Old Town Predator 13 Old Town Predator 13

I put a good fifteen hours in the Predator this weekend and feel I have a good handle on the boat. Without further blathering here are my initial impressions.

First this is the most comfortable kayak I have paddled to date. No rear end or back pain after eight hours on the water. That is a winner in my book right there. Second room for everything including the kitchen sink. Third you can completely rig this boat without ever drilling a hole in it. Gadget mounting options galore. Finally stability, you can move around and stand in this kayak with almost no worry about flipping it. And yes there are a few neutral points and some negatives I'll cover too.

The Good.
1. Incredible comfort. This is my fifth kayak in three years and the only one I can sit in for eight hours, get out and feel good. All four of my other kayaks about four hours is the outside limit then I am feeling discomfort. The seat is plush and roomy. It's very easy to stretch out while seated or just stand up for a good stretch. I actually took a twenty minute nap in the boat. The seat has three positions. A high position for fishing, an attack position for paddling, and flip it out of the way so you can move about the deck while fishing.

2. Room for everything! This kayak is deceptively roomy. With only two days on the water I find I am loading the boat up with all kinds of gear because I can. And best of all I can get to all my gear which is a nice change.

3. Mounting options galore and more. I was really wowed by all the mounting plates all over the boat to mount things like fish finders, cameras, rod holders, down riggers, whatever, then it turned out with the mod pod I didn't even need the mounting plates...yet. The mod pod allows you to mount things to it and comes pre-drilled for Ram Mounts and Scotty rod holders. I mounted my fish finder, GPS, and two rod holders without drilling a single hole in the boat. With most kayaks you mount something and don't like it's location you are kind of stuck with things. Not this boat, just toss out the mounting pad and install a new one. You can even buy a replacement mod pod relatively cheap.

4. Stability! I'm kind of wobbly standing in these tippy little boats and I can stand comfortably in the Predator and cast. Primary stability is good and secondary stability is excellent. I have no problems standing and casting.

Neutral stuff:

1. Paddling. This boat has excellent glide per stroke. I am used to paddling long boats that move out fast. This is not a fast boat, nor is it slow. It tracks ok, not horrible, not great. You do need to pay attention to balance and paddle position or it tracks to one side or the other. It does not paddle as well as my Malibu X-13 which tracks very straight and is relatively fast. It paddles better than the Commander 120. It's faster and tracks about the same. The Predator glides much better than the Commander 120 or the Malibu X-13 for that matter.

2. One way scupper plugs. They work sort of but not completely. If you are leaning the boat to one side they let a little water in but not nearly as much as an open scupper. They drain to the water level.

The Bad:

1. This is a heavy boat. 72lbs my rear end! As it shows up in the show room I am guessing it's probably close to 85lbs. Add a little of your own rigging and you are at 90lbs. Only the brave will attempt to use a roof rack with this kayak.

2. High sides. Well I suppose this is a plus and a minus. In rough water they will help keep you dry and gear in the boat. However, the slightest wind and remember I mentioned this boat glides well? Well lets just say you can water ski behind this boat with even a little breeze. Think light canoe in the wind. Zoom, off you go.

In summary I am very pleased with the Predator 13 and the positives far outweigh negatives. If you are in the market for a upper end fishing kayak I highly recommend giving the Predator 13 a hard look.

Update to the initial review:
I have now fished the Predator 13 for a season and continue to be happy with the boat. It's not perfect but there is a whole lot to like about this kayak. It's an outstanding fishing platform.

A couple weeks ago I began watching videos and reading reviews on the Old Town Predator 13.  The features I had come to enjoy in a kayak were imcorporated into this boat - less bungees on the deck, a battery bag up front in the hull, the quick lock front hatch, a low center console, OK Tetra rod pod cover, access to the hull, paddle cradles, and the comfy hi-lo seat.  Other features I liked, replaceable mounting plates for gear, a sloped wide open floor from back to front, side pockets on either side of the seat and a hull design focused on stability.

Like all of us, our minds begin racing with ideas on how to rig it.  However, first I had to take it out on the water - so Shilo and I took a quick trip to Bodega Bay.  

It was a calm day, easy launch off the beach and paddle out past sea lion island.  At first it was a little more work to paddle and at times there was a desire for the old trusty rudder I had become accustomed to on my other kayaks.  It did not take long to adapt and the rest of our venture was paddled with ease.  Before we left the winds and chop picked up - finally a chance to test it's stability in moderate conditions.  I took some chop head on and the sharp hull sliced through the waves.  I grinned as I reflected on the days I paddled my OK T13, splashing water over the bow - fun!  Then I turned parallel to the waves as that would be a true test of stability.  As the waves hit the sides of the boat - not once - did I feel as though she was going to tip.  All the way back to shore I rocked back and forth, sometimes leaning 45 degrees - not a problem in this boat.  Had conditions been worse, I'm confident my first impressions would have been equally enjoyable.

What I came to like about the boat right away was the roominess.  My thighs used to touch the sides of the boat and center hatch in my OK T13.  My Jackson Cuda 14 had more room than the OK T13, but the center hatch was still high.  In the OT P13, more room, low hatch and high sides; you feel as though you are down in the boat and settled in the water vs. riding high and on top of the water.  With my legs fully extended there was still plenty of room forward of my feet and the adjustable pedals could go farther forward for those with longer legs.  I began reaching around to get a feel for where to place things.  I realized there were several options for the FF and decided it would mount in the first hole just beyond the cup holder - an easy reach while still leaving a lot of deck space.  Reaching to the rear I decided on some RAM Tubes forward on the rear mounting plates which would leave enough room for an easy reach and retrieval of the tackle box behind the seat without knocking into things.  As for the rod holder, it will be forward on the mounting plates closest to the seat.

Let me first say I was on the design team so .....
That being said, I still believe this to be one of the best fishing kayaks out there. This was a two year project starting with paddling most every kayak out there. We wanted to see what worked as well as what didn't work. We also brought in people from retail to get an idea from them what sales and what others are asking for. These guys don't see just experienced kayak fishermen, they see people wanting to get in the sport as well.

We took all of this information and went to work with the designers and engineers to create what we believe to be a great platform for fishing. While the Predator has some great features in itself, probably the best feature is the ability of the consumer to rig it like he wants it. There are mounting plates around the yak to mount things to. No more drilling holes in your yak. If you mess a plate up, remove it and order another one from Old Town.

The hull is very stable. I even have pictures of me standing on an Engel cooler and casting. The ability to flip the seat completely out of the way and stand in that spot moves your weight back to where the design intended it to be rather than forward of the seat. The Exo-Ridge deck gives a stead non-slip grip while standing. The seat is very comfortable and is adjustable with one hand.

The yak tracks very good but is still easy to turn. A rudder is available also.

There is tons of room in this boat for equipment. Either in the front click lock hatch, the center console (same as he one on the Ocean Kayak Trident Series) or in the huge tank well.

I could go on and on about this yak but you really need to paddle one to see what we have done. I do think this will have other manufacturers bring up their game just as Old Town has stepped up.

It's a Pirate's life for me,
Randy "RiverPirate" Vining

I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to test paddle the Predator 13 before its release date. I had seen pictures of this kayak and knew that it was definitely going to be a contender in the stand up fishing kayak category. After the first evening that I was in the boat, I was hooked. My primary fishing platform has been the Ocean Kayak Ultra 4.7, in which standing was possible, just not comfortable. In the Predator, it was second nature. Those of us that fished together during the testing could not believe the stability. The Predator 13 is honestly the most stable kayak in its class.
Aside from the stability, there were several other features that caught my eye. The Predator has 6 accessory plates that allow you to add all your favorite gear, without drilling into your kayak. Old Town also included the Clickseal front hatch as well as the mod-pod from the ocean kayak fishing boats, both of which I have used on previous kayaks and love.
Another feature that I noticed about this kayak was the seat. It's not your typical High-Low seat that we have all seen. The seat rides in a track, so that you can easily switch from high to low position with one hand.
The guys at Old Town had a big job of convincing me that my Ultra 4.7 would no longer be my primary fishing boat, but they succeeded. The Predator will be my new flats and freshwater kayak, and may even venture out into the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico, but the ultra will still be my long haul BTB kayak. I was extremely impressed with the Predator. I'm excited to see what other people think of it.