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| My Old Town Sportsman PDL 106 is a pedal drive kayak. This kayak is in high demand and gets rave reviews. It was built for fishing! |
The wait was over for me this week as I had my Old Town Sportsman kayak on pre order for months and it finally came in. I made the drive up to Kittery Trading Post in Maine yesterday to pick it up. My first impression was "wow". This thing is built like a tank, and looks like it will be a fishing machine. My son Jon called it a "BEAST" We'll find out in the coming months just what the beast can do. I have big plans for this baby!
The Old Town Sportsman PDL is arguably the best pedal kayak on the market today for the price. If you don't believe me, check out any reviews. They are just stellar. In addition, this kayak comes with a lifetime warranty on the hull and a five year warranty on the pedal drive. Those are unmatched warranties for a kayak.
I bought the smallest of the Sportsman models. Measuring 10 ft., 6 inches and weighing 76 lbs. (hull weight without drive) this was about the limit I could handle at 70 years old. It is also just the right size to fit in the bed of my Toyota Tacoma Truck. I bought a Malone Wide Track Kayak Cart to assist me in moving it when I'm not real close to the water. But, don't think this boat is small. It is a whopping 36 inches wide and has a boat capacity at 450 lbs.
As for its fishing attributes, it offers hands free paddling, so you can cast, troll, do whatever as both hands are generally free. In addition, the pedal drive which powers the kayak moves in forward and reverse, a big bonus when fishing from a kayak. It also comes with 3 built in rod holders. And the seat looks like it came out of my living room. It's padded and looks very comfortable. It also has floor pads for standing while fishing. Yes, I plan to stand and cast when in calm water. It also has two hatches for storage as well as rubberized compartments to hold small stuff. Finally, it comes with two built tracks for mounting accessories such as a fish finder, an additional rod holder and/or camera mounts.
If you think you can go out and buy one of these, think again. They are being scooped up as soon as they hit the stores, even before! In most cases, you would have to preorder one of these to be assured of getting one, and even at that you might wait months. They are that much in demand. Some Old Town dealers nearby include Kittery Trading Post in Maine, The Kayak Center in RI, and Black Hall Outfitters in CT to name a few.
