Kaskazi Dorado

A Quality Sit On Top Fishing Kayak

The Dorado has been designed to satisfy the most demanding of anglers and still maintain the paddling efficiency of a proper sea kayak. This is a specialist fishing kayak that can be used for accessing offshore reefs in pursuit of big fish and also for touring trips to remote locations with her impressive load carrying capacity of 180 kgs, that is a big paddler and over 1cwt of gear.

The Dorado provides excellent comfort, stability, efficiency and the ability to handle extremely rough conditions with ease. The unique design separates this fishing kayak from the rest. The deck is securely bonded to the hull, IN THE MOULD, to prevent any distortion and then reinforced with both an internal and external seam providing immense strength. For additional safety the hull is divided into 3 separate compartments by the use of flexible, fiberglass bulkheads that do not break away in the event of a heavy impact or cause hard spots on the hull.

Besides the cavernous fish hatch this kayak has a cargo crate / diving cylinder holder, place for a fish finder and no fewer than 3 attachment points for an anchor or drogue coupled with the finest handling of any fishing kayak made. The solid foot brace with pedal operated rudder is a standard item. With her fast hull, catching and using the energy in waves makes paddling long distances very efficient and I have done more than 50 miles in a day. The Dorado paddles brilliantly in any open water situation and her amazing stability gives the newest of novices confidence from the outset.

The seat well in the Dorado has been carefully contoured to be comfortable for prolonged periods in the saddle. The deep, safe seating position with proper back support gives the supreme comfort of the cockpit. 12 hour shifts in the saddle are quite common during the summer months.

Practicality is another strongpoint of the Dorado. Within easy reach astern is the large, self draining well with its dedicated cargo crate. The sealed, fully gelcoated, easy to clean fish box is large enough to take a brace of 100lb fish with ease. Access to this is right between your legs and it is long enough to stow a 9-foot, 2-piece rod. These are very welcome features not found on other fishing kayaks. The rectangular access into the fish hold is also useful for keeping things that absolutely must stay dry both safe and close to hand.

Flush mounted rod holders, either side behind the seat, are angled so as to fish effectively either on the troll, or with static baits, but they keep the rods well clear of the paddling arc so as not to interfere with paddling ability. Situated beside each rod position is a point for attaching a security lanyard to your valuable rod and reel. In addition, there is a loop on the foredeck to put the tip of a rod through with the reel resting on the semi-circular bait cutting surface in your lap. This is very handy for a fly or spinning rod when you are only moving a short distance or want quick access to your rod when chasing shoaling fish.

The Dorado is a purpose designed fishing kayak that rewards the owner with enhanced fishing pleasure through superior performance, superior comfort and superior practicality. The advanced, grp sandwich construction ensures rigidity and strength with light weight. The Dorado is a fishing kayak designed and built by kayak anglers with over 30 years of experience.

Standard colours are white hull and white deck with orange trim. Please contact us for other colour combinations.

Read an independent review of this model here.

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Sit On Top Fishing Kayaks - Skua ARX

The Convertible Kayak

Two kayaks in one. Here is a kayak that can function as both a conventional sit inside or an open cockpit sit on top. Have fun in the sun and surf with the added benefit of the ease of use of the very popular sit-on-top configuration without the need to have two kayaks. The Skua ARX is the same high performance Skua hull and practical deck layout with the convertible seating and optional venturi drains in the footwells.

In place of the standard sit inside cockpit there is a fully moulded, extremely comfortable seat well, complete with central rudder control, which offers summer fun in the open, with the ease of use of a sit-on-top. For the winter, or rough water, a removable deck coaming can simply be fastened in place with six machine screws. This takes a spray deck to provide the comfort and protection from the elements of a sit inside. The Skua ARX offers you the best of both worlds without sacrificing the performance of the legendary Skua.

The carrying capacity for touring is the same as the standard Skua and the twin bulkhead arrangement to compartmentalise the very effectively sealed touring hatches are retained. The deep seat provides proper back support and plenty of lateral support for adequate bracing. The rudder pedals supply firm foot bracing as the rudder is toe controlled and the range of adjustment covers a wide range of different sized paddlers from children through to very tall and broad adults. The detachable cockpit coaming quickly transfers the sit-on-top kayak into a fully decked kayak that is ideal for touring, training and adventure racing at a very affordable price.

The specifications and performance figures are identical to the Skua.

Standard colours are white hull and white deck with red trim. Please contact us for other colour combinations.

The Skua ARX, like the standard Skua, comes complete with a cockpit cover and spray skirt included.

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Kaskazi Pelican Sit On Top Kayak

Expedition proven sit-on-top tourer. A very pretty mid volume single sea tourer - designed as a very stable sit-on-top platform for fishing, flyfishing, snorkeling, diving or camping trips while still maintaining the dimensions and performance required for an expedition sea kayak. The Pelican was the first Kaskazi kayak to be used for fishing and was the inspiration for the world leading Dorado. This wonderful kayak is a superb, lightweight, touring kayak with a huge payload and remarkable rough water manners. Two versions are available, a touring version or an angler version.

The tourer is how the kayak was conceived. Weighing just 23kgs she is very popular with ladies as she is so light to put on the roofrack or handle ashore. Large stowage hatches with rubber seals to hard hatch covers and deck rigging make the Pelican a very capable touring kayak, all your camping gear, even water if you have to carry it in, will just disappear into the cavernous holds with deck rigging to take care of any surplus.

In keeping with the Kaskazi tradition, the Pelican is fast, incredibly stable and supremely comfortable with her spacious seatwell. A properly designed and built sea kayak for going places and even having fun in the surf. This kayak is capable of handling extreme conditions with ease and has a payload of 180kgs, making it a real mule of the sea, only a lot faster.

The extremely comfortable cockpit and incredible stability soon found favour with offshore fishermen and spearfishers. For the catch and release lure or fly fishing practitioner this is the best kayak available. The clean, spacious cockpit means an end to fly lines becoming tangled in deck furniture. The deck rigging on the bow and just behind the seat is ample for taking a fly wallet and spare leader material. The angler version is equipped with rod holders and no fewer than 3 anchor/drogue attachment hauls making it easy to anchor the kayak exactly how you want it, or to set up the perfect drift over a fish holding area.

Whether you are fishing, touring or just having fun, the Pelican paddles like a dream and catches and runs with waves, staying on line, regardless of the wind direction, thanks to the Kaskazi hull shape and rudder system. The combination of the V-hull, soft chines and very low wetted surface gives a remarkably fast and responsive kayak with incredible stability. The kayak offers a remarkably dry ride, even in choppy conditions, and has excellent handling on downwind runs. Suitable for everything from day trips to extended ocean paddling and can even be built to take the remarkable Kaskazi delta sail rig.

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Kaskazi Duo Tandem Kayak

The Kaskazi Duo has been designed to handle effortlessly both on and off the water. Never before has a double kayak offered such user friendly attributes and rough water capability, together with expedition touring range and load carrying capacity.

The Duo is only slightly longer than a solo touring kayak, making her easy to transport, easy to carry and easy to store. I carry our Advanced GRP Sandwich Duo and put it on or off the roof rack single handed, there are not many doubles that can boast portability of that nature. The weight of the standard Kaskazi Duo is not much more than many solo tourers. This fact is appreciated by couples, or a parent and child combination, where solo handling might be necessary. If you opt to pay the extra for an epoxy Duo, then you will have a fully rigged, double kayak of similar weight to most single sea kayaks. In this construction she only weighs 26kgs.

The Kaskazi Duo has its cockpits closer together than normal tandem kayaks but without sacrificing legroom, this makes it easy to turn and neutral in high winds as the main bulk of the weight is concentrated over the centres of buoyancy and action. Having paddlers towards each end creates inertia in waves and provides resistance for turning. The Duo avoids this and handles beautifully in any conditions.

The chined V hull is extremely stable and comfortable in big sea conditions. The stability is very welcome for kayak schools and tour operators, who need to build confidence in their clients quickly and yet have kayaks that can be relied upon to provide comfort over long distance touring and expedition voyages or be easy on a day paddle. The Kaskazi Duo was purpose designed for these situations.

The Duo is built with triple bulkheads for additional security and comes fitted with a rudder deployed or lifted by means of an outrigger up/down haul. The foot controlled steering in the aft cockpit is adjustable over a wide range of leg lengths, 6ft 3in is no problem! Deck rigging and two large, well sealed hatches with rubber seals, nylon covers and moulded outer hatch covers as standard. The weights stated are for the fully rigged kayak ready for the water.

The Kaskazi Duo is a mid volume, double sea kayak that is suitable for everything from day trips to extended, open ocean expeditions. This kayak handles brilliantly in rough conditions while still being reasonably fast on flat water. Very stable without being excessively wide in the beam, high payload capability for extended expedition use without getting bogged down and can still be fun in the surf. Easily capable of maintaining 6.5 knots with only half the drag per paddler of a solo tourer going at 5.5 or 6 knots (see table below).

The efficiency of the Duo is down to the slightly rounded mid section for stability, her fine bow for wave cutting and the finely tapered stern section for improved water flow aft. Add to that the low windage and you have a very comfortable kayak with predictable handling in all conditions and an easy cruising speed in excess of 6 knots and capable of over 8 knots for shorter distances. This translates into a kayak that novices appreciate and experienced kayakers enjoy.

Epoxy lay-up

If you take the technology developed for the extremes of Ocean Yacht Racing and high speed powerboat racing and apply it to kayak construction, the result is an extremely stiff kayak with incredible impact resistance and ultimate durability. The increased performance in terms of straightline speed is only marginal, where the extra performance will be felt is in the acceleration, quicker turning ability, immediate reaction to body input and the ability to catch and run with swells. The amazing feel of a truly lightweight and rigid kayak is hard to explain, you have to experience it to fully appreciate the difference.

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Kaskazi Sea Kayaks - Skua

The Skua was designed by its creator, Leon Franken of Cape Town, as an expedition kayak for himself because he could not find a kayak that would meet the demands he was to place upon it.

This is a very sleek, very fast, extremely light, but very strong and exceptionally stable kayak with an impressive load carrying capability. The sea kindly hull rides waves with ease without throwing water in the paddler’s face, even with the wind just off the bow. Responsiveness has not been sacrificed for stability and it can still be lean turned when fully laden, yet the Skua provides the comfort required for all day paddling. This is the ultimate expedition kayak quite easily capable of self contained voyages of several weeks at a time and more than 30 miles a day, for day after day after day…

The Skua is a superbly balanced design providing unsurpassed rough water ability, an enviable payload capacity for expedition touring (165kgs) and extraordinary stability, which instils beginners with confidence but without losing the responsiveness that experienced paddlers demand. The Skua is a kayak with which you can expand your experience and still appreciate when you are an advanced paddler.

She is in a class of her own with regard to weight, even in the standard lay-up of advanced GRP sandwich, the Skua, fully rigged for the water with seat, deck rigging, inner and outer hatch covers and rudder weighs just 23kgs. While a vacuum bagged, vinylester resin and foamcore layup Skua, fully rigged as above, is an incredible 19kgs, yet is stiffer and offers even greater impact resistance! There is nothing on the market that can compare. Even loaded at 140kgs the drag at 6.5 knots is just 6.4kgs (14lbs). This is less than a racing kayak with a lighter payload (113 kgs against 140 kgs) by 4 lbs!* Once you have paddled one you will not want to give it back! She surfs well, due to her South African heritage, where Skua owners go playing in the big Atlantic surf for fun. She is built to take the rough and tumble of this kind of water in her stride and long, open water crossings in the ocean is what she was designed for which makes a day paddle all the more enjoyable.

The Skua comes fully rigged as standard. Two large, well sealed deck hatches, deck rigging for additional stowage, a comfortable, moulded seat with excellent back support, rudder and pedal controlled steering with an easy to use up/down outrigger haul. The cockpit is given a large entry and is very easy to enter or exit but still provides protection and comfortable coamings for knee hanging. Unlike most kayaks the Skua comes complete with a cockpit cover and skirt.

Optional extras include dedicated deck bags and a purpose designed sailing rig which is as innovative as the kayak with a built in mast step to ensure structural integrity (you are not stressing the foredeck). A neoprene skirt can be ordered as an upgrade.

Paddling the Skua is a revelation. She is very responsive to body input yet possesses remarkable secondary stability that you can make use of in wild angles of lean as your ability develops. She is stable enough to be able to drive at over 7 knots with the sail even when paddling empty!

*performance figures obtained by Sea Kayaker for the Zoom Nimbus compared to Skua hydrostatics.

The price for the standard Advanced GRP Sandwich, fully rigged, to include cockpit cover and nylon spray deck with pocket together worth ?60, is ?1495.00.

Epoxy lay-up (19kgs) fully rigged as above but stronger and lighter is ?1895.00.

Standard colours are white hull and white deck with red trim. Please contact us for other

Buy this kayak here

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Ocean Kayak Prowler Trident 13

The latest sit on top fishing kayak

Ocean Kayak, the world’s number 1 for sit-on-tops, offers paddlers an unrivalled choice of designs and the new Prowler Trident 13 is one of their latest models. It is a scaled down version of the popular Prowler Trident 15 and offers similar great features. At 13’ 6” (4.1m) long and with a width 29.5” (74.9cm) this craft performs well in a wide range of conditions on the water offering stability, manoeuvrability and speed; it also copes well with breaking surf and rough seas. The dimensions make the Prowler Trident 13 easy to transport and handle off the water as well. It weighs 57lbs (25.85kg) and has a maximum load capacity of 425-475 lbs (192.8 – 215.5kg) so there’s plenty of room for kit on board. There is a large bow hatch with a cross lock strap down facility and the oversize tank well can be used to stow a fishing crate. Anglers using a fishfinder will particularly appreciate the Sonar Shield™. This is an innovative idea first developed by Ocean Kayak for the Prowler Trident 15. It provides an enclosed storage system for a fishfinder when it is not being used and the cover then acts as a shield to protect the unit when it is operational and helps to make it easier to read the screen in bright sunlight. There is a transducer compatible scupper and this model also comes with a battery bag. The Prowler Trident 13 offers a comfortable paddling position with the Comfort Plus™ seat back and adjustable foot braces which can be adjusted to the optimum position for leg length. The Rod Pod™ provides storage for fishing rods up to around eight feet, there are two flush mounted rod holders and a moulded in cup holder. A variety of colours (including camouflage) is available and the price is scheduled to be £659.

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Ocean Prowler Trident 11

Sit On Top Fishing Kayaks

It’s compact – but it’s got plenty of room on top. It’s the all new Trident 11 from Ocean Kayak, the world’s number 1 for sit-on-tops. At 11’5” (3.5m), long with a width of 30.5” (77.5cm) the Prowler 11 may be the smallest fishing kayak in the Trident line, but it’s big on performance. It offers an impressive blend of stability and load capacity weighing just 54lbs (24.5kg), but able to carry up to 350-400 lbs (158.8 -181.4 kg). Ocean Kayak designers have maximised the potential of this versatile sit-on-top by packing it with features and making it great to handle with excellent manoeuvrabilty. The combination of the roomy cockpit with Comfort Plus™ seat back and the adjustable foot braces give real paddling comfort over long distances. A rudder system can be fitted as optional. The mounting and storage systems have also been carefully thought out so there’s plenty of space for fishing accessories - and the fish. The large bow hatch incorporates a cross lock strap down facility to keep everything watertight and secure and the oversize tank well can be used to stow a large fishing crate.
There are two flush mounted rod holders, a moulded in cup holder and the Rod Pod™ provides convenient storage for fishing rods. Fitting a fishfinder is straightforward due to the transducer compatible scupper, plus there’s a battery bag.
The Prowler Trident 11 is a great choice for inland waters, slow moving rivers, narrow inlets and moderate ocean swells. There’s a choice of colours and a base, non-angler model is also available without the fishing accessories for individual customisation. The price is scheduled to be £629

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