I picked up the Cuda at Great Outdoor Provision in Greenville, NC this Saturday. At first glance I was pretty amazed at the color. I got the black widow color scheme, and trust me the online pictures don’t do it justice. It looks much cooler in person. The original plan was to get the all blue Cuda, but when I saw the black widow in person I had to have it. The guys (and girl) at GOP were awesome, friendly and helpful. Early Sunday morning, we put our kayaks in at Taylor’s creek in Beufort, NC, to fish for flounder and reds. Myself (JK Cuda), Cody “Perk” (JK Coosa), my gf Ashley (OK Prowler). Now onto my little review:
Loading and Unloading the Cuda:
The boat is pretty heavy and not easy to load on my Thule rack alone (SUV is taller than I am). I did have assistance loading it, with two people it’s very easy to load. Who goes fishing alone anyway? Unloading the boat is pretty simple with two people as well…however doing it alone could potentially be an issue with a smaller, weaker, or older person.
Transporting the Cuda:
Taylor’s creek is an excellent place to fish but in order to get to the good spot you must cross Carrot Island on foot with a kayak. Dragging the Cuda is some work in the mud and sand, but is possible with a few breaks. We ended up carrying the boats with the bow and stern handles. The handles on the Cuda are pretty horrible to be honest. With two people carrying the Cuda, the boat has a tendency to lean to one side or the other from lack of control. I plan on replacing the handles with a more solid handle similar to the ones on the middle of the boat. This will make transporting much simpler and securing the boat on the car much safer. The removable skid plate on the stern of the Cuda is a very nicely thought out accessory.
Paddlng the Cuda:
Right off the bat, I noticed the Cuda was unlike anything ive paddled before. It is extremely stable and tracks very very well. Its also much faster then I imagined for such a heavy and stable boat. I was able to stand up and paddle within 30 seconds of being in the boat. Ive read many reviews and comments on how difficult it is to stand and fish in the Cuda, but I can assure you its very easy. I am 5’9ish and 190lbs. (yes I need a diet immediately). I would say the stability is less than the Coosa and less then my Native Ultimate, but it is still very easy to stand AND FISH from this boat…very reminiscent of the Ride 135 while standing. I started off fishing in the “hi position” and it was a little different at first, but I got used to it pretty quickly. Moving the seat to the “low position” helps with speed, but its pretty difficult standing up and getting down from this position. Id absolutely recommend a 240cm paddle for the Cuda. The weather at Taylor’s creek was relatively calm until we paddled out in the open water and the wind picked up. The Cuda handled it very well and I stayed in place much longer then my other boats would allow. The low profile of the boat helps with this. I pointed the bow of the Cuda into large wakes from fishing boats and it handled them absolutely effortlessly. My buddy was bobbing around like a cork in his Coosa (but its not designed for that type of fishing). While I wasn’t blowing my friends away in speed I can tell I was putting in about half the effort in as they were paddling into the wind. I am sure if I paddled with most of my effort I would get anywhere faster then most of the people I normally fish with.
Fishability of the Cuda:
Jackson has always put a lot of effort into designing great fishing kayaks and the Cuda is no exception. I was never really a fan of the center hatch (rod pod) idea which is present on Ocean Kayaks and now the Cuda. However, the hatch on the Cuda doesn’t bother me as much as I thought. Its more out of the way of my legs then the OK hatch, and the cut outs on top are pretty handy for laying my jig heads and gulp for easy reach. The OK boat really annoyed me because the hatch would rub the inside of my legs while paddling, and the Cuda did not do that. There is a ton of storage area on this boat, inside and out….almost an unnecessary amount if you ask me…but I am sort-of a minimalist when it comes to kayak fishing. I found the rod tip protector to be more of a nuisance then asset. I like the idea of the rod stagers and they help to prevent the rods from rolling around the deck of the kayak. The scuppers make a very weird noise when paddling, but I can get over it. There are several rod stagers with bungies on the sides of the Cuda, but I seriously doubt I will ever use them. I think when using a spinning reel, it will hang off the side of the boat and get in the way of paddling. There are plenty of available “bells and whistles” that JK thought of for the Cuda, but I don’t plan on using many of them....again, minimalist. The overall comfort of this boat is amazing. The hi-low seat is very nice and I now understand why people don’t really stand that much in the Cuda….because the seat is super nice. I cant really compare it to the Native seat but as far as comfort level they are right on par with one another. I can say the material used in the Cuda’s seat makes some weird noises when moving around in it. The Native seat was pretty quiet. (if that makes any sense at all). I do prefer the Ultimate’s foot pegs compared to the Cuda, but the JK’s boat has very sturdy and substantial foot pegs.
Overall Id say Jackson hit this out of the park. Ive been pretty tough on them in the past, but until you actually paddle one instead of just reading and making assumptions, you have no idea. I would totally recommend the Cuda for anyone looking for a nice stable and comfortable fishing kayak. I cant wait to fish out of it again. I also cant wait to finish rigging it and placing some gopros for more videos. By the way, I did get it slimed with a larger lizard fish, and a 14” puppy drum, but nothing picture worthy…like my man Cody’s 29” red from his custom Coosa. Good job bro! I did have a great time out in Beufort and my girlfriend got her first of many kayak fish….it was just a baby flounder, but you can tell by the look on her face she loved it. Tight lines everyone.
