for anyone looking for a new fishing kayak

[Daz1977]

I was asked by Terry Wright a few months ago to put a review together for the RTM K-Largo kayak. So far I have used the K-Largo on freshwater, such as Llangorse Lake and Rudyard Lake, in some very testing conditions. The K-Largo was designed by anglers, for anglers, and it shows.

This is what RTM say about it;
"The K Largo is a combination
of the speed of the Tempo, functionality
of the Tango Angler and manoeuvrability of the Disco.
This is our ultimate fishing kayak for river, lake and sea. Extremely
stable, lots of leg room and working space, efficient, the K
Largo has a sleek designed hull to eliminate hull slap, ample
storage, a well thought out deck with equipment trays.
K Largo can be equipped with additional facilities
as electric motor or side floats."



Let's start at the bow which has a molded carry handle. This is very useful as you can get a secure grip and there is also a recess for a compass, which is a bit too far forward for aging eyes. There is a large front tankwell with two scupper holes, the included bungs make it water tight. There are also two integrated rod holders included, and caps for when you don't have your rods in place. A handy 8" dry hatch which has a dry-bag on the inside for stowing keys, money and alike whilst paddling.




And this is what RTM call a "front fishing water tight case with hatch". This is a simple yet brilliant idea which I used for storing my lunch and brew kit. Inside the water tight case there is easily enough room to fit a summer tent and sleeping bag, or enough ice to keep your catch fresh all day.



This looks very neat and is easy to install and remove. Great idea.



Further down on the deck there is a rod holder which is manufactured by RTM. The quality is as good as any I've seen or used. Pre-drilled holes on the deck make fitting it a doddle with the supplied stainless steel screws. The rod holder is conviently postioned on the deck so it is out of the way whilst paddling, this also makes it ideal for trolling or bait fishing. Furthermore, in this photo you can see the peddles for the RTM rudder system. These are made out of very strong nylon and are adjustable for all sizes of paddler.



The recessed area pictured below is great for tackle boxes (also supplied with the kayak). The recess measures 8.5" x 4.5" so could be used to store batteries for your electronics.



The Molded-in ruler is ideally situated under the left leg. This very useful for measuring your catch or tying rigs.



Located in between your legs is a black plastic tackle box which is plenty big enough to keep a days worth of fishing tackle or bait. It has a sealed lid and drainage holes in the bottom. The quality of the box is strong with good hinges and a bungee to secure it to the deck.


Further down the deck we have a cup holder and the seat area, which I found comfortable even without an additional foam seat. There are plenty of places along the sides of the kayak to fix your favourite seat with eight solid loop deck fittings. However, there are no scupper holes in the seat area, so could be a wet ride if you take on water.



To the rear of the seat there are another two integrated rod holders, giving you a total of four. Between the rod holders there is another 8" dry storage hatch with a dry bag. The recess area directly above is used to store the supplied tackle boxes. Next to this is the cord that lifts and drops the rudder.



The tackle boxes supplied are again good quality. These are double sided and store stick type lures in neatly and are held in via a bungee which sits over the rear dry hatch.



Here you can see one of the the paddle keeper which are on both sides of the kayak. There are also solid handles which make lifting this 30kg kayak easier and are perfectly balanced as long as you don't have the dry hatch fitted at the bow.



The rear tank well is large enough to fit boxes, tents and all manner of kit for a weekends fishing.There are two scupper holes with bungs which fit well to make the rear water tight.



Also included are bungees to keep all your kit stowed safely. There is another sturdy handle to the rear of the kayak.



The RTM rudder system is easy to use and set up. However, as the K-Largo tracks very well without it I didn't find the need to use it.



Looking from the stern, this is a very sleek looking kayak considering it Is 30" wide.



On the water, it is obvious that this kayak has been designed for both the newcomer and the experienced kayak angler. The K-Largo provides a stable platform with lots of additional extras to fish from. Even though there is lots of leg room and excellent stabilty it is still easy to manoeuvre due to RTM's hull design. As the kayak is 13ft 7" long it paddles straight and cuts through the water with ease. The carrying capacity of this kayak is at 200kg, so can accommodate any person wanting to go kayak fishing, fresh or salt water. The anchor system which is supplied with the kayak seems better suited to the freshwater kayak angler. I would not hesitate in buying this kayak as it has excellent build quality and offers great value for money with all the added extras. Despite the kayak weighing 30kg, I did not struggle with loading it onto the roof of my car due to the sturdy well positioned handles. The main importer of RTM kayaks in the UK is Total Options www.totaloption.com, who gave me the opportunity to test this top quality kayak. One of their stockists is www.kayakfishingshack.co.uk on Hornsea seafront, run by Alex & Mich Symmons who are very friendly and knowledgeable on all aspects of kayak fishing. If you are in the market for a new fishing kayak, I would personally take the opportunity to have a look at the great range of kayaks that RTM offer.

 

can also be seen in the paddler mag http://www.issuu.com/thepaddler/docs/thepaddler_9

Daz