Gear: Pelican Castaway 116

The Pelican Castaway 116 was the first kayak I bought back in 2004 when I first thought I needed a kayak.  I didn’t know the first thing about kayaks or kayaking; all I knew is that I wanted to get to some new and remote spots to feed my photography addiction, er hobby. Even after reading up on kayaks I still wasn’t sure I wanted to drop a lot of money into something that might turn out to be very seldom used. You know how it is with buying a boat: It’s the happiest day of your life when you get it and the second happiest day is when you get rid of it. Or so they say.

Well I took the Pelican Castaway out a few times in some nice safe water to see if I could get the hang of it. I bought the thing in late October as if riding a kayak isn’t a wet affair. I figured I could get a week or two of paddling in before winter set in for good. So after a few rides I put the yak away until spring when the water was warmer and I wouldn’t have to worry about going in the drink and dying of hypothermia.

Now fast forward past a couple of summers of collecting dust — both me and the kayak. Last March I finally got back around to the kayak and loaded the boat on the truck and took it to Cap’n Popeye’s place on Bastrop Bayou and that is where it has lived ever since. It has found a happy home there.

I really liked kayaking on my first few rides way back when I bought the boat but never got around to doing any serious paddling until last March. I got serious and started paddling several times a week. Sometimes four, sometimes only two, but on average three evenings a week I could be found paddling the little green Pelican Castaway kayak up and down Bastrop Bayou.

I started out slow and gradually worked up to a few miles. Then after a few weeks I could easily go a few miles before stopping for a rest, which had more to do with learning how to keep the boat on a straight line than with any huge increase in fitness I think.

By the end of the summer I could truck about 8 miles in a couple of hours. I’d stop at the bayou on the way home from work, throw the boat in, and paddle off into the setting sun. I did some estimatin’ and I figure I probably paddled about a hundred miles last summer.

I’ve also had the Castaway kayak in the open waters of Lake Conroe, in the surf at Quintana Beach, in the tight confines of Oyster Creek, and in the woods of Austin Bayou. I have put this boat through the full gamut of almost every use around here on the Gulf Coast, except for a bay. Here are some caveats you might want to consider:

• Do NOT take this boat in the surf — the front hatch will not repel a single drop of water.
• Do NOT take this boat on any open water such a large lake or bay that has any chop at all — the front hatch will not repel a single drop of water. If you are going to be on rough water, you need to be able to drain the inside of the kayak. If a lot of water is coming over the bow you may need to drain quite frequently. Even if the kayak does not take on enough water to sink, five to ten gallons of water sloshing suddenly from one side to the other will cause the kayak to capsize making it near impossible to re-board. We know because we tested it. Cap’n Popeye tried for 45 minutes to re-board the kayak while adrift and the water sloshing from one side to the other always caused the kayak to flip the other way, Popeye with it. Was quite hilarious to watch actually as Popeye didn’t realize the boat was full of water and was determined to re-board the kayak without coming to shore.
• As soon as you buy the boat, got some plastic weld and apply it all around the scupper joints inside the hull before you launch the boat for even the first time. Use way more goop than you think you should–like a whole tube on each scupper. Trust me, one or more of the scupper joints will eventually come apart and when it does you don’t want to be on open water as the boat will sink. The goop works great. I used Water Weld because it canbe applied and will set under water, supposedly. The first application lasted all summer. Carry some goop with you in case you need it.
• The Castaway, like almost all Pelican kayaks, is a two-piece boat and the seam is prone to split. You guessed it– water weld.
• Even with the reasonably wide beam the Castaway is not a stable boat if you are a big guy. Average sized people and kids can stand up on it and paddle around. I never fell off the kayak, but it always felt as if it could flip at any time.

Other than that, I have no complaints. The Pelican Castaway is too small for me but I’ll say it makes for a good trainer as I had to hone my skills quickly just to keep the dang thing right side up. It comes in handy as a spare, too. The relatively affordable price allowed me to get into the sport with a kayak that was marginally big enough for me (at the time I bought it) but didn’t break the bank.  If that describes you, this might be a good starter kayak, with respect to the caveats above about the leaky hatch and scuppers.

The boat handles about as well as you would expect for the flat keel.  The front of the boat is easily pushed around by wind and current so you have to learn how to control the track as you paddle or you will zig-zag all the way to the destination and paddle about three times more than needed for going in a straight line. This is part of what makes it a good trainer.

Included in the price is the basic angler setup, which costs extra on other competitively priced kayaks, making the value even better.

For a beginner, a trainer, or for near shore fishing and recreation, like ina bayou or pond, this is not a bad kayak. If you plan on being more adventurous with you kayak, I recommend looking at spending a little more and getting a better kayak. You will be happier in the long run.