G
Guest
·Hey Guys,
Thought I would post a quick review of the new Prowler Elite with some first impressions, I'll add more comments as I go, and as I test her out in different conditions.
Speed
Nice and fast, much faster than the Tarpon thats for sure. She got up to speed pretty quickly and maintained a nice brisk speed with little effort. I could maintain a cruising speed which I would estimate close to the top speed of the T120 without too much effort at all, I think I could paddle all day at this nice cruising speed whereas I'd be buggered after 30 mins in the T120 maintaining the same speed.
Once I stopped paddling she had great glide charisteristics, and tracked beautifully.......no complaints here at all
Stability
Stable, very stable.....more stable than I expected actually, she felt rock solid on the water, I didnt get to test the limits of this stability as I had a yak full of gear. Next time I'm out I'll test its limits and add more comments then. First impressions were very good though.
Layout/Comfort
The layout is nice, the standard seat was not overly comfortable however which is something which can be easily rectified. Something with a little more and higher back support. Leg room was sufficient, I'm 6'0, and it would accomodate a slightly taller paddler than me without too much trouble. I found the Scotty mount up front was just a tad too far forward, a couple in inches closer would have been nice and made life atlot easier when grabbing rods from up front. The ride was nice and dry, dryer than the T120, with only a small amount of water in the drainage channels in the footwells at all times, not enough to cause discomfort and not noticed at all with booties on.....bum stayed dry at all times. Overall I couldnt pick a favourite as each had advantages over the other. A draw between the Prowler and the T120 this time, but I suspect with a better seat the Prowler would have taken line honours here as well.
Customising
The T120 is a great boat to fit out with plenty of options and a nice deck layout to work with, probably one of the T120's great streghths, but the Prolwer is in a class of its own in this department. The moulded in nut inserts all over the yak open up so many options, all without drilling or damaging your hull in any way. I already have ideas running around my head as to what I can do with all of the mounting points.
Manouverability
With the rudder, she turned beautifully....although without the rudder fitted its hard work turning which is to be expected of such a long yak. Rudder highly recommended
Fishability
In calm water, I dont think there is a clear winner. The Prowler would get me there faster, but the Tarpon would still get me there and fish just as well. If you only fish calm water, it would be hard to justify the extra cash for the Prowler, its also alot more effort to handle, particularly solo.
Offshore, obviously things are going to be very different, I cant wait to test her out offshore
Will post some pics of my fitout once its all completed in the Rigged Kayaks sections.
Thought I would post a quick review of the new Prowler Elite with some first impressions, I'll add more comments as I go, and as I test her out in different conditions.
Speed
Nice and fast, much faster than the Tarpon thats for sure. She got up to speed pretty quickly and maintained a nice brisk speed with little effort. I could maintain a cruising speed which I would estimate close to the top speed of the T120 without too much effort at all, I think I could paddle all day at this nice cruising speed whereas I'd be buggered after 30 mins in the T120 maintaining the same speed.
Once I stopped paddling she had great glide charisteristics, and tracked beautifully.......no complaints here at all
Stability
Stable, very stable.....more stable than I expected actually, she felt rock solid on the water, I didnt get to test the limits of this stability as I had a yak full of gear. Next time I'm out I'll test its limits and add more comments then. First impressions were very good though.
Layout/Comfort
The layout is nice, the standard seat was not overly comfortable however which is something which can be easily rectified. Something with a little more and higher back support. Leg room was sufficient, I'm 6'0, and it would accomodate a slightly taller paddler than me without too much trouble. I found the Scotty mount up front was just a tad too far forward, a couple in inches closer would have been nice and made life atlot easier when grabbing rods from up front. The ride was nice and dry, dryer than the T120, with only a small amount of water in the drainage channels in the footwells at all times, not enough to cause discomfort and not noticed at all with booties on.....bum stayed dry at all times. Overall I couldnt pick a favourite as each had advantages over the other. A draw between the Prowler and the T120 this time, but I suspect with a better seat the Prowler would have taken line honours here as well.
Customising
The T120 is a great boat to fit out with plenty of options and a nice deck layout to work with, probably one of the T120's great streghths, but the Prolwer is in a class of its own in this department. The moulded in nut inserts all over the yak open up so many options, all without drilling or damaging your hull in any way. I already have ideas running around my head as to what I can do with all of the mounting points.
Manouverability
With the rudder, she turned beautifully....although without the rudder fitted its hard work turning which is to be expected of such a long yak. Rudder highly recommended
Fishability
In calm water, I dont think there is a clear winner. The Prowler would get me there faster, but the Tarpon would still get me there and fish just as well. If you only fish calm water, it would be hard to justify the extra cash for the Prowler, its also alot more effort to handle, particularly solo.
Offshore, obviously things are going to be very different, I cant wait to test her out offshore
Will post some pics of my fitout once its all completed in the Rigged Kayaks sections.