Ocean Kayak Caper Review

Answers by Drew Clark

How long have you been fishing the Caper?

I bought the Caper in September 2003 from Allen's Kayaks. My wife and I picked up the first two in San Diego and after I had Allen put a couple of rod holders on I was ready to go fishing! My first trip out was from my favorite SD Bay short spot - Kellog's Beach. Karen and I fished the area and tested our new kayaks out. I ended up with a sculpin, a legal sand bass and a legal spottie. The were released, I was hooked forever.

Why did you choose this boat?

The wife and I had a small apartment with a garage. We were also trying to save as much money as we could because Karen was still unemployed since our move from Denver to California. The price of the Caper was a great incentive to check it out. Paddling the Caper was fun and easy and when we compared it to the wobblier Scupper Pro and the exceedingly wet old school Drifter, the choice was easy.

Have you owned other boats? Which? Discuss your progression to the Caper.

Before this I'd only been kayaking twice in my life. Both times were on rented kayaks, a Cobra Explorer and an Ocean Kayak Scrambler. Neither were boats I enjoyed very much in my time on the water but they did prove to me that kayaking was an easy method of transportation. That's what started my search.

What are the tradeoffs of this kayak?

Bearing in mind that this is a small boat there are a couple of tradeoffs. It's wide and that creates the stability, unfortunately it also detracts from the speed of the hull. It's not a fast boat, quick - easy to start up and move, but slow overall. It doesn't have much of a keel and has a tendency to wander left/right/left/right with each paddle stroke. Overall storage capacity is lower, too, although there is plenty of room for rods inside and a fishfinder on deck.

What are the strengths of this kayak?

It's only 40 pounds! Couple that with 11' of length and this is a kayak you can rig up, put in the bed of a truck and take everywhere. The Pocket Kayak. This made commando style raids on the bays easy. Often I would leave my kayak on the truck for a week at a time and fish 3 or 4 times. The cockpit is big enough for my 36" inseam chicken legs and was more comfortable than most other kayaks I tried. Also, the side rails are smooth and rounded so sitting side-saddle was way more comfortable.

What is the one thing that keeps it above the rest in your mind?

Well, truth be told I put the Caper on a rack in the garage and almost never use it anymore. I have a longer, faster, drier boat but I can't bear the thought of giving up this little wonder boat. I expect to use it at any time and so it stays close to home. The absolute portability of it and it's overall sex appeal keep it on top of my short list.