Prowler 13 Preview

Ocean Kayak Rep Mark Olsen stopped by my house tonight with the new, smaller Prowler :Angler: edition strapped to the roof of his van. We pulled it down, took some pictures and talked about the new boat. This is a sleeper kayak, for sure. The original Prowler was so highly anticipated because of apparent design issues that delayed the release over and over again that it seems Ocean Kayak wanted to keep this one quite until it was already on the market.

I'll give you the rundown first instead of at the end...well, you'll get some more at the end, too. If you're looking for a good boat that has a nice range, is reasonably light weight, is longer and a bit sleeker than average and was built to put the hurt on some fish, this kayak is worth trying out. I sat it this for a while out on the grass and could see myself putting the wood to some serious bass in this boat. Fishing is about finding comfort and relaxation for a lot of us, this boat might help you do just that. Ocean Kayak has a penchant for making comfortable boats, in my eyes, and I felt like dozing off in this one. Lake or ocean, this is a kayak worth consideration, at least from what I could tell on land.

The length, at 13'4" is going to fill that somewhat gapped space between the more common fishing boats that all seem to be either 12'6" (Fish 'n Dive, Navigator, Drifter, Pro Explorer) or 15' (Original Prowler, eXtreme). There are some design elements that have been missing in previous Ocean Kayak designs that stand out on this new yak. Here are some of my initial notes.

no more water in the hatch

As you can see, they finally put a permanent plastic guard/gasket around the front hatch. Ocean Kayak hatches (and all other kayak manufacturers that use strap-down hatches) have leaked considerably via wave splash on the bow. This raised, concave guard will stop that from happening. The new hatch cover, a pliable rubber lid (it floats!) can seal down fairly tight from what I could tell. I dont' think water in the front would be a problem anymore.

The shorter length of this boat forced Ocean Kayak to redesign the hull and they seem to have done a good job. It's deeper from top to bottom and the entry point is well shaped, it looks like it might make some noise but that's really hard to tell when it's on my lawn and not in the water. Once again Ocean Kayak has produced a fishing kayak with really sexy lines, the Prowler Jr is a chip off the old block in that manner. The side rails are clean, they obviously spent some time on this mold, but there isn't a place for front-mounting flush mount rod holders, bummer. There is the option of mounting a Scotty branded mount, either a single rod holder or the Scotty Triple. This will allow you to have up to three items on the bow of the boat, rod holder, sonar and maybe your GPS or another rod holder. The rear holders have flat, molded spaces and are the right distance behind the elbows to avoid dinging reels.

seriously handsome boat

The cockpit is well laid out and while everyone seems to joke about the 2 cup holders I can see uses for them. I typically end up with my water bottle somewhere around my feet because I use my cup holder for tackle. Mark joked that it was for sponge storage and he said someone else saw that it was clearly for emergency backup beer containment while primary beer was in the forward position. The man is clearly a visionary.

the bowl is part of the mold but can be removed

About that molded bucket Mark Olsen says "The molded in bucket can be easily cut out by unscrewing the hatch rim and cutting along the verticle wall of the bucket about 1" down is best.(Make sure you don't cut along the deck) Then remove the bucket and screw in the hatch. This modification also makes fitting rods down inside the boat through the front hatch much easier." Other cool notes about this boat are the eyelets. They're all sunken to make the eyelets lower profile. Also, they've gotten rid of rivets and are now using stainless screws to mount the eyelets. A stronger grip and as they are also molded in - no drips. The handles have nice gaps molded in, a sure knuckle saving feature, and the rear clips for the seat are now going to be brass (on the Angler models only, I think...).

The tankwell is nearly identical to that of it's big brother, in fact, I think it -is- identical. Lots of good, square cornered storage. The only real shortfall of this boat is that the weight capacity is probably not suitable for someone my size, 205# + four rods, 4 plano boxes, water, bait tank, etc. Easily closing in on 300# total. The spec sheet says differently (400-450#!) but anecdotal evidence points to a soggy and more sluggish ride for the big angler. Shed a few pounds and I'd probably be in easy range. I guess I could leave some more gear at home....ha. This has yet to be determined because the bouyancy of my parking lot is somewhat deceptive.

plenty of room for my catch of the day

Speaking of the specs, here they are:

Length: 13'4"
Width: 28"
Weight: 54#
Weight Capacity: 400-450#
Bow Hatch: 14" x 21"
MSRP: $699
MSRP Angler Edition: $749
So, do I want to try and paddle this somewhere other than my driveway? Yes! I do, and I desperately want to be wrong about the weight capacity because it seems like a fun, lightweight boat that I can sling down the cliffside at Sunset Cliffs and chase those big calicos after work. I'm going to try and paddle one soon and I'll update this report when I do.

--drew