Couldn't find opinions on Freedom Hawk kayaks on the Internet? There are pages and pages of reviews, videos, discussions, testimonials, how-to's, and everything else you could imagine on Google when you type in "Freedom Hawk Kayak Review."

Freedom Hawk Kayaks were first designed by David Cameron, an award-winning automotive engineer and kayak and canoe designer from Michigan. Their newest models and modifications are designed by one of the industry's most successful kayak, SUP, and surfing designers and executives, David Hadden (anyone here ever own a Heritage Redfish?). All of the boats are built by Jackson Kayaks using the exact same materials, components, and specs that go into the Jackson brand fishing kayaks.

Freedom Hawk holds more patents than any other fishing kayak mfg and has won numerous awards over the past several years from the kayak, fishing, and fly fishing industry associations and major trade magazines...including an Editor's Choice Award this year from Fly Fish America magazine.

Yeah but what about gear storage in the Freedom Hawks? I could be mistaken but it seems they are lacking in this department. If my boat can't carry the gear I need for a 3 day or longer trip then I am choosing another boat. I am sure the Freedom Hawks are great for single day trips and many other senerios but then again so are all the other kayaks that can carry ample gear.

If I recall correctly they did have at least one sizable dry locker.

How do the Freedom Hawks Paddle? Does the pontoons interfere with the integrity of hull design or are they not really noticeable? I'm not looking for any fast boats anyways, I'm just curious if they create much additional drag

Thanks much for the additional input. I'll definitely google search the reviews more thoroughly tonight.

Anyone want to comment on standing stability Ride vs. Coosa?

I guess I should have been more specific. Their 12 foot models have a maximum weight limit of 275 pounds. Their 14 foot models have 400 plus pound limits. I have no need for a 14 foot kayak so my previous post was just my opinion based on my specific preference. I am more of a river camper and let's face it. Who is going out on a lake and camping for four nights? Who is going off shore and camping for four nights? Probably very few. The F.H. series just doesn't seem like good river boats to me. I have my doubts that a 14 footer would be able to maneuver properly in rapids but it probably tracks great on open water. Their 12 footers might be superb in the rapids but there is no way my 6'3 230 pound arse could fit the gear I needed for the trip.

I maybe way out of line on my opinions here and I openly admitt I have never paddled a Freedom Hawk so someone please correct me if I am wrong but from what I can tell the F.H. isn't for me. Doesn't mean they aren't great boats.

As I previously stated you'll get a huge difference of opinions on every question you ask based on person preference and what works best for the individual answering. Both the Coosa and the Ride have excellent stability when standing. If you want to spend several hours on the water in a Coosa call me at two one four four five seven thirty four zero seven. I have a Coosa demo we can take out to let you get some seat time. I'm sure that one of the APT guys would do the same with a Ride.
Try before you buy!!! Most important thing to consider. You indicated you have demoed both but seat and rod time will make a difference.

No, you are correct.

There are other better choices for fishing most rivers if you're doing multi-day floats and/or dealing with whitewater. The Freedom Hawk is a specialized craft designed to be the epitome of flatwater stand-up fishing kayaks. It does that job in spades. But there is no such thing as "the one perfect boat that's best at everything." You can own a great flatwater and great river/creek boat in TWO boats, or you can own one boat that is GOOD at everything but not BEST at anything. Life is all about finding the right compromises for YOU.

As you said, the Freedom 14 and Freedom Hawk Pathfinder both offer ample storage capacity for camping. And I would be one of those guys who goes on multi-day camping trips in the saltwater. Thank you very much. I also fish large lakes, and many of the TX lakes are IDEAL for the Freedom Hawks. They excel in shallow water where standing has its greatest value vs. sitting down. The boats are also far more comfortable and easier to handle for larger framed paddlers, especially the 14' models. In the Freedom 14, gear is stored in the open bow. The Pathfinder has a cavernous dry well with a huge hatch in the bow that runs the entire length of the forward hull sufficient for rod storage, tent poles, etc. (10' x 5" x 30" at the beam) I can carry a tremendous amount of bulk in the bow hatch of the Pathfinder.

Each outrigger is also 4' long and 2' tall by about 18" wide with another dry hatch on top. Frankly, the Freedom Hawks come with more dry storage than almost any other kayak on the market due to the fact that the entire interior of each pontoon is dry storage.

I do use my Freedom Hawk on rivers a lot...FLAT and WIDE rivers. It's perfectly suited to those types of rivers, flat creeks, and other slow water scenarios. But when I hit the tight, fast, and white stuff, I switch to a canoe. I leave the Freedom Hawk at home when I get past Class II rapids every few miles or so. One Class III anywhere on my route and I need a different boat.

The Freedom Hawks are designed by world-class paddling snobs who have done more than their fair share of racing...and winning. Guys like us can't stand hull drag. It drives us insane! You cannot design a boat with an outrigger system or any sort of moving or protruding parts on the hull that won't pick up some drag. The goal is to minimize it. There are all sorts of design tricks and features you can use to do that, just like there are with aerodynamics. The Pathfinder paddles with about the same efficiency as a Ride 135, Heritage Redfish, etc. It's a bit "slower" than a Native Ultimate or WS Commander. The Freedom 14 is about the same, but has a totally different feel and performance characteristics in terms of stability, tracking, and the "dryness" of the ride. The Pathfinder is made for big, rough water. It climbs waves and has a splash lip on the gunwale that works like a champ. It also has a vastly improved scupper configuration that drains the boat instantly.

The stand-up rail doesn't fit tight because it is more durable and reliable the way it is made. Those of you with a military background can attest to the fact that the M-16/M-4 is tight, but an AK-47 rattles like a toolbox when you shake one. However, dunk both rifles in the mud and see which one fires. Let 100 poorly trained militia take it apart and put it back together for six months, fire 5,000 rounds each through it, and run over it with their trucks a few times. Now see which one still goes bang when you pull the trigger. The AK is a far more reliable, rugged, and durable weapon that will take tons of abuse...partially BECAUSE of its wide design tolerances. The Freedom Hawk design principle is informed by this sort of practical "field" experience, much in the same way the old Jeep CJs and German VW Beetle were. Still see plenty of those around 50 years later. The boats could be made tight as an Italian sports car, but then they'd be in the shop as often as Italian sports cars. Freedom Hawk figures you'd rather keep them on the water and spend your money on beer, bait, and gas.

If I missed any of the questions just post them again, but I think that covered them all.

Agree Flyguy. If my "thing" was shallow water flats fishing and multiday camping in those conditions then one of the 14 foot F.H. would be my obvious choice. Living on the coast near Corpus we fish the flats constantly but we always go buy boat and get out and walk. We also fish lakes a lot but again by boat. It all comes down what kayak is right for you based on the type of fishing you are doing and the environment in which you are doing it. I hope I didn't come across as putting down F.H. kayaks in any way. I was simply stating why my choice would be another brand due to the type of kayaking I am doing.

Great advice,I'm bringing my rod to try out the Diablo on Saturday. The Diablo and Coosa seem to have more of a deck vs. the Ride has channels that force you to more or less stand facing one way.
I'm guessing that might be intentional to help you keep your balance. Thanks again to everyone.

Look at the KC Kayak.
www.kckayaks.com/

I posted to explain some facts regarding misconceptions I saw here. Don't know who posted them. I am not one of those guys who gets offended when someone doesn't like the widget I own, but prefers another brand of widget. That's pretty immature. You hit the nail on the head with your statement above. That is why there are so many different mfgs that have been in business for a long time. They all do something very well. They may not do everything really well, but they excel at something or they wouldn't still be around after several years. That's the beauty of the free market!

Regarding the WS Ride vs. Coosa or Diablo and standing in them: the Ride isn't made with standing in mind. That elevated center console is a dead giveaway that a boat was not designed for the stand-up angler or fly fisherman. The WS Ride is a good kayak for conventional tackle fishermen who sit down to fish. It's very versatile and inexpensive, comfortable, and handles well. I am not a Coosa fan because I'm 6'1" and 200 lbs. and don't do a lot of small, fast river kayak fishing. That's pretty much all the Coosa was made to be good at doing, and was designed for a really nice guy who is about 5'2" tall and weighs about 135 lbs soaking wet named Drew. To may way of looking at things, that's a kayak for children and small women. It doesn't behave well in flatwater environments, either. It catches a lot of wind. It's a respectable small river fishing kayak for little people, but that's pretty much where it ends. Jackson's Cuda is a great all-around boat, on the other hand. It will do it all pretty well. I gave Jackson a ton of design input for the Cuda based on the notion of modifying a Coosa for saltwater. We started with the question: what do we change about the Coosa to make it appeal to saltwater kayak anglers? The end product (the Cuda) is pretty close to what we told them they should build, and we all wanted a boat that would be able to run rivers, too.

But none of these boats are MADE FOR stand-up fishermen. The only boats we've mentioned that are made specifically for standing up in for long periods of time...doing most of your fishing that way and even moving the boat around while standing...are the Diablo Paddlesports hybrid SUP-yaks and the Freedom Hawks. There are a few more on the market, like the W-boat (I refuse to call it a kayak). And then there are SUPs. Native and Freedom Hawk both have good fishing SUPs. I'd suggest you talk to a lot of folks who have owned Diablos for a year or longer before purchasing one...especially for running rivers.

YES

Would consider the Cuda, but too big for my storage situation. I'm curious on why you feel the WS Ride was not designed with standing in mind?

Also, I understand the Diablo is made from a different material, is it not as durable?

Thanks for the good advice.

"the Ride isn't made with standing in mind. That elevated center console is a dead giveaway that a boat was not designed for the stand-up angler or fly fisherman. The WS Ride is a good kayak for conventional tackle fishermen who sit down to fish. It's very versatile and inexpensive, comfortable, and handles well."

As stated by FlyGuy66.

If you mainly fly-fish Texas rivers, Diablo will be the tenderoni.