Ultra 4.7 vs Thresher 155

[sega]

The time for an upgrade is upon me. My fs12t has been great to me but I want a BTB boat that has the necessary storage for camping.

Narrowed it down to the Ultra 4.7 and Thresher 155. I'm pretty sure a couple guys on here have Threshers but I haven't seen anyone with an Ultra. Just figured I'd ask for anyone's opinion that might give me some new insights making my decision easier.


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[lovett88]

If your on facebook, look up Kayak Kevin. He uses a ultra 4.7 to kayak camp out of. Id shoot him a message he is usually very responsive and could give a lot of insight on the ocean kayaks.

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[Donsail68]

Not knowing what BTB stands for, I'm just concerned of the length of both kayaks. Both are pretty long if you want to navigate the rocks in upper potomac river. As you know, the longer the waterline, the harder to turn. As for camping, I prefer to have much gear out of the elements as possible. Any large hatch openings is a big plus. The more hatches the better.

Donnie

[reel-em-in]

Not knowing what BTB stands for, I'm just concerned of the length of both kayaks. Both are pretty long if you want to navigate the rocks in upper potomac river. As you know, the longer the waterline, the harder to turn. As for camping, I prefer to have much gear out of the elements as possible. Any large hatch openings is a big plus. The more hatches the better.

Donnie

BTB = Beyond the Breakers. He's looking for a big water kayak.

Sega,
Not sure if you looked at the Profish Reload but I love mine. I haven't taken it on the ocean yet but it has performed great for me on really windy days on the Susquehanna flats. There is a ton of room in the front hatch area, but the downside is there isn't any real storage inside the center of the kayak due to the tackle pod. Not sure how much gear you plan on taking camping.

[Donsail68]

[QUOTE=reel-em-in;130289]BTB = Beyond the Breakers. He's looking for a big water kayak.


Thanks appreciated the clarification.

[echo5oscar]

The Ultra and Thresher were designed for that type of water. There are a lot of videos on YouTube with the Ultra's. The Ultra's have an extra pair of flush rod holders on the sides, similar to the Outback. I also like that the rod pod hatch can rotate, keeping your electronics safe should you roll while trying to punch through or re-enter the breakers. Not familiar with the Thresher, but there was a 140 up for raffle at JBay. Really nice boat. The Profish Reload that reel-em-in has is also designed for that type of water. The Bluewater Kayak Classic in Corpus Christi is a BTB tournament for kingfish, snapper, cobia, and they've gotten Viking to become a major sponsor. So I guess it would come down to what you like best. Doesn't seem like any of them would be a bad boat for BTB or multinight camping trips.

Oh, the Thresher 140 front hatch was over a molded bin. There wasn't access to inside the hull. That would limit the items you could take.

[imagine29028]

And youve knocked out the Jackson Kraken? That is a signature boat of Mr Offshore himself, Jim Sammons.

[sega]

The Ultra and Thresher were designed for that type of water. There are a lot of videos on YouTube with the Ultra's. The Ultra's have an extra pair of flush rod holders on the sides, similar to the Outback. I also like that the rod pod hatch can rotate, keeping your electronics safe should you roll while trying to punch through or re-enter the breakers. Not familiar with the Thresher, but there was a 140 up for raffle at JBay. Really nice boat. The Profish Reload that reel-em-in has is also designed for that type of water. The Bluewater Kayak Classic in Corpus Christi is a BTB tournament for kingfish, snapper, cobia, and they've gotten Viking to become a major sponsor. So I guess it would come down to what you like best. Doesn't seem like any of them would be a bad boat for BTB or multinight camping trips.

Oh, the Thresher 140 front hatch was over a molded bin. There wasn't access to inside the hull. That would limit the items you could take.

Yea that's the only thing I don't like about the thresher. The bin area is big but you don't have much access at all to the inside of the hull.

[sega]

And youve knocked out the Jackson Kraken? That is a signature boat of Mr Offshore himself, Jim Sammons.

I think the Kraken is a nice boat but I think an Ocean Kayak or a WS would be better suited for the kayak I'm looking for. For this kayak I want a very low center of gravity, and the Kraken seat is raised

[sega]

Not knowing what BTB stands for, I'm just concerned of the length of both kayaks. Both are pretty long if you want to navigate the rocks in upper potomac river. As you know, the longer the waterline, the harder to turn. As for camping, I prefer to have much gear out of the elements as possible. Any large hatch openings is a big plus. The more hatches the better.

Donnie

Oh absolutely. I'm keeping my fs12t for my home rivers. This kayak is exclusively for rough open water.

[sega]

If your on facebook, look up Kayak Kevin. He uses a ultra 4.7 to kayak camp out of. Id shoot him a message he is usually very responsive and could give a lot of insight on the ocean kayaks.

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Oh I'm a huge Kayak Kevin fan. Watching his videos is how I discovered the 4.7.

[EMSer]

Love my Thresher!! You can paddle it if you want.

[imagine29028]

I think the Kraken is a nice boat but I think an Ocean Kayak or a WS would be better suited for the kayak I'm looking for. For this kayak I want a very low center of gravity, and the Kraken seat is raised

You know that seat drops to a low position right? It also adjusts fore and aft depending on your load carrying.

[sega]

You know that seat drops to a low position right? It also adjusts fore and aft depending on your load carrying.

Yea even the lowest setting on the kraken is a little high for me. For this kayak I'm willing to sacrifice comfort for having as low a center of gravity as possible.

[Bulldog]

Talking shorter versions, I have a Ultra 4.3, and actually won the 14 foot thresher last year at J-Bay, gave to my best friend real cheap! I've camped in my Ocean kayak Trident 11, on the Delaware river for two night trips the rod pod is open to inside of hull, packed that boat full ,tents , stove ,everything, I was amazed at what went inside the hull, The 4.3 has a bin in the center hatch, less storage and because of that awesome bow flair there is a tight fit at front hatch. I've paddled both and preferred the Ultra 4.3 over the Thresher11, seemed to paddle easier, also the Thresher is a lot heavier then the Ultra which weighs 68lbs.. I have a 2013 Ultra 4.3 made in New Zealand, I bought the New Zealand seat and also the hinges for the rod pod non-flip hatch and made one out of starboard, the flip hatch is I guess nice, but for surf entry I can unplug fishfinder and toss in hatch easily, leg room is huge improvement.
That said at the Chesapeake Bay at Kent Narrows the other year I went out when I shoud'nt have, by myself early in the morning, I was praying for the first twenty minutes before I realized what an animal the Ultra was, in my long journey to the center span, the boat handled almost everything to the point I was like a kid having fun, I did take about ten waves over the bow that hit me dead on in the chest and stopped the boat. That incredible bow flair and rocker on the boat made me a believer. People sell them to get peddle boats, but all say what a boat! I can send pictures of my hatch if you want later.......Jack