Old Town Predator 13

So I've been borrowing my friend's hobbies outback (he has weekends off I have Monday and Tuesday off) to get used to kayak fishing. It's time for me to get one if my own. I think the outback is out of my price range. I've been looking at the predator 13. Anyone have thoughts on these or a suggestion for a good 'yak that's somewhere around $1300.

Thanks so much for the help!

Before you buy any kayak try several out to see what works for you.

I have the Predator 13. It's a nice boat, but admittedly I have very limited experience with Kayaks. It's the only one I could stand up on relatively easy (6'0 and 285), and is crazy comfortable.

Its a great boat to have.

Love this boat, all day comfort, and room to spare.
I have one left at the shop (yellow) with paddle $1200 ;0)
Call me
Eric
Fisherman's warehouse (Fresno)
(559)225-1838

I don't mean to derail, but has anyone taken this kayak out to ocean? HOw did it do?

I don't mean to derail, but has anyone taken this kayak out to ocean? HOw did it do?

Great point. I was wondering this too but forgot to ask in my OP.

try a few boats out, every boat has its pro,s and con's.  Also try loading it and carrying it on your vehicle by yourself.  When you get around 13 feet things can get challenging in certain circumstances.  If all you are doing is throwing in a truck bed, not to bad, if you are putting on a a full size van roof, more challenging.  To get to my backyard, I had to go through a car port and two cars (one was a clunker that was getting given away for charity auction, the other was mine, care to guess which would I would aim towards if I was going to hit anything?). 

Also handholds can be interesting as well, Hobbie for a while made these funky built in what I call semi handholds, that were useless (my boat was made in 2006)  I ended up buying some aftermarket ones and installing them.

Hatch access on the water is a big deal too, too far forward or rearward (stern)   you won't use them.  So it is just a wasted item.  What works for a guy 6'2", won't work for my gf who is 5'0" and vice versa.

I Love mine, I am 230 lbs. and can stand up on mine with ease. It is very comfortable and I have had several days over 8 hrs on it. It is not the fastest kayak but it is very stable. I have had mine in the Ocean several times, with the seat in the high position, and love it. Like everyone else has said try a few out first, the Jackson is also very stable.
Jeff

I Love mine, I am 230 lbs. and can stand up on mine with ease. It is very comfortable and I have had several days over 8 hrs on it. It is not the fastest kayak but it is very stable. I have had mine in the Ocean several times, with the seat in the high position, and love it. Like everyone else has said try a few out first, the Jackson is also very stable.
Jeff

That's good to know, I've heard a lot of reports of poor secondary stability in the ocean. I had a difficult time seeing how, as I was able to nearly stand on the edge of my kayak during 10-12mph winds in the Delta.

I Love mine, I am 230 lbs. and can stand up on mine with ease. It is very comfortable and I have had several days over 8 hrs on it. It is not the fastest kayak but it is very stable. I have had mine in the Ocean several times, with the seat in the high position, and love it. Like everyone else has said try a few out first, the Jackson is also very stable.
Jeff

That's good to know, I've heard a lot of reports of poor secondary stability in the ocean. I had a difficult time seeing how, as I was able to nearly stand on the edge of my kayak during 10-12mph winds in the Delta.

Just curious ... where are you hearing "lot of reports of poor secondary stability".  I've had a Pred13 for a year now and have taken it out in all sorts of conditions including the ocean and on class II rapids.  I just don't see any issues with secondary stability.

-Allen

Just curious ... where are you hearing "lot of reports of poor secondary stability".  I've had a Pred13 for a year now and have taken it out in all sorts of conditions including the ocean and on class II rapids.  I just don't see any issues with secondary stability.

-Allen

When I was doing research on what kind of Kayak to buy that would best suit my needs, that is a comment I came across a lot in google searches. I recall finding a few people saying it can't be taken out in the ocean safely in anything but the flattest water. But, I think a lot of them did not own the Predator and were mostly talking without evidence.

That's why I wanted to ask here where people have actual experience in Pacific Ocean conditions. I already bought the Predator, but it was in keeping in mind that I'm probably not going to venture out into the ocean until next year, and if the Predator turned out poor for that condition I could look into a Kayak better suited for it. But with some actual feedback now I don't think that will be necessary.

try a few boats out, every boat has its pro,s and con's.  Also try loading it and carrying it on your vehicle by yourself.  When you get around 13 feet things can get challenging in certain circumstances.  If all you are doing is throwing in a truck bed, not to bad, if you are putting on a a full size van roof, more challenging.  To get to my backyard, I had to go through a car port and two cars (one was a clunker that was getting given away for charity auction, the other was mine, care to guess which would I would aim towards if I was going to hit anything?)

Do you have any suggestions on where to go to try these boats out?

Good point on how to transport them. I will have a roof mount on a Subaru outback. Originally when I looked at the predator it said the weight was 72 lbs. I just looked at their official website and it now says 86 lbs. that's asking a little much for one person to put that on a roof of a "car"

Just curious ... where are you hearing "lot of reports of poor secondary stability".  I've had a Pred13 for a year now and have taken it out in all sorts of conditions including the ocean and on class II rapids.  I just don't see any issues with secondary stability.

-Allen

When I was doing research on what kind of Kayak to buy that would best suit my needs, that is a comment I came across a lot in google searches. I recall finding a few people saying it can't be taken out in the ocean safely in anything but the flattest water. But, I think a lot of them did not own the Predator and were mostly talking without evidence.

That's why I wanted to ask here where people have actual experience in Pacific Ocean conditions. I already bought the Predator, but it was in keeping in mind that I'm probably not going to venture out into the ocean until next year, and if the Predator turned out poor for that condition I could look into a Kayak better suited for it. But with some actual feedback now I don't think that will be necessary.

Are you sure they were talking about stability when they said it can't be taken out in the ocean safely?

I've heard comments about the ocean, mainly along the lines of it being slower kayak.  In terms of speed, I paddle various kayaks in the range of 3.3 to 4.3 mph on a steady paddle.  The Predator 13 comes in right around the middle of the pack at 3.6-3.7 mph for me.  For comparison, an Ultra 4.7 comes in at the top end of this range.

It also has a bit more windage.  So paddling against a wind can be tougher than other kayaks.

But does either of these mean it is not an ocean boat?  Nope.  It just means you pick your days better.  But if you picked unwisely, I don't think you are in any more danger of flipping.  But perhaps you get a little more workout on the way back to the launch.

-Allen

try a few boats out, every boat has its pro,s and con's.  Also try loading it and carrying it on your vehicle by yourself.  When you get around 13 feet things can get challenging in certain circumstances.  If all you are doing is throwing in a truck bed, not to bad, if you are putting on a a full size van roof, more challenging.  To get to my backyard, I had to go through a car port and two cars (one was a clunker that was getting given away for charity auction, the other was mine, care to guess which would I would aim towards if I was going to hit anything?)

Do you have any suggestions on where to go to try these boats out?

Good point on how to transport them. I will have a roof mount on a Subaru outback. Originally when I looked at the predator it said the weight was 72 lbs. I just looked at their official website and it now says 86 lbs. that's asking a little much for one person to put that on a roof of a "car"

I'm stronger than most people - I can bench press 240 pounds, 12 reps. I would not be able to load the Predator on top of my Chevy Tahoe without help, or some tool to keep the top of the tailgate from getting scraped up. I plan to buy something in combination with the Thule Glide and Set.. some kind of roller maybe in order to help load it on top of my Tahoe but it's still a beast of a thing to load. Right now I just load it in the bed of my truck, it sticks out about 48" and the tailgate is half open. A temporary measure until I can afford a roof loading setup.

RE: Trying it out, I plan to be at either Lake Del Valle or Shadow Cliffs (Livermore / Pleasanton) on Saturday to spend the day not catching fish. You can try mine out for 30-60 mins if you want to meet up with me. I'm deaf so communication would be iffy, though. E-Mail me at rjbarker@gmail.com if you'd like to do this.


@polepole:

It is entirely possible I misunderstood what they were saying. Thanks for the feedback on ocean usage!