Horizon 130 Angler

Elie / Pelican has a very good kayak here. It's fast, it's comfortable, and it comes very well equipped to hit the water. I added a Scotty extension to the standard Scotty Rod Holder for my own comfort.

At 6'3" and 220 lbs, I found myself very comfortable in the upgraded seat that is standard on the Angler model. Sitting side-saddle and accessing the hatches and storage areas are a breeze.

Both the primary and secondary stability were very good from the 30" wide kayak. The hull maintains it's keel from bow to stern and it shows! The tracking of this kayak is among the very best. With two foreward strokes and two backward strokes, Mullet Miller said he was quite impressed that the boat turned in it's own radius.

I was able to test this kayak among many different models that I've come to know and respect during a recent 4th of July outing in my native Cape May, NJ area. We had 8 friends in this outing and 8 different kayaks to paddle against. Seaflea was in his Phoenix and I matched him paddle stroke for paddle stroke. This is a goal that I was hoping to see the Horizon Angler meet because Seaflea has a fast kayak and he is a strong paddler making him a tough one to keep up with.

The standard rudder was very responsive and performed great. Elie's website calls the super light rudder a "Fluid Steering System Rudder" and added this to its description. "Constructed of a lightweight composite and reinforced with fiberglass for added stiffness, this retractable rudder adds control and maneuverability. Its sophisticated hydrodynamic shape will not slow you down. And the rudder slot on the deck holds it securely in placed when stowed." With the rudder up, I found that this kayak still performed well, but was no comparison to when the rudder was in use.

The hull itself is so efficient that I have to keep the kayak side-to to the current to mainatin a good drift while Fluking. With the bow pointed into the current, the kayak hardly moved. It's just that efficient.

The large tank well and bow hatch met my needs and are on par with other kayaks of this type. I would however like to see Elie add an 8" center hatch over their current 5" center hatch to this model.

Photo by Jeffery C Polling (aka jpfish in our circle) Thanks Jeff!

While researching the manufacturing process, I came across the following description on Elie's website about the process itself. "Used in all Elie kayaks, three-layer Poly-XR^TM material is 30% more rigid than standard polyethylene, thanks to an advanced resin in the top layer. Our designers use less material to deliver the same incredible durability – resulting in a lighter and stiffer kayak that is easier to paddle, maneuver, even lift on top of your car."

In closing, I plan to keep this kayak in the fleet and use it often. I'm a fan!

Specifications