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THE KASKAZI MARLIN, ANGLER VERSION OF THEIR PELICAN KAYAK
A review by Simon Everett

Kaskazi Marlin - a fantastic kayak and it comes with rudder, anchor hauls x3, day hatch, rod holders with leashing eyes and a custom crate as standard - in advanced sandwich layup she weighs about 46lbs.

Here are some photos of just how seaworthy this kayak is with a friend who had NEVER BEEN IN A KAYAK before, after just a couple of hours "tuition" - 10-12 foot standing waves in a tide race, no problem. I was sat just bobbing taking the pictures from my Dorado from the same stable. We use both these kayaks for catching, measuring, tagging and releasing sharks - blues, tope and hopefully this year some porbeagles. (See: Shark Tagging By Kayak)

Very easy to paddle, even for a 12 year old (my young son comes out in one) and capable of extended camping trips away - we are planning a week long, self sufficient wilderness camp in Scotland - we will have to transport EVERYTHING we need for the week, including some water because many f the small islands don't have water on them. (See Kayak Touring)

Some more of the Marlin in rough water with a TOTAL NEWCOMER IN IT - he had only been kayaking for about 3 hours in total when I took this picture with him going airborne. The wind was blowing 7 to 8, but we were in the lee of the hills, there was a bit of down draught, but nothing untoward.

The tide was running - it runs up to about 4 knots here, and with the ebb starting against that wind the waves were building high and steep.

When the airborne shot was taken the waves were 10 - 12 feet and breaking occasionally. Even so, the Marlin handled it happily, even with an inexperienced kayaker at the helm.

Coming back downwind was great fun! He did eventually barrel roll out, but only by dint of the fact that he leaned down a wave and tried to brace on the down water side, instead of leaning towards the wave - typical novice reaction - a valuable lesson learned.

I got him back in within a couple of minutes and she emptied herself through the venturi drains in a couple of boat lengths. After that he was fine and braced against the face if each wave happily. That is probably the single most important aspect a newcomer can learn - LEAN INTO THE WAVE. It will keep you upright even in some pretty awesome waves.

For shots of Simon's Dorado with some small sharks coming aboard - (See: Shark Tagging By Kayak)

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Model: Marlin
Length: 15' 7" Width: 24.4"
Passenger & Gear Capacity: 309 lbs.
Rudder or Skeg Option?: RUDDER
Solo or Tandem?: SOLO
Also Known As: PELICAN See also Venturesport models
Suggested Retail: $1,197
Manufacturer: KASKAZI
Height: NA Weight: 55 lbs.
Material: Fibreglass
Possible Hatches: 2
Classification: ANGLER
Status: IN PRODUCTION


Marlin compared to the HURRICANE'S PHOENIX 160 - Read: BEST OF THE FORUM

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