Jackson Kraken VS Wilderness Systems Thresher

[Stuck20]

I'm a bigger guy too, I fish out of a Thresher. I'd go with the more comfortable kayak if you have back problems.

[alanw]

I have not paddled a Thresher so I can't compare the two, but I have a Kraken and after a few years of paddling a kayak with a regular padded foam seat I can say that I love the seat on the Kraken and I will probably never go back to a kayak with a regular foam seat again. Maybe I'm just old, but a comfortable seat is high priority for me. The pod on the Thresher looks sweet but there is no problem mounting a fishfinder to the provided GearTrac on the Kraken.

Drawbacks for the Kraken for me are that is feels tippy. I don't think I can relax and take a nap on it like on my old stable Malibu kayaks and I find myself hanging my legs over the sides for stability often while drifting. Reaching around back for bait is always exciting. And while tracking is a good trait in a kayak, the Kraken seems to track so well that it is hard for me to straighten it out against wind cocking. Install a rudder on it and it goes where you point it with much less effort.

Honestly I think the biggest problem with the Kraken is ME. It was designed for an experienced kayaker which I will admit I am not. Kayak fishing is two parts, kayaking and fishing. Fishermen that happen to go out on kayaks aren't necessarily kayakers even though they think of themselves as one. What started out as just fishing on a little stable plastic tub turned into learning about bracing, leaning, paddle techniques, broaching, etc... which the Kraken sort of forced me to consider more.

[ewhitney60]

would you recommend the malibu x-factor as a nice starter?