Loaded up my new to me kayak, Friday, after work.. what was I thinking? Wanted a bigger (wider) kayak for standing up in without having to use a trailer, thought this might fit the bill. Old age sucks. My other kayaks weight 55, 62, 70, 70, and now this one, 90 lbs. What a difference the extra 20 lbs does when trying to balance on my head at the end of a long day.

Love the kayak, comfy as most Native Watercraft are, really well built, lots of room, and great for bigger folks... I pity those that have to get a bigger kayak to float you.

here are the specs on it: big difference in 70 and 90.. I weighed it twice.


14' 6"
Length
30"
Width (in)
70
Weight (lb)
discontinued


https://fishingyaks.com/native-watercraft-slayer-14-5/












Was really impressed with the welding on seat frame.

Going to have to get an electric motor for this one as it was tough to paddle against the wind… and probably never take it anywhere without a trailer.

Add a few more pounds and you would have a Hobie ProAngler. When would you use that kayak in stead of the motorized canoe project?

I don’t know what I’m going to do now… wanted to use it in the saltwater since it would be a lot harder to sink than canoe.. it has 10 of the largest scupper holes I’ve ever seen. I plugged the 6 in cockpit and filed it up with water.. I was in awe of how fast it drained out.. plan to order the front hatch cover to make it dry storage area. Would hate to catch a wave that filled it up. Will probably get a trolling motor mounted on stern and hopefully attached to foot braces for controls.


Going to have to think about it.

Dang trailers are cramping my way of doing things.

Did I hear lconn mention a motor?

I’ve unfortunately been down the motor road. As you know weight affects kayaks in a big way. Adding a 25 lb motor and a 65 lb battery or even a lithium battery will make that kayak a lot more unstable than it is now. I’ve said it a bunch if I ever get to the point where I want another motor I will go Bixpy simply because of the weight and remote control speed operation.

Yes it is embarrassing to mention motors for canoes and kayaks... give me some credit for skipping completely past ghey assed pedal pushing

Come to the dark side lconn... LOL

thanks for the heads up on the Bixpy motor... hadn't looked at them in years... new and more powerful.

They get overlooked some because they’re not the fastest on the market and don’t have a huge long lasting battery. But on a paddle kayak with intermittent use you can still expect 5 hours run time on speed 4 to 5. If you paddle assist with it guys are getting 7-8 hours on a Viking Profish Reload.

For me the biggest advantage is it’s lightweight.

Bixpy works like a champ on my gay pedal kayak.
Nice not to pedal or paddle back after a hard day fishing.
Pedals are great for positioning too and I use them for about 75% of my trip.

I know they work... don't blame anyone that has them. Just have more trust in a skinny kayak that I can paddle if things go wrong or carry on my head if I have to. Where I fished for 20 years the grass, coral heads, and oyster bars would mess up pedal drives, the mangrove tunnels were often times very narrow.. Would have definitely had to of paddled a kayak out of a lot of places and against wind and current.. impossible in a wider bodied kayak.

That's a whole different ballgame! Looks like fun though.
My pedal drive would be up all day for sure.
I do have a paddle I keep underneath and the PushStick might be
the most valuable thing I put in the Yak. No substitute for it!

Mariner Sales in Dallas hooked me up.. Got a Newport NK180 with 24 volt battery, sliding foot pegs for controls, along with Slayer 14.5 hatch cover, on the way. I'm fired up to say the least. Know several folks that have them and looked like the easiest way for me to install myself. Couldn't believe they had the hatch cover in stock!

You better get the tether for that beast.

looks like a solid option lconn!

Nice!! They have great reviews. Justin over at Clean Fun Fishing on YouTube has one and loves it. I’m sure you know this but in case you don’t that extra 55 lbs or so will make your kayak more tippy. More so on the secondary stability since you’ll ride a tad lower in the water. If you can put the battery in the front that helps but iI know it’s a pain and probably means more holes in the kayak.