oh no ,now you'll never be able to run for mayor.
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Lets talk yaks
- Thread starter crippen
- Start date
I’ve been happy with my WS Ride 135 but pedals would be nice.
I was very interested in those when I saw them come out last year at the show. Looked like a well thought out design. Figured I would pair it with the Hobie Mirage 180 kick-up Drive. Then the release and import of them became delayed even further with the virus. I went ahead and got a new Outback instead. If there are any other makes/models that you like, buying used is always a good way to save a ton of money and get into one you wouldn’t want to pay new retail for. There are now some new YouTube reviews showing up from guys who have received some of the first shearwater imports.
FWIW, Jackson makes great yak here in the states and they have outstanding customer service. They have been amazing to deal with on a couple issues that I did not even expect them to cover under warranty since I bought mine well-used...
Y’all are
Selling me on Jackson .
Selling me on Jackson .
I bought a Prescador 100 about 5 weeks ago - excellent, American made Yak - added about $300 in upgrades (all portable) already considering upgrading - most of what I might be interested in puts me in the price of a Jon boat and increases the weight beyond what I want to deal with.
My advice - stay intermediate and add upgrades as desired.
Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
My advice - stay intermediate and add upgrades as desired.
Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk
I landed on my Jackson after seeing how their pedal drive design worked. The areas I’m fishing is all under 2’ and most in the 18” and under range. Water around here, at least for me, is really hard to see though even with good glasses. Being down low makes it worse. I am constantly running in water where the drive barely clears the bottom and then all of a sudden it’s gone from 14” to 6” or I’m on an oyster bar that I couldn’t see coming. With my old Native Propel, solution at that point is to remove the drive hatch cover and pivot the drive up into the yak. Problem is, the prop has to be in the vertical position to get through the narrow hole, and if you are already run aground then it’s wedged in the horizontal position with no clearance to spin it vertical... then it’s out with with push pole or paddle to try and slide back or rock it in to a position to get it clear. Sometimes fairly easy and sometimes noisy and a PITA.
The Jackson FD (flex drive) pedal mechanism has two positions for running. One with the lower unit and prop at the low setting is about as deep as the Hobie or Native Propel Drive. You can manually move it, or it will automatically bump up into the upper position closer to the hull for running in shallower water. Disadvantage is that the prop is so close to the hull and surface of water that it’s noisier. Finally, you can manually flip it up, or it will automatically bump up into the highest position so the entire prop and assembly is tucked into the bottom of the hull. If you you run into anything or are running in water so shallow that the hull is touching the bottom then it is up out of the way and also easy to flip up so a fish can’t wrap around it. Super easy to switch to a push pole or a paddle and not fumble and fight with trying to raise the drive. The design though is more complex and has more moving parts. That is where I had my problems, but both times they immediately just sent me new drives in a matter of days. Just a few minutes on the phone with tech support, no arguing or hassle, and took care of me even though I didn’t even buy the yak new and was well-used and over a year old when I got it.
You out a motor on it?
No - it's all paddle at this stage - surprisingly, easy enough to do...
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No substitute for water testing, especially when you start looking for pedal power. I’ve had a Native Propel, and still have a Jackson Flex drive and a new Hobie 180 w/ kick up fins. Have tried/used several other brands. Every one IMO is very different in regard to how the drive operates and feels. I really like the ability to just backpedal for reverse with a traditional rotational pedal drive. Some are more simple, others more complex, and efficiency and ease-of-pedaling varies. The Hobie stair-step motion of movement is hard for some to get used to and definitely feels different if you are a cycle rider or used to that motion. Took me a while to get used to it, but for me it’s definitely easier to maintain the motion and a good speed for a much longer period of time.
