Alright, so, I've given serious thought about buying a fishing kayak. I had my budget, did a bit of research on the internet and here at BR using the search function. I've just about decided the Pelican Catch 120 seems to be the best option for what I'm looking for. I have a few questions for those of you who own one or have owned one. Any other input on kayaks in general is also very appreciated so feel free to comment. 

 

1. The Catch 120 is 66 lbs (Without the seat I assume?). How easy is it to car top alone or even with a buddy? Is it doable or a bit of a struggle?

 

2. I'm a big guy. 6'2, 250 lbs. The weight capacity is 400 lbs but I don't intend to go anywhere near that for safety reasons. I've read that 80% of the weight capacity should be the absolute limit. I'm limited to 70lbs of gear (including seat, my clothes, PFD tackle and rods). That's plenty right? What do you guys think about weight capacities on kayaks and their limits?

 

3. It's my understanding that the Catch 120 is not an agile or quick boat. Is it geared more towards stability for standing? How easy is it to stand and fish? To add to that is it a chore to move around for a novice paddler?

 

4. Should I see if I can demo the kayak before purchasing it? Or at least speak to a 'professional' at a kayak shop to see what they think about it?  Any other resources I should be consulting? 

 

Thanks guys!!! 

It would be easy to car-top alone.

 

My method with my 87(?) pounder:

 

Lay yak next to van.

Lift front end and lean it up on the van/roof perpendicular to van.

Pick up rear and slide kayak on roof racks.

Turn it facing forward once you've got it up there.

 

You never have to lift the whole yak this way.

 

Ideally you'd demo the kayak you want, but where I live you can't. I would try any fishing kayak first if you've never used one. See if you think you'll like it at all.

 

I don't know anything about that kayak so can't comment.

Bumping this - Was hoping for some more responses

I've never used a Catch 120, but some of these questions are kind of general in nature, so I'll give it a shot.

 

1.  Car topping depends on what kind of car and system you have in place to get it up there.  My kayak weighs roughly 85lbs, and it's a pain to car top, but I can do it even with my bad back.  The trick to doing it yourself is to find a way to lift up the front first, onto the car, and then lift up the back and slide it on.  Typically, those kayak roof rack J holder are better for narrow, sit inside kayaks that weigh a lot less than the wider sit on top kayaks used for fishing.  And forgoing the J style kayak holders will make loading and transportation easier.  I have some tricks to help, depending on what kind of car you're trying to load it on.  

 

2.  It's good to follow weight capacities.  You definitely don't want to go over.  But you can get close to them, however there will be a penalty.  My kayak has a weight capacity of 350lbs.  All in all, I regularly load it up with about 320 lbs of stuff and myself.  It's stable and works well even loaded up to almost 92% of it's rated weight.  It does, however, sit lower in the water and it does not paddle as well, track as straight, or go as fast at that weight.  If I lower the load + me to 200lbs, it handles much better and travels much faster.  But it's not dangerous to use at the higher load.  It's just slightly less stable and much less efficient.  

 

3.  Standing in any kayak will take some getting used to.  It'll always be difficult and you'll feel unstable when you first try it.  But eventually, it becomes second nature.  Since the Catch 120 is kind of small, it'll probably be less stable to stand in that many other, larger fishing kayaks.  How easy it is to stand in any kayak will depend more on how good your balance is.  If you don't have balance issues, I'm sure you'll be able to handle it with some practice.  You'll have to learn the limits and primary and secondary stability points of the kayak to get comfortable in it, plus gain some muscle memory for how to maintain your balance and the balance of the kayak.  

 

4.  Seeking out a demo from a kayak shop is always a good idea.  There can be any number of reasons why you may not like the kayak you initially want, or wind up liking a kayak that you initially don't think you'll like.  The only way to tell is time on the water, and it can be expensive if you wind up buying and selling a bunch of kayaks trying to find the one that suits you.  Plus a kayak shop that does demos will also have knowledgeable staff that can help you with your questions.  You might pay a bit more, but you'll lessen the risk of buying a kayak you don't like, which can wind up costing you more in the long run.  

Here are some "stability test" videos plus other videos about the Catch 120. When I bought my yak I watched all the videos I could find for it. Stability is so-so compared to the heavier yaks. I can't flip my yak nearly as easy (probably not at all) as the guy in the first video, but it's a lot heavier (slightly more expensive without pedal drive). That's the tradeoff.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=catch+120+stability+test&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjmtZiQuaP3AhVTIjQIHUWLDD8Q_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1286&bih=675&dpr=1.36

 

The Catch might be similar to my old Ride 115 in stability and I didn't like standing in that. I'm 5'11, 190 lbs, 54 years. My new PDL 106 is in a different league as far as stability goes. That yak without the pedal drive is $999.

 

400 lb capacity should be fine if you are 270 with that much gear. Any kayak mfg who doesn't realize that many of us are not in perfect physical shape is making a big mistake. Your average American is not petite

 

If standing and stability is a big issue then I would try my best to demo a kayak or similar one. If I could have tried my old Ride 115 before I bought it I probably would have passed on it. Even when sitting it was shaky to me. The new one is like being on a houseboat as far as stability goes..

1 hour ago, schplurg said:

Here are some "stability test" videos plus other videos about the Catch 120. When I bought my yak I watched all the videos I could find for it. Stability is so-so compared to the heavier yaks. I can't flip my yak nearly as easy (probably not at all) as the guy in the first video, but it's a lot heavier (slightly more expensive without pedal drive). That's the tradeoff.

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=catch+120+stability+test&client=firefox-b-1-d&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjmtZiQuaP3AhVTIjQIHUWLDD8Q_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1286&bih=675&dpr=1.36

 

The Catch might be similar to my old Ride 115 in stability and I didn't like standing in that. I'm 5'11, 190 lbs, 54 years. My new PDL 106 is in a different league as far as stability goes. That yak without the pedal drive is $999.

 

400 lb capacity should be fine if you are 270 with that much gear. Any kayak mfg who doesn't realize that many of us are not in perfect physical shape is making a big mistake. Your average American is not petite

 

If standing and stability is a big issue then I would try my best to demo a kayak or similar one. If I could have tried my old Ride 115 before I bought it I probably would have passed on it. Even when sitting it was shaky to me. The new one is like being on a houseboat as far as stability goes..

 

Thanks! I've realized that weight capacity won't be an issue. My biggest issue right now is that I can't even find a catch 120. When I first started my search there were a few for sale in my area, that was mid-February. Over the past month, they've been sold. A catch 120 might come up every week on or so on facebook marketplace but they sell within 24 hours. It usually comes with a paddle too. It's insane and it's not like these are amazing deals. They're being sold second hand at 10-20% off MSRP.

 

I had plans to visit a kayak shop but they've recently sold all their stock. I guess I'm just not quick enough but I don't wanna feel rushed to get one because they're a hot commodity. I can ask the shop to order on but there's no telling when they'll get it. Forgot to mention, they do have the 100 in stock however. But it's a 350lb capacity vs 400. Negligible? 

 

I'm considering other options but my two main concerns are keeping it affordable and that it should be (relatively) easy to mount onto a roof rack. If I have to get a trailer it completely defeats the purpose for me. 

 

On 4/18/2022 at 12:01 PM, Bankc said:

I have some tricks to help, depending on what kind of car you're trying to load it on.  

 

 

I'm putting on it a Honda Fit 2013. Great little car for the city, so it's surely easier than putting it onto an SUV? 

no problem cartopping

Weight capacities aren't a hard line where if you have 401lbs it will sink but your freeboard and performace will suffer the closer you get to it and you will also probably keep water in the kayak through the scuppers.

I can't speak to that boat and it's characteristics but standing is also a very personal thing.  I used to stand in my redfish 120 all the time while others had trouble just getting in it wihout tipping over.

Absolutely go demo a bunch of boats if possible.  

Finding my kayak was tough too. I started at Old Town's website. They list their authorized dealers and you can see them all on a map.

 

So I started checking inventory starting with the stores closest to me. I got about 160 miles away from me when I found Kayak City. I only had to wait a week or so. Other stores were several months out.

 

When I went there the owner told me that delivery is so expensive now that they had to order a whole truckload to make it worthwhile. He says many stores can't do that. That was maybe 9 - 10 months ago. Who knows now.

 

Maybe you should make a top 3 list of kayaks in case a different model turns up.

I just got a new kayak and cartopping is a process, doing it by yourself is doable in many ways. My boat is 95lbs with the seat and pedal drive removed, my concern is damaging the deployable rudder.

 

There's a nice Cuban guy on YT from Miami, he's tested a ton of kayaks, motorized, pedal and paddle. I'd check Aliex out for further research.

 

Regarding weight limits, I wouldn't consider the limit the actual amount of weight you can carry. From what I understand, the kayak will perform poorly and get worse as more weight is added. Regarding stability, that's a comfort level no one can determine for you. Test em out. If you can't, check out the features of the hull design and roll the dice.

 

A kayak that's designed for fishing isn't for the kayak elitists. They're heavier, wider, track poorer, slower and don't keep speed. If you choose a paddle kayak, a rudder will help with tracking and positioning. Standing is another personal thing, I'm tallish but all my weight is in my belly, so my center of gravity sucks and I need to build up my confidence to stand and cast. One big thing that makes a huge difference is seat height, makes casting and twitch baits easier but with a narrower kayaks, they get a bit tippier because of the higher center of gravity.

 

Schplurg's OT 106 PDL has good seat position, pretty wide at 34" and almost has gunnels to its design which lend to the center of gravity topic. It's sit on top with the stability benefits of sit inside kayaks. Native Titan is probably more robust, wider, higher wall and is known to be a tank on the water plus its super heavy. Native Slayer is a good option too. Wildy Recon 120 HD is a pontoon, 39“ wide, not a big wall but built for fishing and standing. I've seen it used as a SUP, it's so stable.

 

Crescent makes since affordable kayaks and if you can spring for a bonafide rs117, that's what I would go with.

 

I almost forgot, do some research on the kayak building process. The Pelican is thermolded vs everything I suggested is rotomolded. Weigh the benefits before you buy, thermo is lighter but it's 2 pcs fused together. Roto is tougher, thicker and 1 piece.

 

It took some time but I ended up buying a Catch 100 second hand. It's in good condition and I didn't get an excellent deal on it, but good enough considering what they going for.

 

I was actually able to test one for about 20 minutes the other day so it helped me in my choice. It's spacious enough for what I want it to be able to do. Im a big guy but I felt honestly comfortable in it. Not super agile but I was impressed with its stability. 

 

So thank you for your help guys! Can't wait to get my first fish out of it.