KC (Kajun Customs) Kayaks is a kayak company comprised of four graduates of Louisiana State University. It's no surprise that their K12 design is thought of with the saltwater and skinny water fisherman in mind. Recently I spent a few days in one, a bit out of its element in a deep freshwater lake. At the same time I tested out two new offerings from KC, the white bass boat style seat and the metal support frame that goes with it.

The Good


This is a skinny water kayak. As soon as I pushed off from the ramp I could feel the glide. I wanted to try to turn and with one paddle stroke the kayak spun about 135 degrees. It was impressive. Paddling was an easy task as well. At 12 feet, the K12 tracks pretty well. It has minimal nose walk. Sitting up high in the upgraded seat you will want a longer paddle (probably 260 for most folks) and it will also help when standing and paddling.

Speaking of standing, the KC is pretty darn stable. At 34" wide with a lot of surface area on the hull, the K12 is one of the easier kayaks to stand in that I've tested. Having a higher seat makes that task even easier.

The other place where the K12 will shine is with fly fishermen. The deck layout is very clean and free of clutter. The additional non slip foam in the floor also helps you keep that stance while whipping a fly.


The Needs Improvement


It's no secret that I like under deck storage and this kayak has almost none. One hatch toward the bow gives you some access but not enough to store camping gear below deck. It does have large tank wells above deck where you could lash things down. A curious thing about that, though there are eyelets mounted throughout the kayak, there is no bungee included.

While the K12 is stable, it is also tall. Tall in the water and the ease with which it glides also causes it to be windblown. You will want an anchor trolley (if not two) if you plan to hold your position in any kind of wind.

Probably the most frustrating thing on the K12 was the included tracks. The seat is anchored to these tracks. Unfortunately the upgrade seat that mounts to the metal frame and then slides into the included track doesn't fit. The frame uses t-bolts and they wouldn't fit in the included track. I also tried my RAM rod holders which use t-blots and then my small screw ball mounts. None of them fit. The track was too small. I had to use some southern ingenuity to get the seat to mount and it didn't feel as stable as it should. If you are going to offer track, it has to work for multiple items.

Final Thoughts


For the fly fisherman, the flats stalkers and the river runners, this is a pretty good kayak for you. If you are going to be on lakes, you'll want to look into the trolling motor mount or go a different direction. Stability is pretty good so if you want to stand and fish, this could be a great option for you. It's not versatile enough for my uses but has a definite market out there.

The Kayak Fishing ClassicS recently added KC Kayaks to our list of fantastic sponsors. We do not do so lightly as every sponsor product we recommend must met a tough set of standards in quality, durability, function and of course price. We received our K12 kayak model from KC Kayaks and began our tests and this is what we found.
I helped the FedEx delivery driver unload the K12 and immediately unpacked it. What I saw was even nicer than in the photographs. I inspected the workmanship throughout the kayak and it was startlingly perfect, no easy task in a thermal molded boat. I had requested an all white K12 for our purposes which are twofold; we wish to wrap the boat in the future and all white hull seems a natural for this however, more importantly is that the color of high gloss white will show every flaw in the forming of the material. Well long story short, perfection is a beautiful thing.
At first look at the functioning hardware of the craft, there is a certain Spartan appearance to the K12 that is minimalistic yet refreshing. Upon inspection of the fastening hardware; all were very secure and well sealed. The T channel on the gunwale, port and starboard is made from a super strong and lightweight polycarbonate material. They run the length of the cockpit and are used to secure the seat.
The seat is molded with 4 beverage holders and glides easily in the tracks and is secured firmly in place with large knobs for ease of use. The seat may also be flipped over and secured in same fashion to be used as an elevated fishing platform or for scouting fish. That’s a great idea and is very effective however if you wish to sit in a more standardized fishing chair, KC Kayaks offers a swivel chair that secures into the glides as well. If you go that way you may use the stock seat as a companion seat or you may wish to flip it and use as your scouting/fishing platform.
Speaking of standing in your kayak, the K12 is very stable. I don’t mean it’s just ok to stand up; I mean you can walk around in it without all the tipping commonly involved or associated with standing in a kayak. As a bases of a standup fishing platform, the K12 is as solid as it gets and that’s considerable.
The 12’ boat maneuvers on a dime but has more room than most 14’s do. The aft cargo area is huge and you can stand back there and fish if you like just to give you an idea of its usable size. If you are going camping you will certainly have more room for gear than 1 or 2 people would need just in the aft.
The bow cargo area is also quite large. With all of your gear stowed away in the aft cargo area, the bow area is perfect for stripping fly lines so need for a line basket with this kayak. The scuppers are deep welled so the water that comes in while moving about the K12 is largely retained there until discharged. This keeps the deck nice and clean as well as dry or you can simply put in plugs if you like.
The K12 is perfect for those who like to use electric trolling motors. KC Kayaks has a very well made mount that easily removes with the pull of a spring loaded pin. Our K12 came with this feature so we plan to put it to use. Electric trolling motors are very nice for pre-tournament scouting and fishing as it saves our anglers a great deal of valuable time. There is a molded area in the aft cargo to place your battery and still have plenty of room for your gear…nice.
With all of this being said it raises the question; so how does she swim? Well let’s talk about that. We took a long hard look at the hull of the K12 and wondered how well she swims and how quite she would be in a choppy environed. I put my engineering background to work here and looked at the hull from every angle. I turned the boat over onto foam blocks for a closer inspection. I pulled some measurements and calculated those against the average paddle stroke length of a kayaker to gather hydro flow rates at slack tide. Hmmm, interesting. I then figured the surface flow rate of the water over the hull while paddling. Another hmmm please. I figured in the displacement factor of the K12 which is surprisingly minimal and the hull configuration and concluded that I must try this out on the water. I couldn’t stand the excitement. I had concluded that the K12 would have to be a dream to paddle if my figures were correct.
I loaded the K12 with my fishing gear, small cooler, a couple of rods and launched at dockside. I pulled once with my paddle and was shocked! I took a few more strokes and just could not believe it. Are you kidding me? Now granted, I waxed the hull before use as I always do but this was just ridicules. I know that a 12’ kayak is easier to paddle than say a 14’ kayak but this was crazy slick. She had the glide rate of a 14 but paddled with very little effort. Nice! She tracked straight as an arrow and really was a joy to be in. By the way the K12 weighs in at only 63 lbs with a 12’ length and 34” beam.
She is very quite in the water and poles like a cloud. Standup paddling is also very easy and quiet and doing so with the seat reversed is easy and stable. The K12 is really an amazing kayak and is perfect for the beginner or experienced kayak angler alike. We are very impressed and know you will be too.
So how was the fishing? Well let’s just say she won’t catch the fish for you but you can sneak up on them with ease… With this said I would like to welcome KC Kayaks to the Kayak Fishing ClassicS and let you know that we will be awarding 2 of the K12 kayaks in our National Championship Classic. Please visit KC Kayaks at www.KCKayaks.com for more information and a location list of dealers and take a look at their forum while you are there. Thanks for reading and see you on the water.

My buddy recently bought a KC kayak and I was excited to try it out, it looked pretty cool on the website...

First this kayak is way to expensive for what you are getting. I'm not sure how much they cost to to make but $1,399 just seems ridiculous. I weigh 195lbs and when I got into the kayak the deck started flexing and felt very soft.

The space on the kayak is great there is plenty of room to move around and store your gear.

The seat is just a hard plastic bucket that you can either flip one way to be in a raised position and flip the opposite way to sit sunken down into it. I've sat in other seats before and this is not even in my top 10.

The overall durability of the kayak I also question. Although it is very light and easy to manage I don't think it would survive being dropped or being dragged across some oyster bars.

Paddling this thing is like a barge, it is also so high up in the sides if it is at all windy the kayak acts like a sail.

Positives: light, easy to move around in while fishing, great high perch if you have the seat in the high position especially if you are standing on the seat, tons of room to store stuff would be great for hauling your camping gear if it didn't' suck so bad to paddle.

Cons: durability I'm not sure how long this kayak would last, high sides make wind a real pain, paddles like a barge, unconformable seat, expensive for what you are getting.