I really want a fast paddle fishing kayak. Do any of you have a Reload? How is it?

I have had 3. Its a pure bada$$ kayak. Fast, stable and not super heavy. I loved the kid pod more than the tackle pod but its an awesome kayak. A rudder makes it that much nicer too. Another thing is, in the wind its a real easy paddle. I am a huge fan of most of the viking model boats. We have the profish 35, gt, 400 and 440 now. Great kayaks

Which one do you like best?

I've had one since last August. It's decently fast and very stable, I can rock side-to-side and get the handles under the water and still not feel close to turtling. Not having to retract the rudder in shallow water or vegetation is a plus. The bow hatch provides tons of storage space. The tackle pod is very handy for fishing and general storage, but I do like paddling with the kid pod. I've used it for fishing, river camping, and just paddling around.

Dislikes--I don't like the toe control for the rudder, I'd rather push with my whole foot. Although the stated weight is 68 lbs, it feels a lot heavier than my 64 lb Native Ultimate 14.5 Tandem and it's difficult to carry by myself. A C-Tug cart is a lifesaver. I didn't really like the seat that came with it, and now use a foam pad from Viking and a seatback from Hurricane.

I'm now looking at a Profish 400 as a lighter and shorter second yak.

Getting your hands on one might be a problem. The distributor, Ryan Ford, is fairly new and doesn't have the whole country covered yet. I made a 600-mile round trip to pick mine up. But if you get one, you'll have the coolest kayak on the block. Glenn Madden on YouTube has a number of offshore fishing videos in his Reload, although he recently switched to a different kayak.

As far as what one i like best, they all have their advantages. I love the reload, i have to stand in my kayaks a lot and i could never get totally comfortable throwing my heavy as heck castnet from the reload. The cockpit is sloped, great for seated position, i feel like im standing on a hill, the 440 has a flatter deck i can stand in really easily and seems to track a little better but has much less storage space and none inside the hull, it is my current kayak. The 400,,,,well it is light as a feather, feels super fast on acceleration and top end will have no problem making a hobie outback look really slow. I seem to be pretty comfortable standing in the gt, strange because its the same interior as the reload. I have had the 400 and the 440 in hurricane nate, 20-25 ft swells and still paddled near if not over 20 miles in oct 2017. Viking makes amazing kayaks and i am very happy i own some. I will eventually get another reload another 400 and one or more of their tandem versions. I also, like prof salt have a stealth. Mine is the fisha 500 but is only for offshore.

Christian, does your Profish 400 have a rudder on it? Needed, not needed?

Viking has done a great job at finding a great mix of speed and stability. I've never heard anyone not rave about their Reload. It's the most popular offshore kayak in the world. If you're looking for one be ready to buy when you do see one they don't last long.

My 400 does not have a rudder. I dont think it needs one. My only complaint about the 400 i have is i wish it had a front hatch like the reload. If it had that it would be very near a perfect kayak. Not an issue for me but i have heard larger frame people say the slots for your legs is a little tight. Like i said, not an issue with me. I am 6ft tall and 19bs.

195 lbs. Hahaha not 19

Good info, thank you mucho.

I do have two and they have served me well. From lakes, creeks, bay and the Gulf with never a problem. Those swells from Oct 2017 that Christian mentioned were no joke!! Plus since the wife bought her a Hobie Outback I have to have a Reload for sale

Northwest Native: I paddled a Profish Reload Z at a Demo Day in Corpus. It was a rocket ship! I'm only 5'4", and the reload was too long for me. I couldn't reach anything. But, what a great kayak. The owner told me he regularly paddled his 15 miles offshore. My dream kayak is the Profish 400, or 440. You should contact Rockport Ryan at Rockport Kayaks. He was selling off his rental fleet recently. He's the US distributor, and THE contact for Viking. RockpotyKayak.com, and 361-727-9966. Good luck!
IslandJim

Island jim, i love the 440, i dont think you can get one in the US anymore. Last year,,,i could be wrong,,,they discontinued shipping to the US. Made me very sad. They are pushing the reload in its place. As for the 400, boy the initial acceleration is wicked fast plus its maneuverability is awesome. The 400 and the 440 have virtually the same weight cap too. Viking has done a very good job designing their boats. If you want a "true" paddlers kayak they are going to be very tough to beat. Some dont like the traditional style seat but only in the 440 do i even use a seat. , others complain about getting a wet butt, imo, why would you ever choose to kayak if a wet butt bothers you? Its a water sport and if your only going on days that are glass water you are missing out. They are made to be pushed not pampered. I have had all the vikings i own in some stuff most will never go out in and they have never let me down one single time. Ive caught 50-60 lb catfish, shark over 8 ft, 60" kingfish and paddled near 30 miles in a single day plus been in some of the worst conditions possible. They are great kayaks. We do also have several other boats, ocean kayak speck, ocean kayak trident 15, and a stealth fisha 500. All great boats but few are as well rounded as the vikings we own.

OP sorry for this- Christian how do you store all those yaks? I like to keep the 3 I have in my garage but if I were to ever get another one they'd have to go outside. Guessing you built a rack for them?

I have a yak shack(shed)