Before I start this review I should share with you that my Cuda is my first kayak.While it's not the first kayak I've fished from, it is the first kayak I've owned. So I would not classify myself as an expert kayak fisherman. What I am, is a guy who does hours upon hours of research on things before I purchase them...and then I analyze the heck out of them after I own them.
Let's start with the first thing we all
see, one awesome looking kayak! I've owned my Cuda for over 18 months
and am still impressed with how cool it looks! Hey, let's face
it...looking cool is important too right?!
Vanity out of the way, the next thing
that caught my eye was the seat. What looks to be a beach style seat
resting in the place where some foam style kayak seat would usually
be resting. My first thought was, is that thing going to be
comfortable for hours of fishing? The answer to that question is yes!
I've fished in that seat for up to 7 hours of continuous fishing only
taking a break to eat a sandwich on a shoreline. Although the Elite
Seat isn't always the first thing that catches our eye, its the
multiple positions you can put it in that really draws our interest.
There's a low position, high position, and an out of the way position
(yeah, out of the way). The low position is just slightly higher than
the normal SOT kayak. This position is a very stable seating position
in the Cuda and feels very comfortable for even a first time kayak fisherman. The
high position is, in my opinion, awesome! Its slightly less stable
than the low position, who wouldn't expect that? But its considerably
more stable than you might think. It feels very much like riding a
dirt bike, it doesn't want to tip over but you can make it lean if
you want to...and of course there is a tipping point but it's really
difficult to reach...check out the video below.OTW (out of the way) position
This is a name I've given it obviously, but its very accurate for
what it is. Before I get into that though, I think it's necessary for
me to first discuss the stability of this kayak as its directly
related to OTW seating position.
This boat is made to stand in, period.
If you turn this boat upside down you'll see a flat bottom with what
almost looks like pontoons. Whatever you call it, it
does a great job of making you feel secure while standing or sitting. This is
coming from a guy who's a little top heavy. While I'm not Chad
Hoover, I am 6' 3” 215 lbs. While learning to stand and fish, I've
leaned so hard I've actually felt what feels like secondary flotation
kick it and the boat become even harder to tip over. While getting to
that point is a bit scary, it was very reassuring when I didn't tip
over!
So what's all that have to do with the
OTW seat position? Well if you want a little more foot room you're able to securely
put the seat into the cargo area. Now I know it sounds like I'm
saying just tossing it back there is a position. But it's not really
that. The feet of the seat actually fit into indentations in the boat
which help keep it in place so you can use the large flat area where
the seat normally is to stand and fish from. Then sit in the seat and paddle to the next location without needing to place the seat back in a forward position. Pretty cool huh?
