I would appreciate some feed back or thoughts on the Old Town Auto Pilot series. Do you own or have you tried one. Pros/Cons. General thoughts on Old Town Kayaks. What alternatives would you recommend?

Thanks

I recently got an Old Town 106 Sportsman, regular paddle type. Been on 5 trips already in it.
Good solid, stable Kayak and the whole sportsman line are very similar whether you paddle, peddle or TM.
Seen lots videos online of Auto Pilot or MK models and reviews seem good.

The reviews are on the favorable side of "mixed" from what I read. Some great, no bad, most are middle to good.

In my humble opinion, if you want a trolling motor you can save yourself a few bucks and gain some room if you go with a 12' jon boat or pond prowler type boat.

If you prefer a kayak and the price tag of the Auto Pilot is in your wheelhouse, you might want to consider a PA 360. No batteries, same maneuverability, same "cockpit" space, better seat, much better storage and better resale.

I don't mean to discourage you from the Auto Pilot. It appears to be a solid boat... But by the time you purchase a lithium battery or two to go with it, you are in the price point of what I believe to be more comfortable options with better resale. For this reason I don't see the Auto Pilot sticking around unless they drop the price and/or include a decent lithium battery.

Just my two cents... Which is probably more than it's worth.

Mike
Thanks for the reply. What is a PA 360? I am new to this:)

Its all good, you are in the right place. The folks who frequent this forum are very diverse and you will get good advice. Some are more focused on fishing, some are more focused on kayaking, some are 50/50. Some strive to keep their kayak simple and some like to trick it out. Some are new and some have been doing this long before it was popular. Saying this, you will get well rounded advice that you can apply to your situation.

Personally, I am more focused on fishing and comfort. I also want to keep things relatively simple. Meaning, my kayak is way more heavy and complicated that a traditional kayak... but its much more simple than the 21' skeeter that I sold (and every other boat that I have owned over the years). Aside from Boonedox landing gear and a Lowance fish finder, my PA is 100% stock.

To answer your question... a PA 360 is a Hobie Pro Angler 360. Its pricey and heavy (and a stretch of the word "kayak"). I recently sold my PA 180 to get the PA 360 and am very happy with the decision. https://www.hobie.com/kayaks/mirage-pro-angler-14-360/

The PA360 cost $4,800 and you will need to install Boondoxe Landing gear ($250) or use a trailer. All in, it will cost you about $5,050 + tax.

The Auto Pilot is $3,800 and you will need to purchase a battery. If it was me, I would go with a lithium battery which will cost you about $900. If you install the same landing gear, you will have a "all in" price of $4,950 + tax.

In my opinion, the PA is a more comfortable boat and historically speaking the PA will have a better resale value. Its just as maneuverable as the AutoPilot but you will need to use human power. Saying this, the pedals are not taxing to pump and you dont have to worry about a dead battery (unless you take more than a 6 pack, LOL).

The pedal kayaks fall into two basic categories. Some pedal like a bicycle and some pedal with a pushing motion. Both have advantages but I personally prefer the later.

Hope this helps. Enjoy the researching... this is part of the fun.

Thanks for the info.

contemplated upgrading from my native slayer propel 13 but like previously mentioned, it'll get expensive pretty quick.
IMO if you are fishing out of it, pedal is the way to go while still keeping it affordable. Used pedal kayaks still trump a new paddle kayak IMO.

I have an AP, and have enjoyed it so far. That being said, I honestly haven't used it enough to even get a good feel for any kind of honest "review". I fished over the weekend with my buddy that has the PDL. He loves his and I got a kick out of watching him catching fish and scooting around with ease.
If we can manage a time, which I seem to have very little of, I'd meet you at Benbrook and let you take mine for a spin.

I own a AutoPilot 136. The whole integration of the system is way better than any kayak/boat out there. I've hit multiple stumps on Lake Fork going at full speed. All it did was kick the motor up and inch to dis-engage the kill switch and kill the motor. All i had to do was push the kayak off and away from the stump, pull the rope to pull down the motor to re-engage the kill switch and continue on my way. I used a 100ah lead acid battery for the better part of the last 6 months. I just recently switched to lithium when the funds became available. It's got a ton of storage. When I'm not fishing tournaments, I'm usually towing the girlfriend in my spare kayak and her son in a jump seat i installed behind me.

I'm waiting on the Sportsman 106 powered by Minn Kota. Won't be here for a while. The kayak works for me because of 1. Size = Lenght, 2, Powered I'm 73 with emphysema, 3. Location i could buy a boat and pay to dock it somewhere but I can't trailer if from where I live and I can't store it out side. I think it will be perfect for me. I've used a couple of Hobie's with the Mirage drive and while it "mostly worked, I did not like the reverse situation and also considering winds and Tides here I've had instances where I could not get back within a reasonable time. The negatives I've read regarding the 106 with Minn Kota have been small things.. Rail placement, rusty prop tool and shear pin, The Minn Kota on the 106 does not have spot lock. If could have had a longer yak, I would have
bought one with spot lock. Spot lock is a wonderful thing. I'm sure you've been looking around on YouTube but take a look at MDLR Fishing and Rad Reeling. They are both sponsored by Old Town but their vids are good.

Looking forward to what you get. If I did not get a powered kayak, then it would be a kayak with Mirage drive because of the shallow waters we have here.

My concern is if this system will hold up in salt water? Anyone know?

The people I have been watching on YouTube are SaltWater fishermen. They are in the motorized Kayaks right at a year now. I'm not seeing anything that indicates the kayaks will not hold up. MDLR Fishing and Rad Reeling are putting up vids every week, usually multiple vids a week. I have not seen anything to indicate large issues. I do know there is an issue with using a particular cart with them. Can't think of the name of it right now but it has a bar which is permanently attached and that is causing the issue of small cracks in the side wall... but that an issue with a specific cart being attached in a location and drilling the kayak side wall.

The Minn Kota motor on these yaks is designed for use in saltwater.

The trolling motor is what I was concerned about.. didn't know if the one with spot lock for kayaks was saltwater rated or not.

This guy has the 360 with iPilot


One way to do the install

Yes, the Minn Kota on the Autopilot is salt rated, hince the white head.