Product Reviews > Kayaks > Cobra Kayaks > Eliminator

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01-02-2012
Submitted by: jilas100 - Rating: 10 of 10
     I've had this kayak for 5 years and it is the most used of all the kayaks and skis I've owned. Fast ie for an sot looks great; and light about 19-20 kg. Not as fast as some others I've owned but the fact that it is still in my collection speaks volumes for its overall quality of build, speed, stability and weight I must give it a big 10.

06-09-2009
Submitted by: paddler_fl - Rating: 9 of 10
     2 months ago I got the Cobra Eliminator, 17 feet by 22. I'm 5'11" and 210 pounds. So far it has been an exciting learning experience. I have been paddling for 3 years and experimented with different types of kayaks. Right now I own a Necky Eleho HV and the Cobra.

The first time I tried the Eliminator I was disappointed. I bought the kayak used, and I was thinking that I wasted the $650 I paid for it. But once you start learning to "ride" the Eliminator you don't want to paddle any other kayak. I have been practicing about 6 hours every weekend spending time mastering my bracing and stroke. A month ago I got a wing paddle that is helping me go even faster.

In the last 2 weeks, I got very comfortable paddling through rough waters (at the beginning I used to fall into the water once in a while). I usually go out in Miami's ocean inlets with a lot of boat traffic. In the canals the wake of the boats produce a wired effect in the water with waves coming from different directions (waves bouncing back from docks and other natural barriers); the Eliminator (or lets say me), is handling the waters pretty well in these sea conditions. I recommend this kayak for any body who wants to go SUPER FAST in the water, like to workout, is willing to learn new techniques and is not afraid to fall into the water once in a while.

08-04-2004
Submitted by: gbn2 - Rating: 9 of 10
     I bought the Cobra Eliminator because I was at Lake Tahoe on vacation, didn't have any of my boats with me, and had a chance to get a demo Eliminator at a good price. I've had it for three weeks and it's been the kayak of choice ever since. But, it takes a little getting used to. In my experience, it's a dry ride up to about 6" chop, takes an occasional slurp at 1', and over 1 1/2' requires serious attention to avoid a capsize. Longer period waves (e.g. big lake or ocean swell) should be less of a problem. A little dicey in following seas. On flat water, the stability is fine. The shape of the hull actually seems to encourage good paddling style with blade entry close to the narrow hull and strong torso rotation. The self-bailer is a great feature. I haven't had any trouble getting back in and paddling the boat dry quickly after my two capsizes.

My only negatives are that the boat with rudder weighs about 10 lbs. more than its advertised 42 lbs. (Cobra says they beefed up the hull and haven't changed the advertised specs) and I'd like to see an attachment point in the bow for a rope for more secure roof rack transport.

03-01-2004
Submitted by: hirpm - Rating: 10 of 10
     First time out, first review. It's great! The boat will be yours with a little adjustment before launching. Seat, foot bar, back band, rudder levers need to be worked carefully. Once where you need them the boat is part of you. If you are fully relaxed sitting and stroking all is well. I paddled all day and after the first hour the boat became stable and fast. I had never paddled a boat like this before and will never go back. I thought it would only be an exercise boat but wound up fishing for Black Bass from it all day on a flat water small lake. I'll post another review in a few weeks. For now, this weekend has been one of the best I've ever paddled.

09-02-2002
Submitted by: Sploosh - Rating: 8 of 10
     After paddling an Islander Ventura for a year I decided I wanted a kayak that would cover more miles faster. I went for the pseudo race boat Cobra Eliminator because it is light, relatively cheap, plastic, and kids can paddle it. The hull is sleek and slippery and slices through the water like a knife. I was immediately able to paddle about a half mile further in an hour using about the same energy as when paddling the Ventura. As I’m getting used to the boat I’m able to do a little better. Yesterday I paddled almost 12 miles in a little over 2 hours (so close to 6 mph while paddling, took a couple of breaks). It’s nice taking the kids (14 & 12) paddling with this boat because a kid in the Eliminator can almost keep up with me in a slow boat, and we get to see more than when they paddled the slow boats.

The Eliminator sits low so that you get lots of water in with you on rough days. It doesn’t have scupper holes because you sit below the water surface. It has a venturi that you can open to suck out the water when you are moving fast (and swamp you when sitting still). The Eliminator is not a stable kayak, initial stability is not too bad, secondary is very low. This is not a fun boat to paddle in rough water, with all the fighting to drain the cockpit and stay upright.

The toe-operated rudder is nice because you can push on the foot brace without turning. It came with a strange fiberglass thing to sit on. This is nice for the kids because it can be adjusted for the length of your legs, but it made my legs fall asleep. I got rid of it and put in a foam Hot Seat, which is much more comfortable and lifts me out of the puddle. The boat comes without any lifting handles. I riveted on strap handles front, back and on the sides.

07-25-2001
Submitted by: Jim Smith - Rating: 8 of 10
     I finally had the opportunity to paddle the Eliminator in rough conditions on two seperate ocsasions. In 6 to 8 foot seas and 20 knots of wind off of Wrightsville Beach, (NC)the boat wanted to turn into the wind and swells in rear quartering seas. Adjusting the rudder to the opposite side of the swell decreased the amount of foot steering required to maintain a down-wind course. The boat surfed well on larger swells, but due to the width of the hull behind the paddler and short waterline, the boat was easily washed to the side by shorter wind chop. The great news is that the hull does extremely well on the return leg into the wind and chop. The bow never buried between swells. The boat screams upwind in big seas. I paddled the boat two days later in the ICW in 2 to 3 foot wind chop, both with and against the current. Same results as in the ocean. Very fast against the current and wind chop, and a slight challenge with the wind at your back. The most important point in using this hull concerns the use of the drainage system. In rough water, the boat takes on a full load of the wet stuff. When surfing a swell, or heading down wind, the sump has no flow across it and will not drain the cockpit. Go against the current or flow, and the drainage is instantaneous. I promised a rough water review, and these opinions are based on putting a boat to the test in the harshest conditions of the season. To end on a positive note, my friend and I had to help right one capsized sailboat, and another whose owner was caught between docks with a cracked hull at the mast base. The first boats' sailors returned immediately to the launch site, while the second was towed back by a kayak through heavy wind and chop...

06-11-2001
Submitted by: Jim Smith - Rating: 10 of 10
     Today was my turn to paddle the Eliminator. I am 5 feet 10 inches tall,weigh 185 pounds, and have a 31 inch inseam. I believe physical parameters are as important as skill level in reviewing a boat. My friend Bob Jackson brought along an Ocean Kayak Sprinter as a yardstick. I paddled both boats with a Garmin E-trex GPS in order to judge hull speed. We paddled the boats in still wind, both with and against the current, and boat wakes in Banks Channel and the Intercoastal Waterway at Wrightsville Beach, NC. The boats are very close in terms of hull speed. However, the Eliminator is slightly faster when cruising along at a comfortable pace. I sprinted the O.K. to 7 mph. I was able to go 7.7 in the Eliminator. I never sprint the boats "all-out", because my races tend to be around 10K. I prefer to know the speed that I can realistically maintain for short periods of time in order to pass someone, or break-away. The big plus on the side of the Eliminator is the seating relative to the footboard. You are placed higher in this boat than anything I have paddled except an ICF marathon boat. You feel as though you can really bear down hard during the pull phase of the stroke; the added leverage is something you have to feel to believe. Please, do not think that the higher seating leads to instability. The flared section of the hull behind you contains a great deal of "flat", which makes the boat extremely stable. Please consider this a calm water review. I will post another review after paddling the boat in the Atlantic. So far, this has proven to be an excellent training boat for me, and a bullet for my two sons to paddle.

06-07-2001
Submitted by: Jim Smith - Rating: 10 of 10
     This boat was purchased so my sons ,ages 10 and 12, would be able to paddle with me. We live in Wilmington, NC, and are fortunate to have all types of conditions from open ocean training runs, to excellent wilderness paddling in the Cape Fear River. My children have seen me paddle and race surf skis and sea kayaks most of their lives and always expressed an interest in paddling with me. The Eliminator fits the bill perfectly. Both boys paddled it for the first time in the Carolina Beach Basin in 15 knot winds without capsizing or frustration. The 12 year old could'nt stop smiling! Someone has finally produced a product that works as good as their ad copy claims.

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