Wilderness Tarpon 140 and Tarpon 160

[idive2]

I took out two different kayaks today and compared the Wilderness Tarpon 140
and the Tarpon 160 both SOT's. These kayaks are a bit heavier than Ocean Kayak
Prowlers. The Tarpons have a slightly lower profile and very user friendly latches
on the solid hatch covers. The 140 is right at the threshhold (70 lbs.) of what I would
be wanting to try to cartop myself so the 160 was definitely out, that extra 5-10
lbs can make a big difference at the end of the day. I think the 160 is almost
75 lbs. If lifting and carrying these things was not part of this sport I would not
hesitate to go with the 160.

 

[diver 85]

Where I have to sometimes put my OC Scrambler in (down a steep bank with a lot of pine straw & roots growing--I carry it over my head), the 50+ pound yak is PLENTY...Could not do it @ 75+ lbs....

 

[diver 85]

Where I have to sometimes put my OC Scrambler in (down a steep bank with a lot of pine straw & roots growing--I carry it over my head), the 50+ pound yak is PLENTY...Could not do it @ 75+ lbs....

make that an OK Scrambler....

 

[ancientdiver]

I have 3 15' SOTs. For scuba, the 15 carries more, tracks straighter, and goes faster. But they are heavy. I started out car topping. Forget it. After a ton of research, I bought a sweet little yak trailer with a "T" mount option that will hold 4 yaks, 2 on top of 2. Then I bolted a car top heavy duty "wire basket" down low on the frame, below the lower yaks, between the axles, which I use to store 4 cylinders. Up on the upper tier of the "T" sits a car top "coffin" style storage box, where a 4th yak would go, for storage. Use it for paddles, PFDs, spearguns, snorkel gear, whatever. Now I have my gear on the trailer, loaded and ready to go, in the garage out of the sun (UV rays make rotomolded plastic brittle after a while). Everything is locked up with bicylcle cable locks. This way packing is never a chore or a last minute delay, and I am ready to go at a moment's notice. Not cheap, but would never go back to car topping the yaks. The trailer has made the yaks a sweet proposition, not a gut-popping strain. When you have a small sports trailer, weight is no longer an issue. Got mine from ActivityTrailer. It's a kit, takes about 2 hours to assemble. It has the highest weight capacity of all the small yak trailers - 1,000 pounds, 4 times more than some of the other light weight trailers. For just a few dollars more I upgraded to a heavy duty axle, sending the weight range up to 1,300 pounds. Doubt if I will need that much capacity, but you never know and it was a cheap upgrade. Divers have a lot of stuff, and there are 3 in my family, so if you dive and yak you will want the extra weight capacity in a trailer. So I got what I wanted - it is small like the other sport yak trailers, not like a converted boat trailer, I can move it around by myself while it is loaded, has a huge carrying capacity, and can be rigged with flexible storage options for one's own situation. No worries, no hassles. Love it. For any family or couple that yak dives, and you know this is something you are going to do for as long as you are able, do yourself a favor and make the "equipment commitment" to your sport. Plus the SUV is much, much easier to drive when the yaks are hiding in the slip stream right behind the vehicle. Will in Sarasota

 

[idive2]

It definitely sounds like a nice set up with your trailer. If the kayaking
was my primary activity I would probably have considered the trailer option
a bit more than I did. Who knows, maybe someday when I have more storage
available and kayaking becomes something I do more often I might go this
direction. For now I will be car topping on the occasions that I do transport
a kayak. I have the outrigger option on my rooftop carrier and it makes it a bit
easier to load, less likely to knock a mirror off my car as well. Carrying even
a 65 lb. kayak to the waters edge though is always going to be a bit of a chore.
I was about to put a deposit down on the Tarpon 140 and decided to wait. Even
though I like the tracking and extra capacity of the 14-16 ft. kayaks, weight
wise I'm reconsidering the 12 footer. I like the ruggedness of the Wilderness
Systems Tarpon kayaks but the extra weight is my concern.

 

[ancientdiver]

weight will be no problem if you get a kayak cart to roll the yak to the water. $100 or so. you can make one yourself, but most who do end up biting the bullet and getting a professionally made one afterwards. there is one brand that all the touring pros use around here and swear by, but I can't think of name. I have two sons to carry yaks, so haven't bought a cart yet. going to buy one soon as they are now busy with crew rowing practice on weekends. worth the investment even if you don't have a trailer. you can load the yak, lift up one end, wheels will be at the other end, then roll it all to the water. with a little practice of where to place the wheels, the wheels can carry most of the weight and you are just pushing. sweet. don't get one that fits through the scupper holes - divers have too much gear/weight and you can get a catastrophic failure of the yak from a blown out scupper hole due to all the weight being concentrated at one spot, thinner than the hull by design, never intended to be a load bearing point. if I was only going to buy one boat I would be torn between the Tarpon 160 and the Trident 15. Trident better for a freediving spearo, Tarpon better for a scuba diving non-spearo. good luck.

I am working on my yaks with straps to hold stuff. when I get done I will post some pics.

all I can say is that short boats are slow boats, no exception. you will like the bigger boat's speed and the way it tracks straighter after you get some experience.

 

[ancientdiver]

weight will be no problem if you get a kayak cart to roll the yak to the water. $100 or so. you can make one yourself, but most who do end up biting the bullet and getting a professionally made one afterwards. there is one brand that all the touring pros use around here and swear by, but I can't think of name. I have two sons to carry yaks, so haven't bought a cart yet. going to buy one soon as they are now busy with crew rowing practice on weekends. worth the investment even if you don't have a trailer. you can load the yak, lift up one end, wheels will be at the other end, then roll it all to the water. with a little practice of where to place the wheels, the wheels can carry most of the weight and you are just pushing. sweet. don't get one that fits through the scupper holes - divers have too much gear/weight and you can get a catastrophic failure of the yak from a blown out scupper hole due to all the weight being concentrated at one spot, thinner than the hull by design, never intended to be a load bearing point. if I was only going to buy one boat I would be torn between the Tarpon 160 and the Trident 15. Trident better for a freediving spearo, Tarpon better for a scuba diving non-spearo. good luck.

I am working on my yaks with straps to hold stuff. when I get done I will post some pics.

all I can say is that short boats are slow boats, no exception. you will like the bigger boat's speed and the way it tracks straighter after you get some experience.

 

[idive2]

Thanks for the comments on the carts. I'll avoid the scupper hole type carts
and probably go with a factory made type cart. I had the tarpon 120 out yesterday
and although it was just a bit easier to car top it was still a chore carrying down
to the water, a cart is going to be a must have. I also noticed the difference in
tracking and glide compard to the longer kayaks. I may go with the trident 13 as
much as I like the tarpon series I'm seeing weight as being something that is going
to influence my purchase. By comparison the trident 13 is 1 foot longer yet I
believe 9 pounds lighter as compared to the tarpon 120. If weight was not a
concern the tarpon 140 or 160 would be my preference.

 

[dkramer]

When you go to get a cart, I recommend you spend the extra & get the wide beach wheels.

 

[idive2]

I'm going to start looking around for carts and will definitely try to get the
wider wheels. I've not done any diving from the kayak yet but with gear I
can see where the cart is the way to go. More than one or two trips across
a wide beach and the fun factor definitely starts to go down.