Strange looking new Kayak/SUP hybrid

Nice rant on the uselessness of the OK "Nalu," Nanook. I'll snake in on this thread and try not to stuff you in the pit as I add to it here :

What an insult to the Hawaiian word for surf!  I've only seen the pictures, but from a lifelong surfer's point of view, that thing is a very bad joke.
You simply can't have any kind of a bow keel on a wave-riding vehicle. It doesn't work. Never has. Never will. From any surfing standpoint, that OK "Nalu" is a piss-poor design, obviously drawn up by a non-surfer.  It might help standup paddling in flat water, but that stupid bow keel looks like it will catch and flip the board if you try to do any surfing on it.  
Why did they have to insult the Hawaiian language and go and call it a "Nalu?"

Gotta agree that Raptor looks strange. I think it might make a good fly fishing platform for the estuary backwaters and tidal creeks, with a good trolling motor, but that ain't kayakin'!  Don't know if I'd want to paddle that thing anywhere where anyone might recognize me!

What'l they come up with next? Are the designers all in the back room smokin' crack?

That SCK will never make it into my quiver. Neither will the Nalu. I don't get the desire to stand and paddle. Why not SIT and drink a brewski or two and RELAX. KInda like those Segway's two wheeled people movers. I ain't interested until I can sit down and ride it.

Hmm, that's...interesting. I would be curious to paddle it.

As for the Nalu, my daughter likes it, and I don't have to worry about the kids dinging it up. Beyond that, eh.

The Nalu, YoloYak, and this seem to fit the person who wants a durable and affordable entry into stand up paddling.  Regular SUP boards are expensive and fragile, so I could see someone getting their dollar's worth out of one of these hybrids.  Not my bag, but they seem to have their place.  If I was fishing the Tualatin river, the Nalu or Yolo would be a good choice.  I'd never take a fiberglass and foam board in there, but standing and casting over the debris would be fun.

Hmmmm. Looks like it might have faster lines than a regular SOT, but my personal feelings have me shying away from calling anything a kayak that deviates to far from true kayak form.
...
J

J,

Such design is definitely slower than a SOT, or any other kayak form, since a wide stern increases drag through a suction effect.
With a motor, such a slow hull design would be less of a problem.

As for stand up paddling, and stand up fishing from a kayak, it's one thing to be able to do it in theory, and a totally different thing to do in in reality.
The fact you can stand up on a paddle board, or a kayak, doesn't mean it's a practical solution for you to fish standing, since sooner or later there will be something to make you lose your balance, and you're going to have to swim, and quite possibly lose some of your precious fishing gear in the process.
This is true for all fishing kayaks advertised as "stand up" fishing kayaks, except one.

I prefer to sit myself. I can barely walk down the sidewalk without falling over. I NEED to have a low CG. Although I can stand on any SOT, I can't do it well, or do much of anything while standing.

I prefer to sit myself. I can barely walk down the sidewalk without falling over. I NEED to have a low CG

Squats.  Lots of squats!

I like to spend time on a Indo Board during the winter months to build those stand up skills. Its far easier than it looks and you can even balance on the board without spilling your adult beverage.

As far as fishing SUPs go, Im seriously considering a Corran Addison design called "the speeder".
Its plastic, so Im thinking scotty flush mounts to get my troll on and that it can take the beating that my kind of fun hands out.
The hatches are very similiar, if not the same, as the WS boats.
It has a rudder system that is controled by a disc at the left foot and is being billed as fast.
Im not sure if this has been released yet but its a Imagine surf product.

That thing looks really neat Spidey. Definitely a good choice for the SUP fishing thing. The hatches look good as the rocker does too. If you end up getting it I'd love to see your review on it.

Z

just talked to the Imagine rep, and he hopes to have the Speeder & rest of the line available to demo by this spring. I'll let you know when I here more details. curious to check those out myself.

I stumbled across this today.

http://www.santacruzkayaks.com/products.htm

Apparently, it can be paddled standing up.  It seems a little wide in the rear, so it may be a knuckle knocker, but then again maybe not.  Doesn't look like it has a lot of storage options.
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    Hey,    I stumbled on this today...      I got to thinking about where this kayak would be best suited and found this sister site to NCKA.     No, I'm not sitting in a dark room smokin             More like out fishing,  or working on production of a kayak that isn't a replica of every other kayak out there.   
 
          It seems like I've heard all the same questions / issues brought up in other forums.   Too many people sitting behind a computer screen  tossing out opinions on a design that they know absolutely nothing about , have never seen or paddled.
  " Must be slow"...     " It will sink "   ...      " It's not like my kayak "...   
 Wasn't that long ago people laughed at the  first SOT's that hit the water...  later Hobie's mirage drive was the big joke.
   
What is a kayak ?   Many will  argue that a SOT doesn't fit into that category.

Here's a review by a guy who's actually paddled  one.
       http://www.kayakfishingmagazine.net/gear-guide/92-staff-reviews/1351-santa-cruz-raptor.html
   

    A video link catching a Halibut from a Raptor ,  Monterey Bay.     
           

  Another posting by a  NCKA member.
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Test ridding a Trident & stumbled onto an amazing kayak!
« on: April 07, 2011, 05:55:06 pm »

    Quote

I was test ridding a Trident 15 at the Kayak connection in the Santa Cruz harbor and found a new kayak that really amazed me.  I went to buy an older model 1999 trident 15 that was on sale. I thought for sure I was going to take it home but I found out right away that the sonar hatch was to far forward for me to reach any controls for a fish finder/sonar. I would have needed arms another foot longer. I don't know what the engineers were thinking. I find I use this tool all the time and even win I have a fish hooked. I also did not like the stability of the boat. I'm 6'1" & 195#s. So, I sadly returned it. there was a new kayak mfg. showing his kayak off in front of the Kayak Connection store. It was very different looking and was an open style kayak. I never wanted that kind of kayak and it looked slow and like something unstable. The guy showing it to me said it was everything I was sure it wasn't. So, I test drove it. It was very windy that day and the surf was really up. I could not believe how fast and stable it was! I even plowed it into the breakers at the opening of the harbor and turned it sideways into breaking surf. It did not take on any water and I even stood up in it and stepped into the back area were one would keep there live well or gear etc. The kayak was called the raptor and he has a  web site called SantaCuzkaKayaks.com I really want one of these now and I'm hopping I can save a little more and get one. I was so impressed I wanted to pass this experience on to other fishermen.

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   If you can't design your own... don't laugh at others.

    BTW...  I think the graphics on the Nalo were really cool.



   
     

While it does look very stable, what happens if you do tip it over, say while going out or coming back through the surf?  With a traditional sea kayak you can wear a skirt and do a roll and recover without getting much water in your kayak.  With a SOT you have scupper holes to drain the water once you flip it back over and climb in.   With this...I'm guessing it fills with water and you wait for it to hopefully return to the beach. 

Welcome to the site Jim.  But why the defensive tone to your post?  It's been proven time and time again that a good product will stand on its own.  I think you'll find that a lot of people here have opinions based on experience, not just "people sitting behind a computer screen  tossing out opinions on a design that they know absolutely nothing about".

I'd like to invite you to the Oregon Rockfish Classic to be held the weekend of June 18 out of Depoe Bay, OR.  See ... http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,6025.0.html

I'm sure you'll find a lot of people at this event that would be interested giving your kayak a testdrive and then giving more informed opinions on it.

-Allen

It looks like it smells funny.... 


 

-Spot-

Bring it to ORC ...
I won't say anything negative till I play with it.
How does it surf launch and land? Ever tried pulling a crab pot  with it?
.... looks ... welll ..... um ... interesting