Cobra Navigator Fishing Kayak Review

Answers provided by Paul Weintraub.

1. How long have been fishing the Navigator?

October 2001 I started fishing the Cobra Navigator.

2. Why did you choose this boat?

My brother Pete won the boat in a tournament and it was too small for him so he let me borrow it. He never got it back.

3. Have you owned other boats? Which? In what order? Discuss your
progression to the Navigator.

I won an OK Drifter in a tourney. Never paddled it and traded it to Pete for the Navigator. (Now the Gator was mine and I could start drilling holes in it) Then I won another Drifter in a tournament and traded it to Allen' s kayaks for a Cobra Tourer. That boat was too wet and Janette had an interest in kayak fishing so I traded it to SDSC for the Pink Fish N Dive. Notice I stuck with the navigator.

4. What are the tradeoffs of this kayak?

Only two things come to mind. First, no scupper holes in the seat well. When launching through the surf the seat well fills with water and you have to sponge it out. It' s time consuming but no big deal. Second, I can' t find a good (convenient) place to keep my tackle boxes. I' ve tried the foot wells, the tank well and below deck nothing seems to work. The tank well works fine as long as I don' t use my bait tank.

5. What are the strengths of this kayak?

It' s fast enough, it' s light at 44# not too long at 12' 6', it' s very stable and has a capacity of 450#.

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

I know what it' s thinking, I know what it does in the surf zone, I know what it does in high winds, I know what it does on flat water. It' s a part of me.

7. Anything else?

It' s a great boat that a lot of people don' t know about.

Read another Cobra Navigator review: Review 1 - Review 2