksi, in the kazkasi the seat is lower than your feet so your sitting uphill in a very deep seat well which is very hard to get out of if you happen to have a bad back as i do . Mind you , there both Great skis and you should be happy with either, its just that i find the evo more comfortable for me .

by **abubain** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 7:07 am

Cheers Bazoo

My back isn't the best either so thats an important consideration.

I'm a long way off buying either but they look soooooo good!

by **wobbly** » Thu Sep 10, 2009 11:50 am

I cant say which one is the better of the two, but as a Dorado owner I justifiably can be critical of the Dorado but there is little to fault. I would like to try an EVO 495 for a few hours to do a direct comparison but reckon there would not be much to separate them. Think:- the S/Africa yak marketing campaign is simlilar to the Oz Commodore/Falcon arguement, i.e. both products are fantastic but credibility is everything.

Whatever yak one intends to purchase they all require learning to exploit the capabilities up to the a point where the paddler feels competent in a variety of situations which can take a few seasons to fully develop. With all respect its a fact that the body and brain need time to make the necessary adjustments to best fit the hobby and the new toy.

What one is best? Not really important, its not an arms race. As has been said a million times before, try before you buy.

Happy days

Regards

Brian