The Native boats are canoe/kayak hybrids. For the fisherman, I see them as better than kayaks, not as good as canoes. The main objections I have to them are the weight (55 pounds or so for a solo craft, compared to a lot of solo canoes that are 35-45 pounds in Royalex), and I have this aversion to gimmicky molded-in set-ups, which add the weight. This may not be important to you, but I carry up to five rods and two tackle containers when fishing from my solo canoe, and I fish small, brushy streams. With my canoe, I can stow all the rods with tips inside the gunwales where they won't stick out and get snagged on brush. I don't see how you could do that with the Native. And I want to be able to put stuff where I want it, and not have to work around the molded in shape of the bottom of the craft.
Advantages? People seem to like the seats. And supposedly you can stand up and fish from them--they have plenty of initial stability. That's about the only advantages I think they have over a decent solo canoe. |