3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’ve been seeing jet powered kayaks on rivers for 10 or so years, mokai I believe. They will go very shallow 

I’ve seen them online, they look like a beast of a machine. Way overkill for fishing where I go. 

I’m not a kayak fisherman, so I don’t have an opinion on this either way.

Just an FYI …There is a newly released video on YouTube by the Aggressively Average Anglers doing some testing of the kayak on a river. Interesting to watch. 

Just a follow up. I requested my deposit back yesterday. Hopefully that is handled quickly. ;)

They have had a delay and January deliveries were pushed to February. I don’t know that it would affect my late summer delivery but I would wager it would.

Mostly what made me change my mind is the weight of the kayak. The numbers were not correctly represented in videos to what the website now shows, higher of course.

I also looked at the stand up video many times. It’s not sure footed as other brands.

Leaning Old Town Sportsman PDL 106 now but that could change….

I've got a Jackson Bite FD and an Old Town Sportsman 106MK. I've had the Jackson for a few years, and picked up the OT last spring. They're both pretty similar for stability with the OT having an edge there. The OT also rides higher in the water, although bow splash is similar on both when the lake is rough.

The flex drive on the Jackson is tough to beat when fishing shallow rocky rivers. Having it just fold in to the hull and not having a big hole open to drop things into is real nice. The hulls are tough, I've drug it over probably miles of rock at this point and haven't had any leaks. The keel is worn from loading / unloading on concrete ramps, but still solid.

The OT is more maneuverable, the rudder works just a bit better. Interior storage is nice, but it's open to the whole hull. Fit and finish are a bit better than the Jackson, and the forward facing rod holder and built-in cupholder are nice. I can't speak to how the pedal drive compares to the Jackson as I have the MinnKota setup.

2 hours ago, Standard said:

I've got a Jackson Bite FD and an Old Town Sportsman 106MK. I've had the Jackson for a few years, and picked up the OT last spring. They're both pretty similar for stability with the OT having an edge there. The OT also rides higher in the water, although bow splash is similar on both when the lake is rough.

The flex drive on the Jackson is tough to beat when fishing shallow rocky rivers. Having it just fold in to the hull and not having a big hole open to drop things into is real nice. The hulls are tough, I've drug it over probably miles of rock at this point and haven't had any leaks. The keel is worn from loading / unloading on concrete ramps, but still solid.

The OT is more maneuverable, the rudder works just a bit better. Interior storage is nice, but it's open to the whole hull. Fit and finish are a bit better than the Jackson, and the forward facing rod holder and built-in cupholder are nice. I can't speak to how the pedal drive compares to the Jackson as I have the MinnKota setup.

Thank you for the comparison between the two. I do appreciate it. The Jackson was not on my radar "yet" as I am looking at the smaller ones but will keep it in mind.

Speaking of that MK you have, I found a steal of a deal on a MK locally. Used only a few times and selling for $2k, with a battery and cart too but the seller does not have the original bill of sale. That presents a pain in the butt (technical term) in Pa and of course raises some flags on why the current owner never registered it or has the bill of sale.

$2k is one hell of a deal, even if the battery is a dud. I paid $3k brand new without a battery.

I picked up the MK as I was doing more fly fishing out of the yak, and not having pedals in the middle makes that a bit easier. Of course, the first time out I launched the hold down knob for the drive 5 feet in the air and ripped the riv-nut out of the hull.. I was a bit too used to the flex drive and learned the lesson that you shouldn't have the drive locked in shallow / rocky water.