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Posted by Greg on 20:15:23 08/28/03
In Reply to: Extreme mini review and pics. Let pics load posted by Ted
: I went down to the huntington harbor shop yesterday and took a look at the new Malibu Kayak Extreme.Just to clear up the misunderstandings out there, The original Extreme that first came off the mold in June has been redesigned and changed. Only a few of the orginal designs went out. The difference is two support posts under the seat and the cockpit is 6 inches longer. I saw both the old design and the new design at the shop.Disclaimer: I do not work for Malibu Kayak. They have not compensated me or coerced me into writing this mini review. I bought a Pro 2 from them 3 years ago and I just bought a Pro Explorer from them in June. I have owned a Scupper Pro TW and I have fished a Cabo and Scrambler XT.I believe that if you are looking at the Supper Pro TW, you should seriously consider the Extreme. I owned a Scupper Pro TW and hands down, the Extreme blows it's oars out of the water.The very first thing I noticed was the low profile. This has got to be the lowest profile sit-on-top fishing kayak in the industry. What is even more impressive is that I weight 185 lb and I went out in my clothes, wallet and all and did not get wet. You would think that the flat hull would cause tracking problems, but the bow and stern are designed in a way that this kayak tracks as straight as an arrow. I paddled this kayak as hard as I could up to top speed and let it glide and it went straight and smooth. Without the rudder it turns the same as the Scupper Pro TW and with the low profile, wind will not be the issue it is on other kayaks.Looking at the cockpit you have the large center hatch between your legs, with the center console that runs up to the bow hatch which is perfect for fish finders and rod holders. The spot behind the seat can either be configured as in the picture or a hatch can be put there. The tank well is setup to accomodate a 5 gallon live bait tank. The bow hatch is the same as on the Pro Explorer. This hatch is huge making it easy to store rods, gear and large game fish. The hatch is hollow, so if it fell off your kayak, it would float. In the underside of the hatch is a small screw in lid, perfect to keep your wallet and keys safe, during your paddle.There are four flush mount rod holders for a clean finish and fewer items to setup before your trip.Inside the hull is another innovation. The entire inside hull is coated with a lightweight foam that adds, boyancy and strength, but keeps the kayak light. The new Extremes have several more pounds of plastic and with the combination of the foam the hull is rock solid.I still need to get one out in rough seas and the surf, but my preliminary report is that I am very impressed with this offering by Malibu Kayak and I belive that if you are in the market for a touring style fishing kayak, you have to take this out for a demo. I forgot to mention the stability. The stability is awsome and I'd put first time paddlers in both the Scupper Pro TW and the Extreme side by side and be confident that the Extreme would be the choice everytime.-Ted
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