Native Watercraft Ultimate 12 Propel

What can you say about the kayak that has the most patents in the history of the sport? First, it’s probably one of the best kayaks available for families, fishing, and just plain fun on the water. It’s also a new design, so you don’t see very many out there….yet.

Specs:

Length: 12′1″

Width: 30″

Depth: 12“

Weight: 58 lbs (plus propel unit)

Material: Roto-molded Polyethylene (roto-molded equals strong and light)

Pros:

• The Ultimate has a split hull (tunnel hull)… kind of like a catamaran, but better. The Split hull reduces the wetted surface and displaces less water than traditional kayaks. Less water displaced from the hull makes the boat faster and more efficient. Boats that have more displacement, have more drag…Thus requiring more energy to move the boat. The Ultimate’s split hull results in a much lighter boat in the water,when compared to traditional displacement hulls. Its no surprise that the hull shape is just faster and more efficient than traditional kayak hulls. What does mean? You can go further and carry more gear, with less effort in an Ultimate.
  
• For the gear head…the Ultimate has a seat like no other. The aluminum frame supports a UV resistant mesh that cushions, drains water, and ventilates air. Its 100% adjustable to the paddler and is one of the few seats that can claim to be all day comfortable. This is a seat that allows you to do long trips. The seat also adapts to how you load the boat. It unlocks and slides forward, or reverses. No matter how the boat is loaded, slide the seat and trim the boat appropriately. For example….if you load the boat to heavy in the stern, your bow will rise and make it hard to track. In the Ultimate you just slide the seat forward a little more forward and bam!…perfect trim, no pushing water or getting blown around in the wind. If you have ever owned a canoe with fixed seats, and taken a child out on a lake, you know what I mean.  For camping, release the seat out of the boat and you got your camp chair. Just one less thing you don’t have to bring on over nighters!
  
• The Ultimate series also come with an Adapt-A-Trak gear attachment channel on the outside of the boat. The “AAT” is a J channel that gear can be clipped into. Its there to attach things like  spray covers, paddle holders, rod holders, tie downs, fishing accessories…even a cooler for cold or hot drinks!
  
• The Ultimate 12 Propel is a multi-use kayak. You can paddle it like a regular kayak, or add a Native Propel unit and pedal. The pedals turn a shaft driven prop under the boat at a 1 to 10 ratio. For every one turn of the cranks, the propeller spins 10 times. This is a single gear set up and once you get going and up to speed (15 to 20 revolutions of the cranks) you can spin easily all day with larger muscle groups and leave the paddlers in the dust!
  
  
• If you are  fisherman, the benefit is that you can move the boat forward and in reverse with your pedals, control the boat with the one finger rudder control, and have one hand free for rod/reel. A huge difference with other pedal kayaks is that the Ultimate 12 Propel can be pedaled in reverse. Again for the fisherman, the boat’s angle and position can be controlled regardless of current, wind, drift, and easily without an anchor.
  
• Comfort patents? Yep. The Ultimate’s split hull increases the boat depth for your feet. Increasing the foot room and keeping the heel well below the bottom of the seat.  This increases blood flow through knees and ankles and keeps your feet warmer and from falling asleep. The Foot rest are over sized and give a large footprint of support unlike simple pegs. The deck of the boat is open style like a canoe. Its easy to get in and out of like a canoe but comfortable because you and sit just like in a kayak.
  
• For those with any shoulder or upper body issues, this might be just the boat to get you on the water. Let your legs do all the work, and control the rudder with one finger!
  

Cons:

• Just because it’s a propeller that spins fast, doesn’t mean you are going to be able to overcome the small displacement a kayak makes in the water. The boats speed tops out at 3-4 knots, about as fast as you can paddle a comparable kayak 12 feet long and 30 inches wide. You cant pull a water skier.

The verdict:

• The first time I paddled the Ultimate I knew it would be stable, I had seen other fisherman standing up with ease but I had no Idea how light on the surface of the water the boat would feel. It turns with ease, and getting the boat up to speed was and an effortless exercise gentle fwd strokes. But it can carry as much gear as a Canoe. It’s the prefect balance of canoe/kayak hybrid. Blending Capacity, Comfort, speed and stability, it’s the ultimate watercraft.

If you are looking for a versatile sit inside kayak that is well made, has great features and won’t cost an arm and a leg, the Native Watercraft Marvel series (10,12 and 14.5)  is definitely worth investigating. The CKS staff just paddled the Marvel for the day and the general consensus was that it was a stable, versatile boat that was easy to maneuver and very comfortable to sit in (the first class seating is super cool. See the post below for more information on this.

Specs:
Marvel 10

Marvel 12

Marvel 14.5 Tandem

Lots of boats to demo and a beautiful day at Cottonwood Lake.

The back side of Mt. Princeton and Cottonwood Lake. Joe and Jen get ready to do some performance rec boating.

Pros:
We had the opportunity to paddle a the 10 and 12 foot version of the Marvel.  There were a few noteworthy features worth mentioning. The first class seating (a boat seat that doubles as a removable camp chair) was comfortable and supportive, the maneuverability (10 and 12 foot versions) of the boat was great for any level of paddler, the rear cargo hatch was in a convenient location and had an abundance of storage and there was a cool paddle holder (clip) that allows you to free your hands and do other things like reeling in large fish.

The seat of the boat (first class seating) is constructed out of aluminum and  synthetic cloth that is comfy to sit in, and dries easily.  The entire unit is easy to remove (we figured it out in less than 5 minutes), and makes a great camp chair. It also lightens the weight of the boat by 7 lbs,making loading and unloading that much easier. Although I did not actually put anything in the cargo hatch, I did take the cover on and off, and noticed that it was very easy to remove, and that there was a lot of room inside.

When paddling a Marvel, the ease of turning and primary stability is noticeably obvious.  With only 10 feet of boat to turn and slightly rockered ends, paddlers of all sizes and abilities will be able to point the boat where they want, and paddle with ease. The 12 footer, was also very easy to paddle even though it was 2 feet longer. This boat would be a great choice for a pet owner that wants to try to bring their pooch with them on trips.  Native makes a dog mattress (looks like a sleeping pad) so your dog will be assured a first class ride too.

Aubrie's getting ready to take the Marvel 10 out for a quick paddle/fish. Notice the "first class seating". Take the chair out of the boat and use it as a camp chair. Looks comfy huh? The bungees, thigh straps and the hatch are nice touches too.

The first class seating is breathable, comfortable, intuitive and makes a great camp chair.

Part 2 of Aubrie's fishing trip. Heading out to sea.

Megan's paddling out in the Marvel.

Cons:
The Marvel is a pretty basic boat. If your looking for a recreational kayak with a lot of features because you plan on doing a lot of fishing, or overnight trips this is not the boat for you. There are plenty of accessories for this boat but they are aftermarket products that would increase the cost of the boat.  Another drawback to the Marvel is that you cannot stand up and fish out of it.  Serious fisherman will want to look at the Ultimate, which is meant for seated and stand up fishing.

The Verdict:
The Native Watercraft Marvel would be a great choice for people who do a bit of everything. It is a sit inside boat which could be beneficial for people in cold environments.  If your primarily fishing, this may not be the best boat. The Ultimate has more features for the serious angler, and you can stand up fish in it as well. We like this boat because it is made of bomber plastic (out of the liquid logic factory), the price is competitive and it

Recreational kayaking is a broad term that encompasses all different types of boating. From Inflatables to sit- on-tops,  and canoes to enclosed cockpit boats, the diversity of the “rec boat” world can get a little confusing at times. The goal of this blog is to help you find the right tool for the job. If your a kayak fisherman, this post is for you. Native Watercraft created The Manta Ray series (11, 12 and 14…feet) to help you stealthily reach destination fishing spots with the ultimate goal of slaying tasty underwater creatures.

Specs:
Manta Ray 11

Manta Ray 12

Pros:
The Manta Ray is a stable, well made boat with a host of features that just about anyone will love. For starters, it’s built out of roto-molded super linear plastic (the same factory as Liquid Logic).  It’s reassuring knowing that your recreational kayak is made out of the same material as a LL Jefe, one of the burliest whitewater creek boats around.

As for storage, The Manta Ray gets two thumbs up.  The 12 foot version (Manta Ray 12) has a large deck hatch in the front with bungees on top to ensure a secure and dry fit. There are also two smaller hatches that allow for storage of smaller items.  These small hatches are easy to access while paddling. The stern of the boat has a recessed storage area with bungees  that is large enough to hold  a drybag. There are also plenty of cupholders, and little storage areas for smaller items like flies, that you would want accessable.

Something else that seperates the Manta Ray from the rest of the pack is the large amount of accessories available with it. For example, there is a super cool dog matress, that doubles as a sleeping pad. Besides that there are kids seats, rumble seats, foot pads for barefoot paddling, flush mounted rod holders, anchors, a new rudder system, fishing bags, rod holders and much more. Quite a few of the options are fishing oriented, so anglers should take notice.

Comfortable seating, plenty of storage, high quality plastic and solid performance set the Manta Ray 12 ahead of the competition. Notice the large dry hatch up front, and the two small ones wihtin arms reach of the drivers seat.

Cons:
The smallest Manta Ray (The Manta Ray 11) does not have as much dry storage as the 12 and 14. The two small dry hatches next to the seats are a nice touch, and it would be nice to have them on the 11 as well. Price may also be a deterent for some bargain shoppers.  Native Watercraft markets itself (and really is) as high performance, first class recreational kayak manufacturer. They build a kayak every 45 minutes as opposed to every 15-30 minutes (most othe companies). There plastic is light and stronger than competitors, as well as more expensive. If you are looking the least expensive way to get on the water, you may want to buy another brand of boat.

The Verdict:
The Native Watercraft Manta Ray series is a versatile sit on top kayak that has many great features and will especially appeal to anglers.  Besides the options that come with the standard boat, Native Watercraft offers plenty of options ranging from pet accomidations to rod holders. This boat would be a great coice for a family that wants one kayak for a lake or beach house. Young children can paddle it and not be trapped inside of a small cockpit. Seniors and inexperienced boaters will love the primary stablilty and fisherman will love the angler features. Two thumbs up!