Ride 135 Questions

[Cougar Guy]

Hi everyone,

I'm looking seriously into the purchase of a fishing kayak, specifically the Ride 135.  I currently own a 9 foot pontoon boat that I use on lakes for fly fishing and I was thinking that the kayak would be a useful addition to my fleet.  I love the stability of the pontoon boat, but it can be a bit of a pain to row long distances and setup at the lake can be time consuming.  It's also rather awkward to pack any distance because of it's shape and lack of a "comfortable" balance (it's about 70 pounds), but it can be done.

Some questions I have about the Ride 135:

• How stable are they?  Are they easy to tip?  Do they feel like a traditional canoe on the water or are they much more solid?  Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to do any on water trials where I live so I'd be buying "blind".  I've read great things about the stabilty of this boat, but I'm not really sure what to expect.
• How fast can one reasonably expect to row a kayak like this with moderate exertion and calm water?  I know it's probably not as fast as some kayak's out there, but I would assume that it would be MUCH faster than rowing a pontoon boat and that you could cover allot more water more effectively than in a pontoon boat.
• How suitable would the 135 be for use in rivers with mostly class 1 water and maybe the odd bit of class 2?  Do they draw allot of water and can you get sufficient speed to adequately paddle upstream without much issue?  Also, are they relatively responsive?  One of the main reasons I'm considering the kayak is so that I can explore rivers more easily than simply walking and wading with the fly rod.  The pontoon would be okay for drifting, but going upstream wouldn't really be possible.
• Overall, do you think the Ride 135 would be a good "first kayak" for an angler?  Using it as a fishing craft would be my number one priority and I'd want something stable, reasonably swift and durable. 

Thanks in advance for any assistance you could provide me!

[kyle sawyer]

The way wilderness designed the pontoon style hull this boat is VERY VERY stable. I have purposely tried to flip this and youreally have to work at flipping it. With the hull design it is much more solid than a traditional canoe and to me it has better tracking as well.
In a river these kayaks do very well because you have the best of both worlds,(stability and sleekness of the hull) They can slide over rocks very easily because they have a fairly flat bottom. These kayaks are one of the more responsive kayaks on the market over 13 foot.
The ride would be an excellant choice for starting off because it isnt too expensive and is a VERY VERY durable boat, I have dragged mine over rocks, over sand, on concrete, hit pilings, paddled over rocks with it. I use mine for fly casting and can also throw a cast net while on it due to the stability.
I know you wont regret it if you buy this kayak, hope you enjoy it as much as I have mine!

[Jeff Madre]

CG,

The Ride 135 is very stable. It's not as 'tipsy' as the canoes that I've paddled. My first trip out, I stood up within seconds of launching.

It was (is) my first kayak. I bought mine without having sat in one before and I couldn't be happier with my decision.

I'm not able to give you any concrete answers on paddling speed, but I don't find myself wishing I had a faster kayak, if that helps answer your question.

As far as 'white'water goes, the only stuff I've been in is whitecaps on the sounds and rivers. It'll handle water coming over the front as you paddle into a 25 knot wind on the Pamlico Sound with no problem.

[Tommy Samuels]

The ride 135 is one of the most stable kayaks I've ever paddled. The width combined with the tunnel hull design and a center keel make this boat really stable. I use it in my guide service as my preferred client boat. I also use it for stand up fly fishing for reds. It's nearly impossible to actually flip. I do wet exit and re-entry practice and fall off this boat before it tips over.

The speed of a displacement hull is a function of waterline length, wetted srface area, drag coefficient and the list goes on and on. In calm wind and water you can expect to go about 4 - 4 1/2 mph without killing yourself.

I'll defer to Jeff Little for River fishing. The Ride handles well, but my personal choice would be a Tarpon series boat for rivers. Less stable than the Ride, but faster.

For stability, it's awesome. Maneuverability is good beacuse of some built in rocker which makes turning it easier. It's a good enough choice that it's my "go to" boat for clients.

I hope this helps and others chime in.

[Craigo]

be sure to check out this discussion, I posted it on our Facebook fan page - http://www.facebook.com/WildernessSystemsKayakFishing for folks that aren't members of this community. Some good feedback there as well!

[Dustin Zinsmeyer]

I have a Ride 135 and absolutely love it... I would not trade it for the world... I feel the speed it good enough for me... I stand in it almost all day while fishing. It tracks better than some of the other kayaks I have paddled. The layout is perfect for me... I have installed a fish finder and set a crate up with pole holders. I even have room for a full size ice chest with my fishing crate.

All in all, if you buy the Ride you will not be disappointed at all.

[Cougar Guy]

Hey thanks for the feedback everyone, it's exactly what I was looking for! I'm pretty much convinced that this will be the kayak I choose if I go ahead with my purchase. Looks to be an extremely versatile and awesome fishing platform.

[Juan Veruete]

I've fished out of mine about three days per week. I've got a lot of water time with it.
How stable are they?
Very stable. You can stand it them.

Are they easy to tip?
No, you have to work at it to get them to tip.

Do they feel like a traditional canoe on the water or are they much more solid?
I've paddled many canoes. I feel like it is a more stable platform that most canoes.

How fast can one reasonably expect to row a kayak like this with moderate exertion and calm water?
I don't know how fast in knots but I paddle on an electric motor only lake. I can catch up to and pass the folks running their electric motor fairly easy. ...not the fastest kayak but they are better than average.

Do they draw allot of water and can you get sufficient speed to adequately paddle upstream without much issue?
I fish single access trips 95 percent of the time in rivers. I paddle upstream a lot. I think the Ride does an excellent job.

Also, are they relatively responsive?
For a 13.5 foot kayak, it is very responsive. I test paddled another companies 12 foot SOT kayak that was less responsive.

Overall, do you think the Ride 135 would be a good "first kayak" for an angler?
Yes. It was my first fishing kayak and I love it. It carry's a lot of gear and versatile enough to paddle lakes, rivers, and even some creeks.