Jackson Kilroy kayak for fishing?

Scott B.

Adventurist
Does anyone have an opinion of the Jackson Kilroy for a fishing and general paddling around kayak?

I am thinking about getting one of the 2019 boats - the redesigned 2020 boat is a lot more money. I hope to find a deal on "last year's model."

I currently have a Kilroy DT two person kayak, and I really like this boat. I think the smaller boat will be just as nice.
 
I could not find a single picture anywhere, including the manufactures site, of the bottom of this boat. Not sure if it has a keel or any rocker. Itl ooks very stable for flat water fishing. For moving water, i don't know. It's also 95lb, so as a solo you won't want to carry it far. For lakes that you can drive to a launch i could see it.
 
I second that.. a friend of mine bought a fancy sit on top fishing yak.. he never uses it because it's to damn heavy.
 
I could not find a single picture anywhere, including the manufactures site, of the bottom of this boat. Not sure if it has a keel or any rocker. Itl ooks very stable for flat water fishing. For moving water, i don't know. It's also 95lb, so as a solo you won't want to carry it far. For lakes that you can drive to a launch i could see it.

The 2019 models only weigh 66 pounds - the 2020 boats are the ones that weigh 93 pounds.

Yet another reason I am looking at the "older" boats.
 
I just bought a Old Town Next that I really like for flat water and easy rivers. It weights 59

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I wanted a kayak for a long time and researched everything from rigid to folding to inflatables.

I wanted something I could paddle solo or put a human or canine companion in, and that I could just as easily load up with overnight camping gear or not. I wanted to be able to load and unload it onto my trailer or van without help, that I could keep with me all the time, and that I could portage long distances by myself.

These wants ruled out the Jackson Kilroy and several others for me. Someone suggested I look at Peter Hornbeck's "double-paddle ultralight pack canoes," made in the Adirondacks. A backpacker at heart, Hornbeck is a pioneer in the pack boat business.

I ended up with a Hornbeck Nomad Solo/Tandem Fourteen and LOVE it. I adore this boat. I've been out on the water for fishing, photography, and general paddling more in the year and eight months I've owned it than than in any previous decade.

Weighs only 28lbs. Seriously. Fourteen feet long and only 28 lbs. It's a Kevlar/carbon fiber matrix. I can lift it with one hand. It stays on my trailer year 'round. Along with my trailer and bike, it's become one of three primary adventure tools.

Hornbeck's design of hollow cheeks and a round belly allows it to have a keel fore and aft--see last image below--but be flat bottomed otherwise. Not a whitewater boat, for sure, though tracks quite nicely. Comes in a few different profiles for customization to user's size and weight. Can also be fitted with oars for fishing.

This is the quietest, smoothest-moving paddler I've ever been in. It is a joy to take out on the water.

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@Road that is one BADASS canoe! :thumbsup

:canoe

Thanks, Dave, I love it, and thought it might be an option here.

The fact that it is so light and easy to handle means it's not a pain in the ass to have with me all the time. Hornbeck owners are like Airstream or Austin Healey or Triumph owners; we all honk and thumbs-up each other on the road, and stop to talk when we see that trademark red stripe in a parking lot or put-in area.

I dig the way it looks on my trailer, too, like I'm some French Voyageur out trapping. When I picked up my boat at Hornbeck, I asked Peter if they've had much trouble with customer's canoes being stolen or messed with, because they're seen as collectables by some. He said not really, then looked me over and checked out my trailer and van and said "Besides, looks like you own guns."

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