More thermoformed choices: Jackson Cuda LT

Gosh, still considering a really light kayak with NO MECHANICALS to fuss over. I thought/think the Eddyline 135 is about the best looking yak I have ever seen but it seems pricey to me.

Anyway, among others, Jackson has a Cuda LT, a 12'11" vessel that weighs only 57 lbs. without its seat installed, 64 lbs. with it. And, it is priced much lower at a retail of $1799.

For a really light rig you could throw on top of the car, one rigged out rather simply, this could be a good choice. Nothing to grease, no rudder cables snapping, nothing to oil.

The kayak market is really pushing into areas of great complexity; but, there will be that temptation for many of us to return to a low stress, viable fishing platform.

Brad

Are you wanting a SOT or is a SINK ok. Hurricane makes some nice light weight SINK's for a lot less. I have an Old Town Rush I use for simple quick trips out in. The kind of trips where only one rod and a frog is needed. It's kind of nice to be able to carry a kayak and gear in it with only one hand.

Todd, I generally prefer the SOT models with adjustable seats. In general, I think lower seat settings allow for faster movement, higher seat settings . . . better for fishing (sight and casting and comfort).

This particular Jackson Cuda LT has two seat heights as best I can tell.

I dream about owning what I call a "finesse" rigged kayak: easy to transport, easy to carry by hand to drop in the water, simple gear and fishing tackle (two rods at the most). More time on the water, no fuss.

Not that I don't appreciate, say, a beautiful Hobie PA 14 loaded to the gills with this and that . . . and further weighted down with fishing tackle and gear to about 250 lbs. but I want "that" like I want hemorrhoids. Ha! brad

Hurricane makes some nice SOTs that are pretty light. And fairly fast, too.

Get hold of Preacher or RBR and have one made the way you want.

My kayaking got a little simpler a couple years ago.

Previously, I had been lugging around this giant 14 foot Tupperware beast that weighed a ton. It was rigged with all sorts of nonsense - the little gadgets and gizmos that were the sign of the times for kayak angling's evolution. The thing would hold about half as many rods as my old 21 foot bass boat used to - it was pretty ridiculous. If the water was anything but a few feet from where I parked, I needed one of those little wheeled trolleys to move it, plus maybe an additional trip or two to shuttle gear to the launch.

No names mentioned, but guys on TV were telling me why I needed bigger stuff. Heavier stuff. Why my stake out pole needed to be replaced by a motorized power pole. Bigger graphs. A more advanced propulsion system (never was for me...I just love to paddle). I guess the dream is to finally have something you need a trailer for.

Anyway...long story short - I ditched all that and couldn't be happier. My most recent kayak purchase has been an angling specific model of an inflatable kayak. It has a drop stitched floor (like a paddleboard...super rigid and you can stand in it), Scotty mounts all over the place (I usually never use more than 3 at a time), and a comfy raised seat. With the rudder attached, it tracks straight as an arrow. Without it, I've bombed down some mild class III whitewater with zero issues in maneuverability. With it's rigidity, it runs as fast as any kayak I've ever paddled on flatwater.

The best part of it all? It'll pack up into a backpack. I don't even have to use my roof rack. Inflated, I can throw it up above my head and literally walk a mile to a put in without even thinking twice. My trips now usually consist of a couple 4pc flyrods, a 2pc paddle, a soft cooler and gear (all carried in a drybag backpack), and a boat that weighs less than a wet pair of wading boots.

Fishing like this has allowed me to fish some really out of the way water, and do it with very little hassle. It's changed my philosophy so much about kayak angling that I literally chuckle a little bit when I see all this new hi-tech gear and kayak accessorama hitting the market these days. I don't want any of it. Well...except maybe that new carbon paddle I've been eyeballing

Keeping it simple,
Floon

...and to avoid getting beat up over it...skeg is probably a more appropriate term than rudder in the previously mentioned case.

Floon expresses my sentiments on this topic better that I did, that there should be (it has already begun and he is one of many examples) a counter-trend to super-equipping kayaks.

And, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the latter, that if someone wants to, you can add outriggers, sails, power poles, trolling motors, stand assists, specialized rudders, anchor mechanics . . . and on and on and on. Human nature.

But, to flip open a garage door, grab a kayak with a hand and flip it in the back of a truck or hoist it on a car top, the rest easy from there . . . if you just need a few rods for the day, know what presentations you are likely to use, that is all a pretty compelling alternative for many of us.

Brad

$1799 doesn't sound like a cheap option. Light or heavy.

So very true on the price; but, that wasn't ever mentioned as a condition on selecting a kayak by me except as an aside that the Jackson Cuda LT is a lot cheaper than the really expensive Eddyline C-135.

I think these thermoformed kayaks tend to run more than the rotomolded ones.

Not sure why. I do know that the Eddylines use a pretty advanced material.

Brad