The dorado kayak
May 8, 2007 19:12:24 GMT -1
Post by ZEBRA on May 8, 2007 19:12:24 GMT -1
Went to port dafarch and met up with simon Everett www.kayakuk.com/ who kindly gave me and kevin the chance to test and review the dorado we did not need asking twice so off we went running down the beach with Simons pride and joy .
The first things we noticed was that the carry handles were in a well balanced place in the centre of each end and it’s quite a light kayak so was easy to carry.
Second was the fact its made from fibreglass it has very sleek lines it was well moulded and quality workmanship has gone into the laminating of the glass layers and it showed in the nice clean finish and tight edges it has.
It has many good features like good anchor points for tying of an anchor trolley to the cockpit area has built in leg rests which cradle he backs of your knees and rudder peddles.
In the centre of the cockpit is an enormous opening hatch as you can see in the photo which was easy to open when out on the water even with wet and cold hands the catches were easy to operate.
We took the dorado out to sea and found it to be very stable and a fast kayak especially on the turn it was not a good day to be reviewing any kayak as the swell was not the best to complement any kayak but the dorado handled it very well and at no time was their any possibility of a capsize even though many sit inside kayaks on the day were capsizing all around us.
When we did try to capsize on purpose it was very hard to do mostly we just popped up again still in the seat it took real effort to fall out which we did in the end to try some re-entry drills on it we found by adjusting out technique a bit it was not a problem getting back in to at all.
The 2 rear rod holders were very well made and fitted they were quite a bit smaller on the collar size than the ones on both my x-factor and Kevin’s prowler they preformed well and it was easy to reach the rods while in them on the water .
It was interesting to note how low to the water the seating area was this gives the kayak a whole lot of stability and I found it comfortable to sit in and fish from.
Note also the rear watertight hatch this is a very large area and could easily accommodate your overnight kit if having a camp.
the front hatch gives easy access to the centre and front storage area which both I and Kevin thought would be an ideal place to keep your tackle and catch out of the sun.
All in all I think this is a great kayak it preformed really well was easy to handle and turned on a sixpence it has plenty of storage areas and was comfortable to sit in and fish from its not heavy to lift so would be easy to put on the car its sure to be a top kayak thanks again to Simon for allowing us to test and review his kayak. www.kayakuk.com/
[glow=red,2,300]This review is also on the main website north wales kayak fishing [/glow]
northwaleskayakfishing.co.uk/id16.html
The first things we noticed was that the carry handles were in a well balanced place in the centre of each end and it’s quite a light kayak so was easy to carry.
Second was the fact its made from fibreglass it has very sleek lines it was well moulded and quality workmanship has gone into the laminating of the glass layers and it showed in the nice clean finish and tight edges it has.
It has many good features like good anchor points for tying of an anchor trolley to the cockpit area has built in leg rests which cradle he backs of your knees and rudder peddles.
In the centre of the cockpit is an enormous opening hatch as you can see in the photo which was easy to open when out on the water even with wet and cold hands the catches were easy to operate.
We took the dorado out to sea and found it to be very stable and a fast kayak especially on the turn it was not a good day to be reviewing any kayak as the swell was not the best to complement any kayak but the dorado handled it very well and at no time was their any possibility of a capsize even though many sit inside kayaks on the day were capsizing all around us.
When we did try to capsize on purpose it was very hard to do mostly we just popped up again still in the seat it took real effort to fall out which we did in the end to try some re-entry drills on it we found by adjusting out technique a bit it was not a problem getting back in to at all.
The 2 rear rod holders were very well made and fitted they were quite a bit smaller on the collar size than the ones on both my x-factor and Kevin’s prowler they preformed well and it was easy to reach the rods while in them on the water .
It was interesting to note how low to the water the seating area was this gives the kayak a whole lot of stability and I found it comfortable to sit in and fish from.
Note also the rear watertight hatch this is a very large area and could easily accommodate your overnight kit if having a camp.
the front hatch gives easy access to the centre and front storage area which both I and Kevin thought would be an ideal place to keep your tackle and catch out of the sun.
All in all I think this is a great kayak it preformed really well was easy to handle and turned on a sixpence it has plenty of storage areas and was comfortable to sit in and fish from its not heavy to lift so would be easy to put on the car its sure to be a top kayak thanks again to Simon for allowing us to test and review his kayak. www.kayakuk.com/
[glow=red,2,300]This review is also on the main website north wales kayak fishing [/glow]
northwaleskayakfishing.co.uk/id16.html