A Pedal Kayak That Does it All? | Wilderness Systems Recon 120 HD Kayak Review
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- čas přidán 9. 06. 2024
- Pedal kayak review of the Recon 120. With its SMART hull technology, Wilderness Systems believes the Recon 120 HD kayak combines Stability, Maneuverability, Acceleration, Responsiveness, and Tracking to deliver the ultimate performance in all waters. The purpose of this video is to discover if this is true by putting the Recon 120 HD through a thorough and unbiased boat testing.
More info on this kayak: www.wildernesssystems.com/us/...
KAYAKS
Wilderness Systems Pungo 120: bit.ly/3E5BoOl
Perception Pescador: bit.ly/3FPuWeK
Take a free online safety course for canoeing, kayaking, and stand up paddling (SUP), brought to you by the American Canoe Association and the U.S. Coast Guard: americancanoe.org/education/r...
Other paddling gear I use and recommend:
NOTE: These are affiliate links where I'll earn a small commission if you make a purchase at no additional cost to you, but it's a great way to show your support. Thanks!
PADDLES
Aqua Bound Manta Ray Carbon Paddle:
Aqua Bound Tango Fibreglass Paddle: bit.ly/3iaGleJ
Aqua Bound Whiskey Carbon Bent Shaft Paddle: bit.ly/3z1kiOH
FOOTWEAR
NRS Kicker Remix Shoe: bit.ly/36F1B6Y
NRS Boundary Boot: bit.ly/2TaCMgl
PADDLING SHIRTS / TOPS
NRS Guide Long Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3yVID8j
NRS Guide Short Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3dkDYaD
NRS H2Core Silkweight Shirt: bit.ly/3xF43pX
NRS H2Core Silkweight Long Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3yZGbO2
NRS Hydroskin Short Sleeve Shirt: bit.ly/3wCvoI3
NRS Riptide Splash Jacket: bit.ly/3BbAZZJ
NRS Flux Dry Top: bit.ly/2U3Pvlw
PFD’S
NRS Odyssey PFD: bit.ly/3ibIk2n
NRS Zen PFD: bit.ly/2VCfrF3
NRS Chinook PFD: bit.ly/2TaEAG9
OTHER PADDLING GEAR
Zoleo Communicator: bit.ly/3zw7gw1
NRS Drylander Sprayskirt: bit.ly/36z5BG6
WRSI Current Helmet: bit.ly/2Te6KA6
PADDLING SHORTS/BOTTOMS
NRS Benny Board Short: bit.ly/2VIbK0L
NRS Hydroskin Shorts: bit.ly/3hCXPl2
SUNGLASSES
WileyX: bit.ly/3NtJQKR
FOLLOW KEN
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Blog: in4adventure.com
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#RecreationalKayak #BeginnerKayak #KayakReview #kayak #kayakfishing - Sport
I really enjoy how clearly you present information. Very well done.
Thanks Dan! I've been picking up lots of great ideas from your videos! :)
Would love to see you review this kayak.
I loved this video and I now have a Recon 120 HD. Your steering issue and the rudder not coming up straight can be easily fixed by just holding the steering handle in the center and then pulling the cables taught inside their adjustment blocks on either side of the rudder. Now my steering is perfectly responsive with no backlash and my rudder comes up and down perfectly centered. I do always enjoy your videos!
Great to hear you're loving it! I actually just tested a Perception Showdown with the same system. I tightened it up like you said, and it made a big difference!
The rudder system is the same one used on the Perception Pescador Pilot that I own. Steering was terrible until changing out the cables with an upgraded stainless steel cable. It was about a 10 minute job and changed the responsiveness exponentially.
Ken, I really enjoyed the review on this vessel. Something that you may consider reviewing is the Oldtown Predator Pedal Kayak. In addition to this one is the Oldtown Next Canoe/ Kayak hybrid. It's an amalgamation of the best of both worlds. Keep up the great work!
Thanks Robert! I would love to test out both of those boats. Seems as though Old Town has been sold out of their kayaks this year, as I haven't been able to get a hold of any to test. Hopefully that will change this fall. Cheers!
I think Hobie's Lynx is headed in the right direction with the lighter weight. I really like these pedal kayaks, but at over 100 pounds they're just too heavy to load and transport into tight areas. Would love your impressions of the Lynx.
Would love to try the Lynx. I actually just tested the Hobie I Trek 9 (video coming soon). Very cool, lightweight pedal kayak/board. Of course, it's not as much of a fishing machine as the Recon...
Ralph nailed it. I believe the future of kayaks is the hobie passport 12, compass, and lynx. All those kayaks are under 70lbs (as low as 45lbs) and have a great drive system.
The ever increasing weight is a problem. I think in the bass world, youll see more and more big, heavy, and fully decked out kayaks. In the inshore and coastal waters, lighter is the future, I believe.
Great video
Thanks for the review! Maybe one day you may get a chance to review the Pelican pedal Kayak which is a lower priced product.
The new Native Watercraft Slayer Max 10 looks like a solid pedal drive kayak without the bulk and weight and I'd love to see you do a review on that. I own the old Slayer Propel 10 model which is a pretty sweet small pkg boat. I also own a Wilderness Systems ATAK 120, which I love and you can see a lot of this Recon boat has ATAK DNA. Thanks for the great review 👍
My pleasure. I agree... the Slayer Max 10 would be a great boat to test. Native makes some nice kayaks, and so I have high expectations for it. I've paddled the ATAK 120 a bunch too, and really like that kayak for fishing (and filming from). There are definitely some similarities, although the Recon feels a good bit 'bigger'.
@@PaddleTV haha I bet it feels a bit bigger. Stability, as you know, on the ATAK 120 is pretty good, so it must be insanely good on the Recon. Standing on one side of the boat was good proof of that. I always enjoy the reviews and the adventures.
Todo el conjunto del diseño del Kayak, incluido el color, es espectacular.
Pick mine up last month and have not looked back! Performance & stability and more. Both Forward and reverse within seconds. Aloha see you on the water.
Nice! Enjoy!
Found my answer in the first 1:30 of the video; calm water kayak. Thanks!😎
You got it!
Thank you Ken!
Every time you explain that sit on tops are less speedy and performance oriented than sit ins, I keep reminding myself "he is NOT talking about surfskis, Alex, calm down!".
Surfskis prove that statement backwards
The issue that I found with the rudder is that when moving it does not stay vertical. I tied the two control knobs together with the bungee supplied in the kit and it seemed to hold it vertical under speed. This is the way it was done on my Tsunami. Steering is very nice now.
Great video! You should check out a Kuku Zulu or the new Bonafide P127 peddle kayak
Thanks! I haven't heard of the Kuku, but I'll be testing the P127 later this spring! Excited to do so.
How about a review of the Hoodoo Element 100S?
Great review ken Hows does it compare to the recon that's not paddles driven
I haven't tried the Recon without the Helix Drive, although I did try paddling the Recon with the HD pulled up. It paddled a little better than I expected for a kayak of this size... a 'little' better'. It's a big boat!
@@PaddleTV thank you for replying appreciate it . I am a bigger guy love all the reviews you do just makes me want to get out on the water I'm anting to get a boat soon but so undecided on what to get
This is awesome 👌🏽...Do they make them for two seats❓
The only tandem pedal kayak that I know about is the Hobie Compass Duo - www.hobie.com/kayaks/mirage-compass-duo/
I'd like to see a review on the Kaku Zulu pedal kayak.i never see much about the Zulu and its an excellent fishing kayak/kayak/adventure craft
I've never heard of it. I'll check it out! Thanks!
Re: the steering I saw in another pedal drive kayak video that the reviewer was having a responsiveness issue and he was able to adjust the cables at the rudder to eliminate the free play.
And in regards to the flying kayak? You may not get airborne but there are electric motors that are built for fishing kayaks. Wilderness systems has it’s Helix MD motor drive for some of their other boats.
I'm not surprised to hear that steering could be tightened up. I didn't deep dive into trying to fix it... partly because I didn't have time to, and partly because I felt you shouldn't have to. I wanted to test it the way it was assembled. That being said, when I get a chance to play around with it some more, I'll leave a not if I find a solution for it.
Thank you for this review. I know Wilderness makes super kayaks. I love my 13.5' Tsunami. Since my strokes, I would love to get a peddle kayak. The weight would be impossible for me to handle though and Just Liquid doesn't deal in Wilderness anymore so I wouldn't be able to try before I buy. Looks beautiful, but overkill for my rehab.
If you need a light pedal kayak, it's worth considering the Hobie I-Trek 9. I just tested it this week (video coming soon) and it was incredibly light and stable. Definitely doesn't have as many features as the Recon 120... but great, light pedal kayak.
Please review the Jackson Big Rig FD. I have my eye on a new boat and I don't want to spend over 3500.00
Not sure what make it was but I saw a kayak in the UK that had flippers rather than a propeller. The people with it were keen birdwatchers so the ability to move the boat while holding binoculars was the attraction to them. On one of your pictures from the rear it did look like the rudder attachment being so high above the water line was actually allowing the rudder to flex. Does it just have a normal sea kayak rudder or a beefed up one?
The 'flipper' style pedal kayak you're referring to is Hobie's Pedal Drive system. Hobie was the originator of the pedal drive, and I can tell you that it works really well. The only drawback is that it doesn't allow you to reverse. On the upside, it's probably the fastest and most durable system. The rudders for pedal kayaks tend to be a little wider than typical sea kayak rudders so that they 'grab' more water.
Hobie Mirage Drive 180 does forward and reverse
try the feel free Dorado and the 13.5 lure pedal drive.
I've been hoping to try some FeelFree kayaks for a while now... hopefully this will be the year!
How does this compare to the Old Town 120 pdl?
Curious what is the fastest foot propelled kayak you've tested?
I haven't tested enough to have a valuable opinion on that... I'll do some comparison videos once I have done some more pedal kayak testing though.
Have you reviewed or compared the Old Town Sportsman PDL 120 to the Recon 120 HD?
Wish I could... but Old Town have decided not to send a review boat to this point. Hope to test a bunch of their boats someday soon. Feel free to send their customer service a note to say they should! :)
You can tighten the rudder cables to tighten the steering slack.
I figured there must be a way to adjust. Thanks!
@@PaddleTV very good informative video though.
So how many years before we see an e-kayak when someone puts an ebike motor on the pedal system
:). Won't be long I don't think!
Where is this place? The water looks really calm.
This was filmed on the Ottawa River in Canada.
Did you have a cell phone case to recommend? One that floats?
Are you messing with me? :) If you are... I can appreciate that... If not, then try the Cali Case. They sent me their case to test (which I did, and liked), and then they sponsored a few of my tip videos this year.
@@PaddleTV no not messing with you. I remember you had it in one of your videos. But i cannot find it. Do you have a dedicated video for it? Or a link? Thanks for responding.
its gotta b that huge front nose that keeps it from turning better, to have better tracking you gotta give up better turning, sad but true, I'm torn between this one and the old town 106 powered minn kota
would self recovery be an issue with the pedal drive?
That's a good question... I don't think it would make much difference, largely because I don't think you would actually flip this kayak if you fell into the water. It's so stable, I think you would 'fall off' the kayak before it actually flipped. A reentry would be the same in this kayak as any other kayak, although the pedal system might make it a little more awkward.
Yes.trt hydrofoil kayak
Can you switch their peddles for your own bicycle peddles? Also how is it for touring?
Good question about swapping the pedals... My feeling is that these were standard bike pedals, which means you could do so... but I'm not sure. I wouldn't call it a great touring kayak, simply because you give up a lot of speed for stability... really depends on what's most important to you.
What's the draft with the prop unit? Can you get it up easily after running it into mud or weeds?
Good question on the draft... I would guess around 18 inches. It's very easy to pop out. It has a spring loaded kick pedal that pops it out of the water. You can then tilt the whole unit forward to reach the prop if you need to remove any weeds.
That's really heavy...I kayak solo too often to consider it.
You definitely need a kayak cart to get it to the water solo, and a trailer or pickup to transport around.
@@PaddleTV I have the Tempest 170....and I have gotten use to carrying and transporting it for about 18 months. I load my vest paddle pump and skirt into the kayak and carry it all together...about 90 lbs.
How does one use the rudder if they're paddling?
You steer with the steering handle that is mounted on either side of the seat.
Seeing that thing on the water makes me shudder a bit for some reason. I'm not even sure if it qualifies for being called a kayak. It's just a pedal boat really, and a very heavy one at that.
A really comfy one too! :)
$2500 and you have to assemble it yourself? No way
It's actually very mild assembly... not a biggey.
A kayak that heavy almost needs an electric trolling motor. Good review!
I disagree. I had a 2023 hoodoo tempest 120P that was 90 lbs and it cruised easily at 4 mph. Of course it isnt as stable as the Recon, which is why I got rid of it. Trolling motors are ok on kayaks, but increases the weight substantially, makes a much more complicated system with batteries, motor, registration requirements etc... I love the pedal kayaks because, here in Colorado, you dont have to register them or have them inspected for ANS. Pedal kayaks make a lot more sense here. Not sure they would everywhere though.
Kayak? :)))
Annoying habit of saying the same thing 4 or 5 ways, if not more. Worse, he'll tell you what he is going to say, then repeat that he's going to talk about something, and remind you that he said he's going to talk about it, again. Then, and only then, will he talk about what he said he was going to talk about. But before he actually starts to talk about it, he's going to remind you that he's going to talk about something. Not to just jump right in and talk about something without telling you he fully intends to tell you that he is going to tell you, but not before he tells you that he is going to tell you...
So... Are you referring to the video, or your style of commenting on videos?
Pretty nice boat, Ken. I'm guessing there is an electric motor option in a kayak, too. 👍🙂🚣♂️
Hey Brian! Yup... there's an electric motor option for it, but unfortunately no wings for it yet. :)