I am looking at Sit On Tops now (must feed the addiction) and that is about the length and width I would want for paddling around the local lake and doing some fishing. However I did not see ANY product reviews for the Ride. The Tarpons seem popular but I liked the look of the Ride better. Does anybody have experience with this S.O.T. and what do you think? If I cannot get any info on the Ride I might consider a Tarpon 140.
Brian
Ride
a very popular boat with fishermen. It is QUITE stable. It is also quite slow. Stability comes at a price.
I don’t have all the links but a google of kayak fisherman should give you some forums/ reviews where you can get some beta on the Ride.
The Tarpon is a more general purpose SOT with modern outfitting. The Ride outfitting is a couple 3 generations old. It is also more effecient moving thru the water, tho not as stable.
hope this helps
steve
The Ride is best known for…
… wave slap! At least based on reviews I’ve read and verified the one time I demoed it. It can be a noisy ride compared to other SOT designs. Might impact your catch. As Steve mentioned - it’s sort of old news as far as SOTs - particularly fishing SOTs goes.
My pick for domestic rotomolded SOT would be Tarpon 160 (if you have to look at others, then check out the T140, OK Prowlers and Scupper Pro too). Lots of interesting kayaks out of South Africa too. Some composite, some plastic.
Choice depends on fit/feel and waters you’ll be using it in. For some uses there are big differences. For other uses (short distances on calm waters) it may not matter so much. Depends on what you need more - a kayak to get you somewhere (in whatever conditions) or just a platform to fish from.
Lots of great info on the various kayak fishing sites - and http://www.sit-on-topkayaking.com
yeppers
The Tarpon 160i (the i is for incredible) is a sweetheart.
nice, fast, comfy.
steve
I Bought One For My Son In Law
It is his first kayak, and I wanted something very stable, so no mishaps while fishing. He is pretty adventurous for a beginner.
It is slow but fits in well with the family fishing fleet, which are all short SOT and Rec boats.
He had it a Capitola a couple weeks ago and I did notice the pontoon type hull had a very shallow draft. It made it further up Soquel Creek than the single hull SOTs.
It is more of a fisherman’s kayak, than a kayakers kayak…
This does help
I looked at the Scupper Pro but have not test paddled one mostly because I think it is an ugly boat with that ugly hatch in the front. It is shaped like it’s backwards or something if you look at if from a top view (bow looks like it should be stern and vice versa). Maybe it is a good enough boat that I would like it if I gave it a chance, I don’t know. The Ocean Kayaks in general don’t look that good to me but I do know looks can be deceiving.
Somebody said the Ride has a shallow draught which is good because sometimes I go up little inlets to the lake and they get kind of shallow in places but I like to see how far up I can go. I don’t think I want anything longer than my current boat (Orca 14, actually about 13.5’ long) because it would be hard to turn around in some places. Right now I am leaning toward the Tarpon 120 or 140. I don’t think I want a 16 footer right now.
The Ride doesn’t paddle well but…
…I wish I still had mine (stolen). MANY times I have strapped a 65 qt. cooler to the back and paddled 3 miles to Bear Island in NC.
It actually paddles ok loaded down heavily. If you can get a deal on a used one, go for it. A rudder would be a godsend. But the tarpons paddle more like a sink with all the advantages of a sot.
I’m a huge fan
I’m a huge fan of Wilderness systems kayaks. I chose their Pamlico 140 out of all recreational day touring kayaks.
The ride is a popular kayak along
the Texas Gulf Coast. You’ll find information about it on texaskayakfisherman.com. Subscribe (its free), ask your question, and you’ll get plenty of responses, especially on the saltwater forum.
Yep
I once owend a Ride for about 5 years. It became obsolete after I got the Tarpon 160!! Dont even think about the smaller Tarpons as they tend to be more “RIDE” like except for the hull wave slap. I am still waiting for the carbon tarpon 180!!!
Barge compared to a 160.
There is a trend in these messages.
Plenty of reviews right here…
Scroll down the WS list to “The Ride”, key word being The. 31 reviews - must have been pretty popular in its time. Its an older design just like the Cobra Tourer that I have, biggest strength is stability. If you like to stand up to fish and sightcast it might be a good choice. The new kid on the block that functions the same way for standing is the Heritage Redfish. Big difference is its a lot quieter and faster too. You might want to check it out.
paddled it TODAY
wow, talk about WAVE slap. The end of the boat actuallt shakes when running over small wind chop. I was able to stand in it in 1’ wind chop with the swell abeam. I was going to try and stand-up surf it into the beach (Folly) but…didn’t.
The draft is quite low and it would do well in shallow creeks.
steve
It has its place, is a good first boat
or for those on a budget who can get one used. The Ride will do the job, but there are better yaks out there. Take a look at the Hurricane Phoenix 14. Not rotomold, slick finish, and glides well from everthing I’ve heard…its competition for the Tarpon 140.
I found a new one
for $499 and $99 shipping. Is $600 total a reasonable price? I’ve seen higher prices elsewhere.
Looked at the Phoenix
– Last Updated: Feb-25-06 8:00 PM EST –
Awesome looking boat. A bit more than I wanted to spend but very nice and about the dimensions that I want.
Anybody know anything about the Bic Scapa? It's a 14'5" SOT, 26" wide, and supposed to be good for sea touring and lakes. Weird looking though, but that could be good or bad. Could I fish from it or is that too narrow?