the pelican.......

[poisonedbrew]

kayak from academy, anyone own one? been looking at one for awhile and it seems like an ok deal. i'm just trying to pick the tbh brain trust on this before i waste the money. thanks for your input.

[orion]

I owned one and was not a fan- Don't get me wrong, it is a good kayak- i am just not a fan of of the hull shape- (resembles the WS tapon a bit)- wass not stable enough for me- rocked side to side too much--

I have 2 friends that own them and have no complaints- i sold mine and bought the Ocean Spec from Academy-

[Jason Slocum]

Run!

Run away fast. Spend the extra money and get and Ocean Kayak. You could buy the pelican but you'd find your self trying to sell the pelican so you could get a better yak (O.K.). They are cheaper for a reason... Jason Slocum

[poisonedbrew]

thanks for the help. oc is the direction i'll be heading. thanks again.

[DaveC]

I paddled one once just to see.

It wasn't too bad, but did wobble a lot/felt top heavy with my massive (not) 175# on board.
I could see a roll over occurring on it with out too much effort involved.

For another couple of hundred the OK's at Academy would be money well spent.
The only remark I read about the "specs" is the narrow seat for those with more natural seat cushion than others.

[Slimd]

I have one and have no complaints. I'm sure an Ocean is much better, but for the money I think the Pelican is a good deal. I only use it once or twice a year so I coulndn't see spending the extra cash.

[Bonesplitter]

I have one and its good for what I do, Havent paddled a "better" model so cant say. Lot's of people use the more expensive models that go kayaking all the time so that tells me something.

[hand grenade]

pelican brands suck period. get something a little more expensive and it will last longer and be of better quality.

[glen]

If your backside is large you will hate it. I used one for a day and it pinched my girlish figure

[rjs68]

For an entry level kayak it's hard to beat, if you decide that you really enjoy the sport you can always find a kayak/canoe shop that have demo days and try several if you decide later that an upgrade is in order. I'm not sure if pelican still offers a paddle with the castaway, if they do trust me, upgrade to a quality paddle and use the pelican brand paddle as a backup.

[Draco]

Get one of the Heritage kayaks. Just a little more money and a lot more yak. I have two and I have 5 friends that have them after trying mine. One friend weighs over 300 and his works fine for him as well.

[ken]

I would find someone that sells kayaks that lets you test drive them before you buy them. A kayak is like a truck or a bow, some people like a kayak that paddles one way and some like a kayak that paddles another way.

For just a little more money its worth getting something that fits you and you enjoy using.

[Eric Pence]

I have a Heritage that I bought after looking at the Pelican its worth the difference in price for the other features.JMO

[glen]

Paddle some before you buy- some are "wet"- backside sits in the water and I don't like it- some are more stable than others- some fit folks that are 5'10 and 170# and some fokl like me better 6'04 and 270#. You dont have to spend a fortune but just spend the money on one that will fit you.

[lbbf]

No don't buy RUN! Seriously the pelican is NOT a good choice. Feel the edge of the pelican. Notice that nice thick ridge? Now check out one of the other yaks there. Notice no ridge? That ridge will split your head open like a knife. I have a buddy that rolled his in the surf and it took 20 some odd stitches to patch his head. He really didn't get hit very hard either. Sooner or later you are going in. I don't want that blade comming at me when I do. For a few bucks more there are alot of better yaks out there.