Old Town "Predator MX" Hot

In my opinion this is the best kayak out there for rivers. Easily maneuverable and will turn 180 degrees with just a couple of paddle strokes. It is extremely stable for stand up fishing. The seat is very comfortable and I have no issue fishing all day out of it. The front hatch is larger then most kayaks on the market. I am able to fit a one person tent, sleeping bag and pad, along with other camping equipment for over night trips all in the front hatch. The handle areas on the front and rear of the kayak are designed perfect for transporting the kayak. My favorite feature though is the open deck design. Lots of room for when you catch the big one! I also feel way less crammed because of the open deck. Only downside of this kayak is the weight. The weight though is the same issue with ALL this style of kayaks. It is hard to get around if you want a kayak that is stable enough to stand in. I can manage to load it into my truck by myself with my gear still in it. I do recommend some kind of kayak cart to help move it around on land. I also recommend foam golf balls or regular scupper plugs IF you don't want to have water in the kayak. This is also common with other kayaks in its class. Over all I am 100% happy with my purchase of my Predator MX and wouldn't want any other paddle kayak out there!

I’ve owned Ride 115, Moken Feel Free Angler 12, Old Town Vapor, Jackson Coosa. I fish from a kayak 2-3 days per week and have built up a wide-ranging set of opinions of numerous kayaks. The Predator MX is by far the best of the aforementioned. It’s without a doubt the most stable. Last week as I was floating down the Chattahoochee, I’d forgotten to strap down the seat with the buckle that sits between your legs on the front of the chair. As I leaned back to stretch, the seat (in high position) popped out of the front brackets and dislodged from one of the rear side brackets. The whole boat swayed to one side as I was drifting down some slow rapids and the 70 lbs of gear in my boat along with my off-kilter seat pushed precariously to one side as I was sure my next few seconds would be spent in the 50 degree water. Negative. The Predator stayed up right and I stayed dry. I was on day 2 of a kayak camping trip, but you’d never know it. All of my camping gear was stashed securely in the forward compartment which holds a MASSIVE amount of gear; the rear deck held my 2nd paddle, landing net, cooler and tackle boxes. I can’t get enough of this boat, it truly is the do everything machine. 2 days before I was crossing a large recreation reservoir in Georgia, busy with skiers and speedboats. You aren’t going to win any speed records paddling open water with this boat, but in the boat that would win a speed record, could you paddle it while standing like a SUP? NO! The replaceable accessory plates along the side rail of the boat are genius. It allows you to accessorize as you please without drilling into the hull. The only thing I miss from my kayaks of the past is the “wheel in the keel” from the Moken. Otherwise, this Old Town Predator MX is superior in every way to the Ride Moken, Vapor, and Coosa. Hands down.

I love this kayak! The stability allows me to stand & cast all day, with exception of point A to B paddling. I find myself stand-up paddling this thing thru the shallows with ease. The speed & tracking seem good for a 34" wide kayak and with all the wind we've been having up here in the northeast I've put it to the test on some decent size lakes, white caps & all. Being mostly a fly fisherman the simple open deck is just what I was looking for and I rarely worry about snags. I spent alot of time on here reviewing kayak's and I couldn't be happier with my choice!

After purchasing my Old Town Predator MX in February and spending many fun filled hours of getting it rigged and ready to do some fishyakin', the weather finally warmed up (briefly) enough for me to take it out on the maiden voyage and test it out. I went to Glasgow Pond in Griswold, CT. All in all I am extremely happy with it, I'm still new to this sport having only started fishyakin' last summer using a Tarpon 100. But it didn't take me long to get "hooked" on it and after begging my wife and doing lots of research I decided the Predator MX was the yak for me....and I'm now certain I chose wisely. I'm fairly adventurous with my fishing and tried many different lakes and a few rivers last year, including the Thames River looking for stripers, I even participated in my first bass tournament(placed 9th out of 17). I fully intend on getting into the Connecticut River near it's mouth looking for those stripers again and hitting it further upstream to see what it's fresh side has to offer. I've added several lakes to the bucket list this year to hit and will try my luck again at that local kayak bass fishing tourney next month. I'm also taking my Tarpon out to Ohio next month and giving it to my twin brother and getting him into the sport. I'll be taking my Predator along and fishing with him so it'll be neat to compare the two together in the water even though I already know the P-MX is a superior yak. So kudos Old Town Kayak, you have done well with this one and I look forward to making many happy fishyak memories!!!

Captain Richard B. Willette
Senior Ship Pilot, Submarine Base, new London CT
BMC(SW), U.S. Navy (ret)

This was my second kayak, I moved out of an Ocean Kayak Trident 11. This kayak is great, I love the seat and moving it from the high to the low position is easy. The ability to move the seat out of the way so I have a true standing platform at the center of the kayak is great.

The Predator MX is very stable, it's stable in both the high and low seated positions. No tippyness here when you are in the high position like some fishing kayaks.

The deck is well laid out, you can tell they put some though into this boat. I wish they would have included some rod holders. For 1200 you would think they could include one.

My only real complaint is the weight. This thing is heavy for a 12ft kayak their sites says 82lbs but it feel much heavier than that. Maybe I'm just weak.