What is the difference.

What is the difference between the pelican castaway 130 and the pelican castaway 116. I want to buy one but the 116 is $30 more than the 130?

THEY ARE BOTH PELICANS
and so not worth the money it takes to haul them tothe landfill.

Come on Rick
Give the guy a break.

Pelicans are in the same catigory as my coleman.

They are great boats to leave under the cabin.

Pull them out twice a year when I dont bring a real canoe or kayak to play with.

If it gets legs, I wouldnt shed a tear.

But then I would have to bring a real boat with me.

Now to answer the question…

One is probably longer than the other, and the price is more because you have to pay for the extra 15 pounds of plastic.

14

a foot and a half

to be less than sarcastic
you can see that the concensus of opinions denigrade pelicans.

If you compare them to other boats, you will see a lot of problems from thin and soft plastic to flashing at the seams.



They are basically a really cheaply-made boat that you take on a town lake for a couple hours but are not designed for any real travel or work.



One would refer tothem as a VW of kayaks save the VW was actually a very good auto, while the pelican is not.



But, test paddle one first and test paddle other boats.

test fit a pelican
I found some of these “lesser” brands to be lacking in creature comforts …particularly interior deck height for foot position. Be wary of too low deck height. Pelicans are cheap boats for tooling around in for a couple of hrs.

.
Oh no he said the “P” word. Dont you know you can be kicked off the board for mentioning those “Pel$%&#” boats? It’s almost as bad as mentioning an Old Town Pack.

Mr. Scorpion5,
I don’t know the different models, check the website for pelican boats.

I just want to say don’t get discouraged from us boat snobs. A Ford Focus won’t behave like a Corvette.

That doesn’t mean it can’t get you out to have some fun. If you enjoy the experience of being outdoors, and interacting with the water, you can upgrade later if you wish.

I still have my starter boat, and use it once in a while. Cost me $125, and have enjoyed it for for over three decades. I sometimes wonder if my paddling was still just in the NE, upper Susqhehanna and Delaware esp., I may have never needed a different boat. I really can’t see taking a $3500 high end sea kayak and dragging it over boney rivers in August, or smacking granite in New England.

Get the boat you can afford, and will work for what you will paddle. It probably won’t be your only boat for too long.

T

How
How about Featherbrand paddles? Same class as pelican? Or worse???

pretty sure
90% of paddling is the person in the boat. So the pelican won’t cross a large lake with a 40 mph wind, or the plastic will oil can. I guarantee it will float. Hardly anybody uses their equipment to the limits of its design. Don’t think your epic kayak and paddle were meant for the usual 12 mile fitness paddle. A strong paddler is still strong with a oldtown pack and a Walmart paddle. Good gear only separates those who are actually good at this stuff. So for the rest of us that just want to float… give me a pelican and an aluminum bb and I see you down the river.



Ryan L.

does the job…
If it gets you out on the water and you fall in love with the sport than it’s done it’s job. Just don’t push it into dangerous situations since you’re new and it’s not exactly a quality boat. If you do take up the sport more seriously you’ll end up wanting a nicer boat, so be prepared to sell that pelican at a loss - unless you find some sucker on craigslist.



On that note, you’d be better off spending that same money on a used rec boat from a retired rental fleet or on craigslist from someone upgrading to a nicer craft. It’s not like a new pelican is gonna hold it’s resale value much or that a new shiny plastic boat is gonna stay new looking for long anyways…



If you buy used or from an actual paddle sports store try to test paddle it first. Good luck.

To all the smart arses.
I did my research and I have been Kayaking for a 20years but this is for a kid who will be using it on a lake and it costs $350.00. I have read about it and some people like them. I know there has been a few problems with the seams and the hatch leaking. It’s funny I got all these responses and no one answered my question. Thanks for nothing.

Whew! Good thang yer didn’t ask…
about Colemans…



FE

don’t be snobs
People sure are snobs about boats. I own the store-brand, dumbed-down Pelican model that Dick’s Sporting Goods sells as the Potomac 100es. It’s a 10 foot, fat, squishy recreational boat. I took the boat out 5 or 6 days a week from about April through November in 2009 and 2010 on Harrisburg’s stretch of the mighty Susquehanna River, and local creeks. Many Saturday trips were 15 milers. I overnight camped with the boat many times. I paid about $200 for the boat, new. Loved every minute of it. Knew there were better boats, but figured I’d learn on a humble boat rather than spending lots on something I might not stick with. This season I bought a composite Current Designs Vision. It cost about 10 times what the Pelican cost. I love this new boat. Both boats have their purpose. Heck, the best thing about the Pelican is that I can slide way down into the hull and nap, with the bow pushed into some grass on river islands, while the stern bobs around. Great napping boat. I can’t nap in the new boat. The Pelican is fun in the creeks. Perfectly fine on the river. Fords are good. Ferraris are good. Each has its purpose. No reason to overspend on something you don’t need. People, let’s be more thoughtful in our posts.

your question was answered…
early on. Really the only difference is length. The 140 is 14 feet long and the 116 is 11’ 6". So one is longer and heavier – don’t need the extra length unless the paddler is over 200 lbs. Here’s the Pelican site with current models and specs:



http://www.pelicansport.com/index.php?language=en&category=kayaks&nauticalboat=kayakssitontop



Personally, I don’t think it’s all that bad to start with a cheap boat as long as you get a good paddle. The paddle is the “engine” of the craft and the item that will have the most direct impact on your enjoyment of paddling. I’d rather paddle a $200 boat with a $300 (fiberglass or wood) paddle than a $2000 boat with a $30 heavy, stiff (and usually, too short) aluminum paddle.

and weight
If you are getting this boat for a kid, consider their weights.

A SINK might be a better option.

So it’s a matter of a foot-and-a-half,
ten pounds and thirty bucks. If you’re hoping the kid gets more than a couple of seasons out of it, I’d go with the longer one.