kayak tarpon 140

[s2vto]

went to look at the tarpon range again today and had a sit on a 120 angler

 

I have got my mind set on a tarpon 140 (non angler version) as it is £125 cheaper and not worth the extra IMO

 

WWC is 5 miles away from me so if anything was to go wrong i have easy contact to sort it out asap

 

I know there are lots of other choices, cheaper too but the convenience outweighs that.

 

So i think once i sell my 17' boat i can buy the kayak, all going well.

 

The tarpon 140 seems to be a good allrounder and the 120 would suit me better, but i already have a 10ft sit on.

 

Will i be doing the right thing? hopefully get to try TPWs tarpon 120 before i purchase mine.

[Tpw]

went to look at the tarpon range again today and had a sit on a 120 angler

 

I have got my mind set on a tarpon 140 (non angler version) as it is £125 cheaper and not worth the extra IMO

 

WWC is 5 miles away from me so if anything was to go wrong i have easy contact to sort it out asap

 

I know there are lots of other choices, cheaper too but the convenience outweighs that.

 

So i think once i sell my 17' boat i can buy the kayak, all going well.

 

The tarpon 140 seems to be a good allrounder and the 120 would suit me better, but i already have a 10ft sit on.

 

Will i be doing the right thing? hopefully get to try TPWs tarpon 120 before i purchase mine.

 

Hi mate, i hope to go somewhere tomorrow just a matter of finding some place with a bit of shelter, give me a call in the morning.

 

ATB Tom

[Moonyaker]

Ess too vee tee Oh

 

in my humble opinon, you are doing the wrong thing!

 

In terms of the whole cost of getting yourself getting kitted out to go Kayak Fishing, £125 is neither 'here nor there' and I would recommend getting the Kayak your heart chooses.(You can soon save £125 on reducing your spend on paddle, wetsuit/drysuit, boots etc. etc. etc. and you will spend months kicking yourself about not getting your first choice Kayak if you go for 'second best'

 

The good thing is that Sit on Tops are readily re-saleable and that whilst you will lose £100 or so if you do decide to change, it will not really be the end of the world.

 

I think that you should buy the Tarpon 14 if that is what you really want - I do believe that it will be a mistake if you dont! (Unless you fall for a Scupper Pro that is!).

 

 

Moonyaker

[finn17]

I have a Tarpon 140 and am happy with it.

 

I considered the non-angler version but finally bought the angler. Personally, I would spend the extra...whilst it is relatively easy to add rod holders etc. at a later date this does involve cutting great big chunks out of your expensive Yak and drilling various holes in it. Easy, if you know what you are doing and have the right tools. I think you might find however, that by the time you add up the cost of all the fixtures and fittings, plus the labour/risk involved...you might as well buy one already kitted out.

 

Don't bother with the Wilderness Systems rudder however....they are a complete waste of money IMO.

 

Good luck!

[GB]

I have the 140 and it is spot on. The 120 is a bit small for me as I'm 6'2 and 240lbs, it's also a little slower than the 140 but not by much. If you think the 120 suits you better then go for it, but I would try and get a ride in both before you buy. You are welcome to have a blast in my 140 if your ever down this way, I am getting a 160i and a 120 in the new year so if you have not purchased one by then you can give all three a go.

 

As for buying the angler version I also think it is not worth the extra money. Flush mounted rod holders are not that good, better option is to fit a triple rocket launcher to your crate for £10. Apart from that all you get is an anchor kit which can be made up at a better standard for less than £20 and the scotty rod holder which is £30 and takes about 5 mins to fit. If you did want to fit flush mounts they are not that difficult to fit and you can get better ones than those supplied with the angler version.

 

Have to agree with fin on the rudder, I have the wilderness one which I fitted myself. Now IMO if you are going to do any close quater fishing or intend to paddle in wind and fast tides then a rudder will give you a completely different ride and make life much easier so it should be top of your list, however have a look at some different rudder kits as the wilderness ones are not the best.

 

Best of luck in choosing your dream machine.

 

GB

[s2vto]

Thanks for all your replies

 

Huw at WWC said not to buy the angler version as not worth the extra cash, think a crate with a triple rod holder would be best as GB said.

 

Moonyaker, the Tarpon 140 is my 1st choice and the angler version is no different to the standard one except a few add ons. Just not worth the extra cash non angler can be used like GB has his.

 

Not going to make any final decision until i have a go on the different ones.

 

Cheers for the help

[Moonyaker]

Sorry s2vto, thought that you were going to buy the Tarpon 120 but really wanted the Tarpon 140. What is the difference in spec between the Angler and Non Angler Tarpon 140's?

 

Moonyaker

[Starvinmarvin]

The Tarpon 140 is a top class kayak, beautifully finished and extremely stable, basic yak rather than angler edition is a good choice, extras do not add up to £125, but you have to think that somebody had to fit them at the manufacturing stage and time spent is money.

 

Rudder is not necessary on the 140, it has great tracking and increadible stability, mostly due to the deep channels running along the underside of the hull, only downside is she is a slow paddle compared to most.

 

There is a full review of the Tarpon 140 Angler on AnglersAfloat.

 

SM

[s2vto]

Sorry s2vto, thought that you were going to buy the Tarpon 120 but really wanted the Tarpon 140. What is the difference in spec between the Angler and Non Angler Tarpon 140's?

 

Moonyaker

 

The difference is the scotty rod holder in the front, 2 flush mounted rod holders at the rear and a anchor i believe!

 

The cost does not justify the extra £125 IMO. A crate in the rear with a 3 rod holder would be cheaper and a scotty rod holder in front for just £30

 

The tarpon 140 seems to be suited for the longer journeys i will make, especially as i already have a 10ft one!

[Simon Everett]

"The tarpon 140 seems to be suited for the longer journeys i will make, especially as i already have a 10ft one!"

 

I hope you are fit then - she was dog slow when I tried her. I tried to stay on waves with them astern - but she lost them before she ever got going. In he same water (we swapped kayaks at sea) another kayak was making 40 yards on each of those same waves.

 

Do not get confused over tracking ability - that is a function of paddling, not kayak design. A kayak that "tracks straight" is another way of saying a kayak that is difficult to manoevre - becuase she is actually resisting paddler input in being able to "track straight".

 

The strakes on the underside of the hull slow the kayak considerably because they add wetted area - but what they do provide is increased rigidity. I agree with SM on the moulding quality - first class. She is heavy too, substantially heavier than most others, that comes through in the build quality.

 

The bow plunges in seas - if you haven't found it you haven't had her out in what we were out in - nothing heavy, just a 1m swell with a bit of breeze. The fine bow is lacking in buoyancy and so the bow plunges - cuts through the waves as they roll over the deck OK though. This was with an EMPTY kayak too. No gear, just out for a paddle.

 

Stability was great, even on the face of those waves beam on I was quite happy, sat side saddle, so no worries there. The windage was low too because she is a low displacement kayak (you will hear people talking about low volume and high volume - but try finding those definitons in a naval architects manual - they really mean displacement, but have got that mixed up with the weight of the kayak....)

 

Anyone got a figure for the maximum load the 140 is rated to? I don't have a Wilderness catalogue.