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Old town PDL 106 questions


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Hey guys, i did a search but i have a few more specific questions im hoping someone can help me with. 

 

I doubt anyone remembers but last year i got myself a lifetime tenton kayak. Cheap one just to see if I'd enjoy it. Bought it specifically with the intention of upgrading if i decided i liked it. Well i love fishing out of a kayak. Got the hang of it pretty quickly with the help of you guys. 

 

Anyway, now I'm looking at the old town pedal 106. 

 

My first question is, who uses this kayak (or any other) and doesn't trailer it? I'm not against getting a trailer. In fact i have a trailer for the jon boat (that i don't use) that i could maybe modify. Honestly I'd probably just buy a dedicated trailer at that point. But i ask because one of the things i love about the kayak is just tossing it in the bed of the truck and going. Simple and easy. No fuss. My kayak now is 53 LBs, the old town without the pedal drive is about 30 LBs heavier. I was thinking i could get a kayak cart. Then just lift the one end into the truck and push the rest in. I'm young and able. I can move the old town around. But i don't want to be killing myself all the time. Want a more realistic expectation before i make a decision. 

 

My second question is, how deep does the drive extend from the bottom of the boat? Couldn't find this dimension anywhere. I fish a few spots. Some can get pretty thick with vegetation. Of course I'd have a paddle. But I'm not going to drop 2600 on a pedal kayak if i can't pedal it. I don't see it being an issue outside of a few areas. But that really depends on how deep the prop sits. 

 

Lastly, does anyone suggest another kayak? Iv done my research. Think the old town fits my needs and wants perfectly. But i can't test any of these out locally. In fact the old town is the only one i can even see locally. I obviously want a pedal drive, small and compact in the 10ft range. Don't need a ton of storage. I take a very minimalistic approach. I checked bonafide and Brooklyn kayak company but didn't see anything appealing. 

 

Thanks for any input. If these questions have been answered before feel free to call my dumb and point me in the right direction

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While I don’t have an Old Town I do have a 10’ Native Slayer with the pedal drive. I think it’s a little over 100 lbs as it’s rigged, I leave everything on it except my Blackpak.
 

I have a trailer but I don’t use it. I also have the landing gear wheels. I simply roll it to the truck pull it into the bed and strap it down, easy breezy. I’ve also had a stroke that gave me a partially disabled left hand, I still manage it.

 

I think my drive needs around 18” of water without hitting, I would think the Old Town is somewhat similar. Having a pedal driven kayak has been a game changer for me and fishing especially after my accident and stroke.  I’m thinking of taking the next step and getting a Nucanoe with a trolling motor. 
 

I think the top 3 brands of pedal driven kayaks are Hobie, Old Town and Natives Propel drive. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them. Tight Lines!

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Thank you for the input! Glad to hear your still out there doing what you love to do. 

 

Side not question about loading it into the truck. This is going to be a dumb one but I'm curious since your doing exactly what i do/plan to do. Do you go tailgate down or up? With my cheap yak i put the tailgate up and strap it through the handles. But with the old town being a bit longer i was thinking of going tailgate down. That plus I'm sure the way i do it stresses the hull a bit once strapped. 

 

And thank you for the natives suggestion. Hadn't looked into those. I will definitely will though. 

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I truck bed my autopilot 120. You’ll have no problems with a 106 pdl. I think mine is about 150# as I load it. I use a bed extender but not for support while driving. It’s for lifting into the bed. I can get the nose in the right spot, lift up the back, and take three side steps to be between the extender and bed. That lets me set the kayak on the extender (covered in pool noodle and duct tape) without having to twist and set it on the truck bed. Then I walk to the nose and slide it up. Bed stays down while I haul. The boat is stern first into the bed. I have a strap that slides over the nose but only to just past the transducer. I use a pair of ratchet straps from the nose strap to the steel hooks in the bed. 

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I have 2 PDL 106’s, myself and wife. Bought trailer off Amazon.  Modified trailer with PVC bunks for easy launching and landing. When trailering, the drives and seats are in the truck. Kayak very stable in water. Can stand up easily and remain stable. This is due to the hull design. The drive extends about 12” below the bottom of the boat. It lifts up very easily. You can’t go wrong with these yaks

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I have a 2006 F150 and I leave the tailgate down. The bed has built in anchors on the bottom that I run a YakAttack cam strap through. It really is toss and go. Glad I could help!

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I have the 106. I truck bed it with tailgate down. Definitely get wheels for it. Shouldn't need a trailer, truck bed works fine. It's heavy but if you are in decent health you should be fine. The only reason I want a trailer some days is so I can keep more gear on it and get into water faster, but in reality it'd probably only save about 3 minutes. Love mine and would definitely buy again. I found mine used on marketplace. Definitely had use but it's still totally fine with years of life left in it. They are very tough. 

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Thanks for all the info everyone. My big concern was the toss it in the truck and go factor, but you guys put my mind at ease as far as that goes. 

 

Just pulled the trigger on the old town. Should have it this weekend. Was really contemplating the native but my gut was just saying old town after the research i did on both. 

 

Thank you again guys

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I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum regarding transport. At this stage in life, I'm all about making it easier. Work smarter not harder. To that point, I use a trailer (Malone) and is much easier than my previous method of sliding it in the bed. Another issue that I had was that I was running out of room in the bed. Having the trailer freed up the bed for my fishing and kayak gear.

 

When I was using the bed for transporting, I modified a Harbor Freight tailgate extender. I only have a 5' bed and 10' kayaks so I felt the kayaks needed additional support. A longer bed might not warrant the extender.

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If you live in my area I’m selling my Seastream Angler pedal drive complete with a Lowrance 5 DI/ SI, Railblaza C-Tug cart, Yak Attack Switchblade, and Yak Attack Cellblok. Battery not included, but you can pick up a 10Ah Lifepo cheap.

 

I love that kayak but upgraded to an Old Town Autopilot.

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I the 106 PDL. Sorry I cant measure the prop until its out storage for the season. Great kayak.. just get the wheels they are a must.. I have the wilderness system ones and work great. There are now cheaper options with the same design on Amazon so don't overpay. 

 

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Saw that you pulled the trigger already, but figured I'll throw in my $.02 anyways..

 

I've been fishing out of a Jackson Bite FD the last 3(4?) seasons, and it's been a great setup.  I went with the Jackson due to the flex drive - I do a lot of river fishing and being able to tuck the drive up into the hull quickly without moving things around on the deck or opening up a hole in the kayak was a huge plus for me.  Also the fact that if I'm not paying attention and run into a rock / shallow water it will just push the prop drive up (as long as I hit it going forward).  I know there's been some issues with the older flex drives, but I beat the crap out of the original and it never skipped a beat.  Would make some noise but that was a reminder to go around and tighten bolts and lube things.  I upgraded to the Mark IV drive last season and that's also been solid so far.  I thought for sure I would have at least busted a prop by now but haven't even damaged a shear pin.

 

As for transport, for day trips it goes in the truck bed.  With a 6'2" bed and the tailgate down, I don't worry with a bed extender.  If I'm going for an extended trip and need the bed space, it goes up on the bed rack.  Bit of a pain but when I first got the kayak I had an Xterra, so I had no choice but to throw it on the roof.  I've also got a cheapy walmart kayak cart that works great after breaking the cheapy tie-down strap with plastic buckles and switching to one of those non-ratcheting straps.  Better to have a cart and not need it..

 

Anyways, OT makes some great stuff as well.  I think the 106 is a great size.  Buddy of mine went with the biggest pedal drive they offer (132?) and has a bit of regret going that big.

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The first purchase is going to be a cart for sure (outside of extra prop and skate parts). While on the topic what are your guys thoughts on carts?

 

I'm less then a year in to the whole kayak thing so this is all new to me. 

 

I saw what i belive is called "the landing gear" style cart. Two different models. One attaches to a track, the other comes with backing plates and gets secured right to the kayak? Basically the wheels are always attached to the yak. Put them up when in the water, down when on land. Seems like a great idea but the mechanic in me (I'm an HVAC/R guy) can't help but think that puts some unwanted stress on the plastic that the kayak isn't designed for. 

 

The bunk style carts seem safer, but also more cumbersome to use? 

 

I was leaning towards that landing gear style cart. Belive the company i saw was boondox or somthing like that. But after some thought about the unwanted stress i started thinking bunk style. Maybe pull the yak out of the bed a bit, strap the bunk style cart on, then fully remove from bed. Thought being your not then wrestling with trying to lift the yak up and sliding a cart underneath. 

 

Been doing a bunch of research and watching guys on YouTube. But i trust you guys way more. Always get solid advice and opinions here. So curious of your thoughts

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@JayMac89 whatever cart or wheels you decide on don’t use any that go into the scuppers. I have the Native landing gear on mine but I honestly only use them to get the kayak off the trailer in the garage and to the back of my truck.
 

It works well but is very hard for me to remove and reinstall the wheels. I have a disabled left hand which would make it impossible while floating. On land it’s hard trying to hold up one side at a time to get them in and out.

 

I have seen them reports and pictures of them ripping out of loaded kayak and cracking several, after all it is plastic.

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I just picked up a 106PDL over the winter and took it out for the first time last week. I really liked it, I was coming from a cheap Pelican sit inside kayak so this was a major upgrade. Mine came with the Boondox wheels, which I really like, but a lot of die hard Old Town guys will tell you that it will ruin the hull (or void the warranty). I pack light, and don’t store it on the wheels, so I think it will be fine. Plus, I bought it used, so warranty wasn’t an issue. I didn’t want to have to deal with storing the cart so this design was what I was looking for. 
 

As for loading it, lifting one end at a time is really not difficult at all. I plan to rooftop mine most of the time on an Outback. I trailered it last week, because the wife went with me. 
 

Good luck, they are nice yaks. 
 

A few key upgrades

 

seat risers

rudder bolt upgrade

spare prop and shear pin

Floating prop nut

Yak Gadget rod holders (mount on the side)

yakattack handle so I can mount fish finder close to seat. 
IMG_4002.jpeg.b16ba324372eb9c4362eefcfc004ae44.jpeg

 

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