In this article I am going to review the Pelican Potomac Kayak. There are many of you looking for a cheaper kayak to get out on the water. I am with you. I don't want to spend $1200 on something I am going to cut up, modify, then sell later. Start with a $200 kayak, and modify it to your needs. That's for another post however. To the review.
When I first saw this kayak at Dicks, I knew that I had to have it. I asked them to bring it down, and checked out the price. A whopping $199.99! Woah. I also had a 20% discount coming from spending so much money here, so I walked out the door with kayak and paddle in hand, for $224.17.
On the first test out, I was pretty uncomfortable. The hard plastic seat, and rough plastic edges made for a very uncomfortable ride the first 2 hours. I will show you how to fix this in another post though, for cheap. The back rest is comfortable, and didn't need too much adjusting. The pedals are also in a comfortable position. So for comfort, I give this thing a 5 out of the box.
On the ride, paddling was a workout. You are required to use a light touch with your paddle on this kayak. If you don't, you will spend most of your time making correcting strokes. This is expected from a 10' kayak though. If you want straight tracking, stay tuned, we will be installing a rudder in this kayak. As long as you stick with a light touch, you can get going at a decent clip. Not bad for a 10' recreational kayak.
The storage is non existant on this kayak. It came with a bungee on front of the kayak that will allow your paddle to fall in the water if given the chance. It also has a storage bin on the back of the boat, with some bungees to hold it on. This is not waterproof, and the hatch is barely secured. I would not recommend using it. You are also unable to get in behind the seat to store things. Getting into the front of the boat was a task, having to clim halfway in. Don't worry though, we will fix all of these things for cheap!
The potential of this fishing kayak is amazing. I have so many plans for it in mind. All in all, this is an exellent kayak fishing platform. With a few cheap modifications, you can make this thing as comfortable, stable, and functional as the $1000 kayaks you drool over all the time! How about making their owners drool over your $200 kayak? I'll teach you how!
As stated, the Pelican Potomac 110es is an exellent kayak, with amazing potential!
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