Tell me about Native Watercraft hybrid boats?

[Haggis]

I've started looking for a single seat boat. Something I could throw on the rack easily and go puddle about for an afternoon or go do an overnight trip. Don't need anything fancy, I just want an occasional use boat. We have a couple of great canoes but they're not really one man friendly. I was thinking about a middle of the road kayak but I just stopped by my buddy Ryan's boat shop and he showed me this hybrid boat by Native Watercraft...a new line he's carrying this year.

Ultimate 12 link

It's a 'yak/canoe hybrid with a tunnel hull, removable suspension seat, extruded aluminum accessory rails on top and bottom with adjustable foot rests. While still an open boat the seat is unbelievably comfortably and easy to ingress and egress. And as I'm not getting any younger I appreciate that. This boat has way more storage than a similar sized yak even if that yak has both front and rear bulkheads. There are a ton of accessories available from splash covers to pedal and electric motor drives. Better still it comes in camo so this could be a multi-use paddling/fishing/waterfowl boat for me. Ryan offered to let me try one but as the river is currently iced up I declined.


Anybody have any experience with these boats? How about how well a tunnel hull works both on flat water and river runs?

 

[cshontz]

That's funny. I'm looking very seriously at the Native Marvel 14.5 Tandem. I don't know anything about Native boats, but it looks like a very comfy float. Subscribing to thread.

 

[Haggis]

That's funny. I'm looking very seriously at the Native Marvel 14.5 Tandem. I don't know anything about Native boats, but it looks like a very comfy float. Subscribing to thread.

I looked at a Marvel and like the looks of it, but as we already have the canoes for tandem trips I don't really need that model. Though the Marvel can be set up for solo use also. I really like the seats and sitting position on the Native boats, very comfortable with your feet lower than your hips. Plus as the seats can be removed, you don't have to bring a camp chair on an overnight float.

How serious are you Chris? Ryan offered a 10% discount for multiple boat purchases plus 15% of accesories 'til the end of March. Michelle's been eyeballing a Bending Branches paddle for herself so she doesn't have to steal mine. If your willing I could get you a quote and maybe save ourselves a few dollars. Then we could go try 'em out somewheres between here and there. :elkgrin:

 

[cshontz]

Reasonably serious. I'm 60% serious, and 40% on the fence, I would say. I wouldn't be able to make a full payment until sometime in April, though. I got a quote locally:

The Marvel 14.5 Tandem currently sells for $1399 ($1482.95 w/ tax). We currently do not have any sales scheduled for March or April, but would be willing to extend the Sportsman Show sale for this boat if it's ordered by this coming Saturday (February 26th.) This would put the price at $1259 ($1334.55 with tax). We require a 20% (non-refundable) deposit; balance would be due when the boat arrives. We have an order scheduled to arrive here approximately the end of April.

 

[Outdoorsben]

I paddled around a 14.5 last year or so. The 14.5 can be made to paddle solo or tandem incase you want to bring someone else. That was a big draw to me. I ended up buying more of a fishing boat and less of a toss on truck and go somewhere boat. It paddled fine, i'm not a huge kayak fan i've also been into and fished from canoe's instead.

 

[Haggis]

Thanks Ben. :sombrero:

I've been searching out some reviews for the Ultimate 12 model, seems the lake paddlers like 'em as all the reviews I've checked out were overwhelmingly positive. I'm still looking for some input as far as river running.

 

[cshontz]

Alright, make that 99.5% serious about a new boat, and $.5 percent not sure. Considering I just returned from putting a sizable deposit on this blue thing. Check it out, Mark. It was on a rack right under an Ultimate.

This was at Blue Mountain Outfitters near Harrisburg. They had a very nicely stocked store. I really got to poke and prod a lot of kayaks, and I really like the Natives.

 

[huskyfargo]

I have an Ultimate 12 that I bought 3 years ago, and has only seen the water once, that I'll consider selling if anybody cares to make an offer.
I'll include the paddle, vest, and the Yakima LandSharks.

 

[Haggis]

Alright, make that 99.5% serious about a new boat, and $.5 percent not sure. Considering I just returned from putting a sizable deposit on this blue thing. Check it out, Mark. It was on a rack right under an Ultimate.

This was at Blue Mountain Outfitters near Harrisburg. They had a very nicely stocked store. I really got to poke and prod a lot of kayaks, and I really like the Natives.

That's a nice boat, hope to see it on the Little Juniata come May. I'm 99.5% sure I'll be coming home with the camo 12 next week.

 

[Haggis]

I have an Ultimate 12 that I bought 3 years ago, and has only seen the water once, that I'll consider selling if anybody cares to make an offer.
I'll include the paddle, vest, and the Yakima LandSharks.

I'd be interested in the boat depending on the color and I don't know about shipping it all to PA. I don't need the accessories. If your interested PM me a price as I don't like to price other folks stuff for them.

 

[12husky]

I have been looking for a boat myself. I paddled a few trips last summer with my son's 10' sit-in kayak and am thinking of a 12-13' sit-in myself. That Native you are looking at looks versatile and would be nice in the marsh this winter! I am looking forward to checking it out in May.

~Matt

 

[huskyfargo]

I'd be interested in the boat depending on the color and I don't know about shipping it all to PA. I don't need the accessories. If your interested PM me a price as I don't like to price other folks stuff for them.

Haggis,
I'm not sure how much shipping would be. I'm sure it wouldn't be real cheap though. I would like to get $700 for the boat.

 

[Squatchout]

My main paddling/fishing partner has 2 native ultimates he's had for several years. Bottom line is he loves them. Especially as a fishing craft. With a little practice you can stand and fly fish from them. That was his major reason for going that way. I've paddled one a few times and it is a nice boat. My bud and I have done a couple of muti day fishing float trips camping on the way and he has never had comfort problems after several back to back 8-9 hour on the water days.

Native has the most comfy seats on the market. Several friends with back probs love them.

They are not white water boats. They will do some mild stuff but better suited to calmer water.

They have plenty of storage for float trips and are pretty dry boats. They are really just a tunnel hull canoe.

If paddling upstream a lot or into heavy wind I'd rather have my solo canoe. More on that in a moment.

The skegs can be a little balky to deploy and retract so you have to keep them lubed up.

They seem to be pretty durable.

They are not particularly fast boats.

Here are a couple of pics of his on the water.

I'm past 50 now. I had a small inexpensive sit in kayak for years that I bought for just the purpose you are asking about. It was a Perception Swifty. Nothing special but a cheap does the job boat. It was a blast. However at this age any boat that has me sitting in the floor for a long time can be a problem. Knees and hips are plain worn out and getting out after a few hours sitting can be rough. So I sold the Swifty and bought a solo canoe.

I've been a canoeist most of my life. With the current rage in yaks small canoe's seem to be the forgotten step child. They are still and always will be a very viable alternative. Some things they do much better than a yak. My solo is an Old town Discovery 119. Not a high performance paddling boat but I've been very pleased with it for my uses. It's light enough to carry easily for me and I sit a good bit higher than in any yak. My comfort level has gone way up because of that and for me it is easier to get in and out of. It's not a fast boat but still seems to use less effort going upstream or into the wind then most rec or SOT yaks I have paddled. With a VERY LITTLE customizing it suits my purposes wonderfully. Everything from evening after work fishing for a couple of hours to multi day trips fishing. It carries tons of gear and my big ol' self just fine.
This boat is also sold in a cheaper version @ ********'s Sporting good as the Kanoe. Real good bargain but OT relocated the seat too far back in the boat for good paddling in this version. It's an easy fix.
OT also sells the Pack which is a nice little canoe that is about the same size but a bit lighter in roylex. Same basic purpose and design. There are many other nice small canoes on the market as well.

Here are some pics of my solo canoe.
I padded the cane seat and dropped it about one inch and added a backrest.

Rod holder mods.

Web straps with fastex buckles pop riveted under the gunnels fore and aft. Works great for keeping the gear in the boat. especially fully loaded on long trips.

These pics are from a float trip and the boat is loaded with 4 days worth of fishing and camping gear.

Native Ultimate and Disco 119 on the roof rack. The disco has good bit more freeboard than the Ultimate. Same for gear capacity.

Hope this helps a little and good luck with your search.

 

[Haggis]

Hope this helps a little and good luck with your search.

Thanks Squatch, your post was very well thought out and informative. I'm digging the way you've trick your boat out.

I've been a fan of canoes since I saw my first voyageur canoe come floating into a trappers meet. We have also been fans of Old Town for many years. Our Discovery 169 has been our waterborne mule for the last 20 years. It's cut water from Maine to North Carolina and is still going strong. Our other boat is a Guide 147 and has proven itself to be a great river squirtter and is our goto boat when the water levels begin to drop. But I don't like the way the Guide handles as a solo boat so the search started for a single craft. I looked at a Discovery 119 and a Dirigo 120 but I was really drawn to the Ultimate. I think it will make a great multi-tool boat. Not only pond and lake paddling, fishing, or mild river runs, but as a waterfowl boat. With the open hatches it should be easy to deploy and retrieve decoys and the tunnel hull should provide a stable shooting platform for when the Black Cloud shot is going down range. I also really like the seating and the support it gives plus find the Ultimate very easy to get in and out of. If we had serious runs here I might go for a more dedicated river running boat but that style just isn't necessary for my overall needs.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Our shop has sold maybe 30-40 Native Ultimate boats. They're nice little boats. If you're not in the need for a high mileage craft, they work great. They're a touch heavy, with 5ish pounds in just the seat alone, but that seat is bar none the most comfy seat to sit in. I'm an avid open ocean sea kayaker, so that seat is far more than I like, but there's no arguing it's super cushy.

Native boats are really ideal for water sportsmen. They make a multitude of add-on accessories from anchor mounts and rod holders, to deck covers and cleaver storage systems. You can stand in them if you have better than average balance which speaks to their stability. They track well enough, maneuver okay, but they're really not that quick or efficient. If I had to paddle more than 3-5 miles, I'd be looking for something else.