Been interested in kayak fishing for a while, but am overwhelmed w/ all of the information on the internet. Wanting to fish lakes like EM, Lake Worth, ETC. Checked out Mountain Sports today & was looking at the Wilderness Ride 115. From what I understand, the track isn't great, but the stability is. Anyone have anything good/bad to report?

the WS ride "135" is a nice Lake yak IMO. use to own the 135 & had some good times in it. never had a tracking issue though. my front hatch leaked. not ideal in choppy water IMO. was a tad too long for my taste & i was looking for something that was more designed for BTB. don't know what changes the 2012 models has. some say they are slow but i found that on smooth water they moved well. good luck

Since the Rides 135/115 have a prominent keel running the length of the boat they should track very well. Yes, most sub 12 foot kayaks typically don't track well, but I think the new Ride 115 will be an exception.

I've paddled the 2007-2011 Ride 135 a bunch and thought it was a very good kayak. Tracked well, handled a chop well (though I'm not sure about swells like the surf), very stable, and just a great paddling boat.

With the 2012 model they've added hard chines which should help increase it's efficiency on the water (quicker), though it'll probably not be as stable as the 07-11 Ride, but I'm splitting hairs with that one. Obviously, it has a new deck layout as well, for the better IMO. Obviously, these are my observations for the Ride 135, and not the 115. I suspect the Ride 115 is a great yak in it's own right.

Check out my in depth review of the 2012 Ride 135 on this forum. Most of the review will translate to the Ride 115, although the 115 will be considerably slower than the 135 speed figures I recorded, probably around the 2.9-3.1 mph range.

I would estimate the 115 has a performance capacity of around 240-250 lbs. But at 11'6" long, it's just not long enough offer great speed or tracking. The pontoon hull is the culprit, as it pushes water out of the way instead of slicing through the water. On the other hand, pontoons make for excellent stability.

If you're paddling flat water most of the time, go with the Ride 135 at the very least, because the 115 will be pretty pokey. You'll enjoy the extra speed of the longer yaks.

The 115 looks like an amazing platform. I'm guessing you're thinking about it instead of the 135 for storage/portability issues. If thats the case, the 115 will be a good fit probably. But if you're looking for the best overall paddling experience for lake conditions then I'm not sure why the 135 isn't in the conversation. A longer yak is faster, holds it's bow better in the wind, and tracks straighter. They're great yaks that are very durable, but they are kinda heavy.

Pro-17,
made some changes to my previous post. might want to take a look :~)

Appreciate all the feedback. Sometimes I wish there were three of everything to choose from... seems like kayaks are like everything else, there are a million different ones to choose from and a ton of information on the internet. I would like to try some out, but not really sure of where to go. Mountain Sports was the first store I checked out, and the salesman recommended the 2012 Wilderness Ride 115... they didn't have but 2-3 fishing kayaks to choose from. Neumie aka mentioned the 135, would something in the range of 13 feet be better than 11.6 for tracking/stability. Started taping "The Kayak Fishing Show", and their main sponsor is Ocean Kayak. I checked out their website & the 13.6 footer is lighter than the 11.6 Wilderness by 20+ Ibs... why is that?

what channel is the kayak fishing show on?

WFN- Channel 390 somethin'. Should be able to type in a search for your satelite and it will bring it up w/ the date/time.

Are you comparing the weight of the Ride 115 to the Ocean Trident 13? Well, the Ride just has to use more plastic than the Trident. When you design hard angles, like where the seat slides, you have to add more plastic to make sure those for correctly and can support the wight they'll carry.

Basically, the hull/deck of the Ocean is not as complicated as the Ride 115 so they don't have to use as much plastic.

Dang, Neumie, you keep beating me to the punch today.

The new Rides have a lot of plastic in them, because they're wide, tall, and the hull has a lot of ins and outs, ups and downs because if the pontoon shape. To maintain strength, you gotta have more plastic. Also, try pushing on the hull of an OK and it will flex. This is because they have few to no angles and they use a little less plastic.

Everything is a balance in kayaking: more plastic = tougher boat, but heavier; less plastic = less tough boat, but lighter.

After paddling the 2012 Ride 135, my impression is that it's a tank. So solid, stable, and little to no hull flex when standing up with my 260lbs. I would expect the same from the Ride 115, only with a lot less speed/efficiency.

If you're paddling any sort of slow moving/flat water, avoid the 115 and go with the 135.

ADHD and procrastination at work. LOL

Not to mention the rain delay that's keeping him from watching the Rangers.