In-Depth Review (with pics) of the 2012 Wilderness Systems Ride 135

[Craigo]

Great early review of the all-new 2012 Wilderness Systems Ride 135 by Palmetto Kayak Fishing.

 

Excerpt:

The seating system coupled with the floor layout is genius.  In other kayaks I have owned, I run into a common problem - there never seems to be enough leg room for me from the seat to the foot pegs.  I have historically had to modify the design of the foot pegs to make my legs more comfortable, but the Ride’s configuration worked perfectly right out of the box. 

 

Read the whole thing and see loads of pics at:

http://palmettokayakfishing.blogspot.com/2011/08/2012-wilderness-sy...

 

[Joseph]

Thanks for your input, I have seen the videos and would love to test out. Ill get with my local dealer and set up a demo. I didn't demo the tarpon because I was in a rush for a trip that I needed it for. Still very happy with the tarpon 120because and I can sit and flycast just fine however, standing and sight fishing is much better.

[Craigo]

Joseph, (I'm with Wilderness Systems); Paul said it right on. The Tarpon has more performance, but at the expense of the type of stability you might be looking for to stand. The Ride 115 and 135, plus the Commander 120 and 140 are our ultra-stable platforms, both offering a very different experience as far as paddling and features. The Commander is a hybrid sit-on-top (sit inside or elevated) and is designed more like a canoe with a large tankwell area and no drain holes. Either are worth looking at, but the new Ride sounds like it's what you're looking for.

[Paul Davis]

Hey Joseph.  I own a 2010 Tarpon 140 and still enjoy that yak quite a bit - my girlfriend uses it exclusively.  It is just "different" than the Ride in a couple of aspects.  For your application, standing and casting out of a Tarpon isn't exactly easy.   

 

If I had to create a list of the things that are most important to me in a kayak, stability would be my number one choice, closely followed by comfort, capacity and speed.  I feel the new Ride delivers a solid package all around considering it is designed to cater to stability.  Being able to stand easily is what makes it nice fore me - keep in mind I am 6'8" and 240lbs so my center of gravity is pretty high up when I am standing.  

 

If you only fly fish, then the 2012 Ride has some nice attributes that I could see being very beneficial to you.  Out of the box the Ride has recessed carrying handles and not a lot of "stuff" to get hung up on as long as you don't rig it out like mine.  If you plan on standing and doing a lot of sight casting, you can side the seat off completely and secure it in the tank well giving you a huge area for maneuvering, line striping, etc. 

 

I don't have any paddling experience with the Freedom Hawk 14 so I don't think it would be right for me to weigh in on its performance.  All I can say is that I feel the new Ride fits a different segment than the Tarpon series and it really offers impeccable stability.  I hope this helps you out some.

 

[Joseph]

Fella's I only flyfish and purchased the 2012 tarpon 120 which I really like. I think I May want the ride 135 now being that I seen users stading and fishing. It's between the ride 134 and the freedom hawk 14.

 

would love some insight

[Paul Davis]

I got a ton of hits last Friday night when you guys posted it on FB.  Thanks again, I really appreciate it!

[Craigo]

Yes, it was awesome. We shared it in a number of places. You do very nice work!! We've tried to make sure everyone clicks your site links to see the original review located on your site. Got a lot of views on our Facebook page.

[Paul Davis]

Thanks for sharing my review! Hope you guys enjoy it - Paul