Review of Vibe Sea Ghost 13
First off I have only used this Kayak on one river trip. However it was one hell of a maiden voyage. First float was Hwy 411 - Rome bypass. This was 16 Etowah river miles, 13.5 hours!
Boat construction - The boat seems to be made very well. All hardware is stainless and seems of good construction. All the storage has nice latches that work perfectly and stayed dry the whole trip. All the paddle holders and storage seem to be pretty ergonomic and well thought out. The specs say the boat is suppose to weigh 74 lbs. Well it is the absolute heaviest 74 lbs I have ever lifted! This thing is a beast and is quite a challenge to load and unload with 1 person. I definitely would not want to drag the boat very far! It does have a replaceable skid plate if it is ever wore out.
Handling - Once in the water the Sea Ghost tracks very well. It takes almost zero effort to keep the boat running straight by just paddling. It is NOT the nimblest of yaks. I assume being large and heavy is not designed to turn on a dime. So your path needs to be thought out before hitting a path of obstacles. I did not take the boat through any substantial rapids but it did well in the small Rapids I encountered.
The boat comes standard with a rudder system which I accidentally left laying on my lawnmower while loading. I will update when I get a chance to try it out!
Stability- I cannot say enough about the stability of this boat. I easily moved around the boat to access front and back storage compartments. I was able to stand at will and cast and catch fish while standing. Now it is a kayak, so there is a little balance required to stand, but once you do it a few times it becomes very comfortable. At one point I jumped off for a swim. I was able to get back in the boat from the side without the slightest problem!
Seat - One word AWESOME! The seat is very comfortable. On the 13+ hour trip my butt never bothered me in the least. My back did start to become stiff around the 8-9 hour mark, but sit in anything that long my back is going to tense up. The fact it took that long is a testament that it is comfortable. The seat also has a "low" and "high" position. The high position really does wonders for fishability while sitting!
Overall I LOVE this kayak. It is well worth the money. Also, you are not going to find another kayak with this kind of options under the $1000 price point.
I would also like thank Big Wills Outfitters Atalla, AL for delivering my boat! I happened to catch him on a day he was picking up a shipment in Kennesaw. He dropped my boat off in Rome on the way back through! Super nice guy and great outfit to deal with!!
First off I have only used this Kayak on one river trip. However it was one hell of a maiden voyage. First float was Hwy 411 - Rome bypass. This was 16 Etowah river miles, 13.5 hours!
Boat construction - The boat seems to be made very well. All hardware is stainless and seems of good construction. All the storage has nice latches that work perfectly and stayed dry the whole trip. All the paddle holders and storage seem to be pretty ergonomic and well thought out. The specs say the boat is suppose to weigh 74 lbs. Well it is the absolute heaviest 74 lbs I have ever lifted! This thing is a beast and is quite a challenge to load and unload with 1 person. I definitely would not want to drag the boat very far! It does have a replaceable skid plate if it is ever wore out.
Handling - Once in the water the Sea Ghost tracks very well. It takes almost zero effort to keep the boat running straight by just paddling. It is NOT the nimblest of yaks. I assume being large and heavy is not designed to turn on a dime. So your path needs to be thought out before hitting a path of obstacles. I did not take the boat through any substantial rapids but it did well in the small Rapids I encountered.
The boat comes standard with a rudder system which I accidentally left laying on my lawnmower while loading. I will update when I get a chance to try it out!
Stability- I cannot say enough about the stability of this boat. I easily moved around the boat to access front and back storage compartments. I was able to stand at will and cast and catch fish while standing. Now it is a kayak, so there is a little balance required to stand, but once you do it a few times it becomes very comfortable. At one point I jumped off for a swim. I was able to get back in the boat from the side without the slightest problem!
Seat - One word AWESOME! The seat is very comfortable. On the 13+ hour trip my butt never bothered me in the least. My back did start to become stiff around the 8-9 hour mark, but sit in anything that long my back is going to tense up. The fact it took that long is a testament that it is comfortable. The seat also has a "low" and "high" position. The high position really does wonders for fishability while sitting!
Overall I LOVE this kayak. It is well worth the money. Also, you are not going to find another kayak with this kind of options under the $1000 price point.
I would also like thank Big Wills Outfitters Atalla, AL for delivering my boat! I happened to catch him on a day he was picking up a shipment in Kennesaw. He dropped my boat off in Rome on the way back through! Super nice guy and great outfit to deal with!!
