Cuda HD worth the price?

I have been fishing with an older Hobie paddle kayak. I want to upgrade. I have been checking out the Cuda HD from Jackson. I mainly like off shore rock fishing. Any suggestions on other kayaks or comments on the Cuda would be appreciated.

I had a Cuda 12.

I liked the speed, it paddled and tracked well for a 12' boat.

Stability in my opinion was lacking with the seat in the high position.

It's not a kayak I would take offshore.

My Trident 13, and Ultra 4.3 were far better offshore boats and had excellent stability, despite being narrower and about 25lbs lighter.

If you're mainly going to be offshore fishing for rockfish, I'd suggest a Trident 13, or a Feelfree Moken 12.5.

The Wilderness Thresher, and Jackson Kraken are kayaks I haven't paddled but get good praise as offshore kayaks.
 

Thanks for the great info. A Jackson rep told me about the Cuda. Seems like everything on web is about bass fishing.

Almost every new kayak is targeting bass and flats fishing...

The Cuda line is certainly capable offshore, but I'd still suggest the Kraken. You are welcome to try my 13.5 and could probably set up a Cuda HD to test as well

I'm glad I got on this forum. Thanks for all of the info, and the offer. I think I can try both at Cal Kayaks in Oakland. I know they have a Cuda demo. Haven't checked on Krakens yet. Are the Krakens very stable for fishing? They look fast.

I've paddled a Cuda 14 offshore extensively. It works just fine, but is much more at home in flat water. If you are planning on mostly offshore I would look at something a little faster such as a kraken if you are sticking with the Jackson line.

The kraken is not going to be as stable as the Cudas but will be faster. I've paddled both in rough conditions and felt comfortable in both. Might be worthwhile looking into some of the pedal yaks, pretty much everyone makes them now. Jackson's will be available to the public here shortly. Best advice I got and can give is try as many models/brands as you can before you decide

The removable pod on the thresher looks very cool. Any body have experience with Wilderness Kayaks?

Racin Rob, Inseachoffish, and Sarge are Wilderness Systems Prostaff. All helpful, all nice guys. Rob in particular usually has a large fleet. Any and all would respond to a pm. I have heard almost, maybe exclusively, good things about the electronics pods

Great. Thank you!

I would ask BigJim which is better in the ocean between the Cuda and the Kracken. My guess is he will tell you the Kracken. I know a few people that have gone over out of the Cuda in the ocean. The secondary stability is not that good in the Cuda. That and the fact that you sit higher does not help in sloppy conditions. The Kracken was made for the ocean. As 3MJ stated before, the Cuda is better suited in flat water.

The Thresher, Radar's and Ride's from Wilderness are very capable offshore. The Thresher is faster and a just a little less stable than the Radar. The Ride is super stable too, but slower and less expensive that the other two. If you were to get the Radar for off shore I would recommend the 135 and only if you get the pedal drive too. If you want to paddle I would get the Thresher 140 or 155. The center storage pod is great for storing rods or even dive gear. The electronics pod is nice too. The electronics pod is not completely waterproof, yet. There is a redesign coming that will be water tight. Not till later this year though. Don't let that discourage you though, mine is fine in the ocean. I just put the battery in a sealed container in the pod or now.

I personally have paddled a Tarpon 160 for the last 8 years in the ocean. I have never fallen out of it even in the absolute worst of conditions. I really mean the worst. It is only 28 inches wide too. My friend borrowed the Tarpon 1 time when he took his buddy out to Santa Cruz on his Cuda 14. The Cuda went upside down with the center hatch open. My friend put the Cuda on top of the Tarpon to get the water out. He could not believe how stable and fast the Tarpon was.

CCK has Wilderness too, so you should be able to try out the Thresher, Radar, Cuda, Kracken, and a few others too. CCK is having their demo day on June 10th at Lake Natoma in Folsom and all of those boats will be there. You should make the drive up. If I were you I would look seriously at the Thresher or the Kraken for offshore use. They both excel there and were made for exactly that.

Thanks Racin Rob. So much good info. The Kraken is more expensive but looks like it comes with a lot more gear. I do a lot of paddling in the drift, and I think a kayak designed for the ocean is the way to go. California Kayak in Oakland has both those boats and will let me test both in the estuary. I've been fishing out of an old Hobie Odesy. I have never fallen out. But it is not stable. Can't wait to upgrade. Hopefully I will run in to some of you guys. You've all been so helpful. Much appreciated.

Lots of solid advice being given so I thought I'd muddy the waters a little more and recommend the Viking Profish Reload.  It's worth a paddle as the hull design really handles choppy seas well.

Thanks eelkram. I just read a review on the reload. 15' 64lbs. They say the plastic was made intentionally thin to keep the weight down.  Care must be used when loading on racks. Great performance, but I would rather lift more weight than worry about thin plastic. The review was three years ago though. Maybe that has changed. The seat looks pretty standard. Is it comfortable?