New Kayak Added to the Kayak Catfish Fleet

A few weeks ago, I added a second kayak to my arsenal. It is a 2017 model Nucanoe Pursuit. I got a great deal on it by buying used from a guy on Craigslist. Rigging this kayak was originally going to be a winter project for me but I have had a lot of free time to piddle around the house since injuring myself and have already gotten most everything installed on it.

Why the Nucanoe Pursuit? The simple answer is that it checked all the boxes. What I mean by that is that there were several things I was looking for in a second kayak. I wanted a kayak that was comfortable, stable, had a lot of floor space, and was fast. The Nucanoe Pursuit addresses all those needs.

Comfort: How comfortable a kayak feels is relative to the person sitting in it. Each person will have their own opinion. What I like about Nucanoe kayaks is that you aren't limited to only using the seat that comes standard with them. Their seat is mounted to a regular base like you would find on a boat. This allows you to easily switch out the seat for a different model if you don't happen to feel comfortable in the one that comes with it.

Stability: The stability of the Nucanoe Pursuit is top notch. Again, how stable a kayak feels will vary from person to person based on a variety of factors such as height, weight, physical limitations, etc. From a personal standpoint, I can easily stand up, move forward, and turn around in the Pursuit with no fear of rolling or falling out.

Floor Space: This is a feature that was really important to me for a second kayak. I target trophy size catfish that often exceed 40+lbs. While I have no issue with bringing a monster fish into my lap, a guest who may be fishing with me and using this kayak might not be as willing. The floor space of the Pursuit offers more than enough space for them to be able to land a trophy size catfish.

Speed: To get a kayak that is comfortable and stable, you often times have to sacrifice speed. The cool thing about Nucanoe kayaks is that you have the option of adding an electric motor. With an electric motor, this kayak will easily match and exceed the speed of my current kayak, the Hobie Outback.

The electric motor option is what really sold me on going with Nucanoe over getting another Hobie for a second kayak. A bow mounted motor with GPS capabilities opens up a lot of new possibilities which I will discuss in my next post. You can click the link below to see a video Nucanoe made showing a bow mount motor in action on the Pursuit.

The motor I went with is a Motorguide xi5 55lb thrust motor with GPS. I was able to shop around on Black Friday and save a lot of money by buying the motor and Pinpoint GPS separately.  This project has actually saved me a few hundred dollars versus buying a used Hobie Pro Angler which was the other kayak I was debating on getting.

It is still too soon for me to give a full review on how the kayak and motor performs for my type of fishing. My injury is still lingering on which is preventing me from getting any time on the water. I am very excited about the possibilities this setup offers though. As soon as I am physically able to get back out there, I plan on putting this kayak and motor to the test. This has the potential to seriously improve my fishing. We will find out soon.