Review Detail

My first encounter with the Predator was the day before we were to get on the John Day River. We had to rig 7 kayaks in a couple hours. Job easily done. Between the easy to drill and easy to set up mounting plates and the mod pod with starpoint mounts that fit Scotty, Cannon and other rod holders, we handily accomplished this mission.

The next job was to see how it rides. Took it out on the Deschutes River behind the shop for a quick test paddle. Hey, look at me, I’m standing up on a kayak. I’ve never been much of a standup guy, mainly because I’m tall with a high center of gravity, and balance was never a strong point for me. But I must say, I’m very much of a convert now.

I was worried that this kayak was on the large side for a river. But my fears were quickly alleviated after getting some seat time on it. I was pleasantly surprised with decent maneuverability.

The seating system was a treat, much more comfortable than traditional kayak seats. Even in the high position proved ultra stable. We spent 4 days on the river and after the first day, the seat stayed in the high position. My backside never got tired of sitting in this seat. One drawback was that the seat was fixed in tracks on the kayak and not removable.

The deck space was well though out, with mounting plates in well thought out positions. Also present was a side rod mounting system with rod tip protectors at the front, although it seems to be made for longer fly rods and not amenable to shorter (< 7’) rods. There was plenty of foot space for standup, and the center rod pod provided easy access to the interior hull.

The kayak was a bit on the heavy side, but I suppose that is the tradeoff for a wide stable kayak. It took a little extra power to get this kayak moving, but it was never really an annoyance.

Storage was outstanding, with plenty of space to pack gear for our 4 day trips, and plenty of space to store gear, such as a plano box behind the seat, as well as tackle boxes under it, in the pouch on the back side of he seat, and in build in pockets to the side of the seat.

I can’t wait to get more time in on this kayak!