Feelfree kayaks...??

I dont hear alot about feelfree kayaks around here, are they not as popular because they are more of an east coast brand? Looking for opinions on the moken and lure series and how well they stack up against some of the more popular kayaks like Jackson, OK, and Old Town.

I was eyeballing the Moken 14, for the Columbia and someday the ocean. And noticed the Lure 13.5 and thought it would make a killer bass kayak.

I looked at a Moken 12.5, but decided against it due to the weight.   The specs look good, but I wanted to put hands on one and couldn't find one close to me. 

The only one I've seen in person is sculpinator's Moken 14. Shoot him a PM, because I don't think he'll see this otherwise.

Here's my take after fishing with him all last season:
The wheel in the keel is kinda neat/kinda gimmicky. For really short jaunts (20 yards or so) over hard uniform surfaces it works pretty good, anything more than that still requires wheels. The angle you have to hold to engage the wheel along with the balance added is hard on your wrists and forearms. The rail tracks are pretty neat and useful. Seem solid as well. The "rod pod" looking center hatch does not give hull access. It's a long quasi shallow tackle tray. I think it's pretty sweet, but it would be nice if it lifted out for hull access as well. The seat is a big cushy lazyboy! Really comfy and supportive! Even though it's not the new camp chair style of seating, it's about as comfy as you'll get in a traditional seat. She's not the fastest horse in the barn by any stretch of the imagination, but it's a better paddle than some. Super stable, and pretty dry as well. Great platform for most styles of fishing. I personally wouldn't want to troll for salmon or get into any nasty currents with it though. He had it out in a less than perfect ocean for bottom fishing, and it handled the conditions like a champ. One somewhat odd design flaw is the front scuppers. They percolate like tiny geysers if the water is anything other than mirror flat. A couple of plugs remedied that issue though. I can see why it would be a popular boat back east!

I only looked the Moken 12.5 over in the store (closely looked it over because I liked the looks of it), but in the end I decided it was (a) too heavy for my purposes, and (b) had that semi-useful wheel on it.

I would have overlooked the weight - I need the exercise - but I was really not a fan of that wheel for all the reason(s) polyangler described.

I was told that they ship without the wheel attached and the fitting is done in the shop.  Don't know if that's true; the lead time for an order was longer than I wanted to wait when there were other kayaks I could take home that day.

A lot of talk about the wheel in the keel here and in other reviews. I guess it's my lack of experience talking but it seems like a non issue to me whether its there or not. I'm going to end up with a kayak cart or dolly with any kayak I get anyway it sounds like. But moving it around in the driveway and garage while loading and unloading seems like the wheel would be very helpful without having to mess with a cart for those short distance situations. So unless it somehow affects performance negatively than it seems like a added bonus in some scenarios. As far as weight... Its not that much different than other kayaks in it's class... And lighter than some even. Am I missing something because that also seems like a non issue. The moken 14 is 6 lbs heavier than the OK T13. And it's a little longer and an inch wider so that doesn't seem like enough difference to be worried about. But again... I'm not very experienced in the matter. I'm a backpacker so I know ounces turn into pounds but on the water I would think hull design and paddle would make bigger differences than a few pounds of base kayak weight. Especially when most are rigging their kayaks with all kinds of gear.

Correction,  there is 9lbs difference between the OK T13 and Moken 14. I was looking at another kayak stats I believe. But still... will that make a big enough difference to notice much?

I don't think the wheel effects performance at all. I was just giving my overall impression of the boat in general. I personally don't feel it's that heavy either. My main fishing rig is a Hobie Adventure, and main duck boat a Predator 13. The Moken is a feather by comparison. The OK T13 will paddle circles around the Moken. Slightly less primary stability, and way more efficient hull shape.

Hmmm... interesting.  The specs are fairly close befween the two. I understand the difference a more efficient hull could make but they seem close.  Guess I need to test drive a OK T13.

My X-13 is even more efficient than the T13, but again slightly less primary stability. You'll find this trade off the more you look. The more stable the less efficient. The T13 is a great all around boat. Plenty stable and efficient. Plus they're really easy to come by both new and used.

The thing about the wheel is that it didn't seem to be all that helpful because using it to move the Moken felt too awkward - think of a long and laterally unstable wheelbarrow without handles - and what little convenience it might have added didn't seem to be worth the extra weight.  We don't use carts - they're not practical in the areas where we launch - and 9 extra pounds of hull is a bunch of ounces we didn't see a need to carry.

That's my opinion from a dry land, in-store examination of the Moken.  Yours may vary.