I’m looking at SOT kayaks that are lightweight, durable, and long enough so as not to be logs. The Wilderness Systems Tarpon 120 Ultra Light looked really promising. At 12’ in length and 43 lbs, it looked too good to be true, and perhaps it is. It was reviewed on this site as being very fragile. A paddler had taken it into a saltmarsh where mussel beds and other rough conditions ripped through the hull and caused her to sink. I’ll be using the kayak in such environments, and would like to avoid such an occurrence.

A similar craft, the Ocean Canoe Tetra 12 has about the same dimensions, yet weighs 10 lbs more. This is still very light weight, yet somewhat heavier. Do you think it would be sufficiently durable to contend with the insults of tautog fishing, barnacles, mussel beds, etc.?

My Ocean Kayak, Tetra flew off the truck camper attached to the roof and slid down the hwy at 55 mph under the roof It only sustained a cut strap and some minor scratches.

It rode the top and bottom of the surf in Galvaston and Jacksonville.

It has fished the flats at the Sunshine Skyway.

Sure its pretty tough.

I take reviews with a grain of salt… Especially ones from people who have had dramatic accidents. How could you not notice?
And any poly kayak in the sun will be brittle… We usually do not get the whole story from reviews. We dont’ know if the user routinely drags the kayak… Which is good for NO kayak

I find that splitting a hull in mussel beds hysterical… Anyone who paddles shell fish environments knows that you need to inspect the bottom for damage and carry some fix it putty

Let me add that the boat is pretty sad as a paddle for me. At 250# the boat is too short for my weight. Water shoots up the scuppers when doing strong strokes. It has a smooth relatively narrow hull good for some easy paddling . Wife uses it to take the dog out.

Personally I prefer no less than 14ft. Seakayak. Which the Tetra isn’t.

@kayamedic said:
I take reviews with a grain of salt… Especially ones from people who have had dramatic accidents. How could you not notice?
And any poly kayak in the sun will be brittle… We usually do not get the whole story from reviews. We dont’ know if the user routinely drags the kayak… Which is good for NO kayak

I find that splitting a hull in mussel beds hysterical… Anyone who paddles shell fish environments knows that you need to inspect the bottom for damage and carry some fix it putty

Lots of good info from all of you. Do you think that the Tarpon ultralight might be sufficiently durable then?

Ocean Kayak has a pretty good reputation for durable well made sit on tops. I have an Ocean Kayak Frenzy that I bought for my son when he was 14, 18 years later it’s still going strong, after numerous surf and river trips and crashes on rocks and jetties. Store the kayak indoors or under very good UV protection, don’t drag it over sharp mussels and it will last along time.

@music321 said
Lots of good info from all of you. Do you think that the Tarpon ultralight might be sufficiently durable then?

“Sufficiently durable”…you’re looking at poly kayaks. They’re not sof, wood, carbon fiber, high tech, ultra light boats…? They are both sufficiently serviceable.

The wilderness systems ultralite models use thermoformed ABS or PVC plastic. Thermoformed has the weight advantage, but the stiffer does make it a bit more brittle, so not as good at handling hard bumps. And a bit more expensive. I’ve heard mixed on how repairable the boats are. Delta and Eddyline are two manufacturers that make most or all of their kayaks using the thermoform process (I think Hurricane Kayaks also), and likely one of them makes the boats for Wilderness Systems. Note1 - brittle means HARD hits - the boats should be just fine on little bumps and some dragging on a muscle covered rock. Note2 - there is a yard and pool toy maker that also makes “kayaks” using some form of thermoformed process, but they use cheap but thick plastics which have different costs and benefits from the ones mentioned above.

Rotomolded is the standard for plastic kayaks, and is what the Ocean Kayak Tetra is made of. Heavy but cheap. The boats are nearly indestructable, but when you do destruct them, they are very difficult to impossible to repair. One of the ways a kayak manufacturer saves weight with rotomolded kayaks is to make them thinner, which is not necessarily a good thing when it comes to durability. Most brands, Ocean Kayak included, make their own rotomolded boats.

thanks

Wife had a Tetra and hated it. Now paddles a Venus 11 by OC and loves it!

B)

@SeaDart said:
Ocean Kayak has a pretty good reputation for durable well made sit on tops. I have an Ocean Kayak Frenzy that I bought for my son when he was 14, 18 years later it’s still going strong, after numerous surf and river trips and crashes on rocks and jetties. Store the kayak indoors or under very good UV protection, don’t drag it over sharp mussels and it will last along time.

That’s one tough kayak. I was helping my brother installing the new rack and truck parts on his Ram when he mentioned about buying a used OK Frenzy for cheap. 9 years old yet still looking good on the photos.

In short, they are really really durable if you keep them out of the sun when you are not paddling them and you don’t drag them over concrete every time you launch and retrieve.