Kraken. Need some reviews please

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RGonzoYak83
Posts: 420
Joined: Sat Sep 06, 2008 11:23 am
Location: San Antonio, TX

Kraken. Need some reviews please

Post by RGonzoYak83 »

Anyone own a Kraken 15.5? Pros and cons? Looking to get one. BTb and bay use.


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Karyuu
Posts: 291
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:54 am

Re: Kraken. Need some reviews please

Post by Karyuu »

It's a fast kayak due to it touring kayak lenght. It came rigged with all the rod holder you would need. The yak is also made to handle some extreme conditions so it's got some serious stability. I feel that is where it falls short for me, because I never try to put myself in conditions that this kayak is designed for.

Other than that I find that the kayak is extremely comfortable due to the seating and the scrupper holes don't take on any water so you are staying dry. Additionally, where my old kayak would be bogged down with water when a breaker goes over the kayak, this yak has some serious drainage where that has never happened.
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Vlad_989
Posts: 197
Joined: Tue Nov 19, 2013 6:04 pm
Location: Corpus Christi

Re: Kraken. Need some reviews please

Post by Vlad_989 »

I had one for about a year.

Pros
Good seat, comfortable. Dry ride.
Lots of storage/rod holders.
Stable
Good in rough water, I never flipped it in the surf while fishing.
Great layout for fishing and storing fish/tackle/rods.

Cons
Heavy
Maneuverability sucks, hard to turn around in small spaces (I had a rudder).
Lots of open space on the deck and tankwell so if a wave breaks over the front and swamps it, the kayak moves really slow until it drauns out.
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Noeafpj9
Posts: 88
Joined: Fri May 09, 2014 3:16 pm
Location: Edinburg, TX

Re: Kraken. Need some reviews please

Post by Noeafpj9 »

I'll start off by saying I've owned three different kayaks. The tarpon 14, big game 2 and now the kraken. The tarpon was fast but I felt like I was going to flip if I even tried to turn to get something out the back. The big game 2 was crazy stable and really built up my confidence offshore but was super slow and and took some endurance to paddle around all day. Now the kraken, well the kraken has the best of both worlds. I've caught myself on several occasions messing around with a fish and get caught perpendicular to a rolling wave a ways out from the breakers. Never in my mind did I feel like I was about to lose it. My first time out I was doing a lot of back paddling around the jetties because it was so fast, that I had gotten use to my big game 2 and I was constantly over paddling and kept gliding in to fast towards the rocks. I love the center catch which I place a fish bag inside with ice and hold my catch in there. I love the rocket launcher rod holders that swivel outwards or where ever you want them to point. They provide a great trolling platform to keep your lines spaced out. Like someone else pointed out, comfortable seat and a real joy to be in all day.
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Karyuu
Posts: 291
Joined: Thu Dec 24, 2015 7:54 am

Re: Kraken. Need some reviews please

Post by Karyuu »

another point is that Jackson charges a premium for their kayaks for a reason. when my seat strap broke it replaced it without a question and send me a new seat within the week. I hear they have replaced complete kayak hulls before.
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