At the recent most Austin Canoe and Kayak (ACK) demo days in Austin, TX I was able to test paddle the prototype Wilderness Systems ATAK. I had only seen the pictures and videos on the Internet prior to that day and this was my first real look at Wilderness Systems newest boat. At first glance, I thought it resembled the Feel Free Lure 13.5 quite a bit. As with any review I do on a boat, I look at four categories; speed/tracking, stability, comfort and "fishability."
Speed/Tracking: It was a completely calm and flat day on the reservoir where the demo days were at, so my experience should be taken with a grain of salt. At just over 14 feet in length and 34 inches wide, the ATAK paddles fairly well. For comparison sake, I would say that it feels much like a Ride 135, but has a little more top speed and I would feel comfortable paddling it 5+ miles. As for tracking, no issues there, but again it was a calm day with no current or crosswind to assess it in. Due to the ultra low profile on the water, I have a feeling that the wind will not affect the ATAK as much as other yaks.
Stability: Top notch, stood up in it on the first try and it was so stable that I even began working a top water lure with no issues. The cockpit is completely wide open and enables you to keep your feet fairly wide apart giving you a good solid base. In the high seat position, I felt no difference in stability due to the higher center of gravity and in the low position you feel like you are on a pontoon boat.
Comfort: The new Wilderness Systems frame seat is now my second favorite behind the Feel Free Gravity Seat. It took Wilderness a while to come up with a frame seat, but the wait was worth it! Low and high positions are easily changed on the water and the seat is mounted on tracks which gives you the ability to trim it fore and aft. Again, the cockpit is wide open, a feature I really like because it gives you the ability to stretch out and move around some.
"Fishability": From bow to stern, this boat is built for fishing. A Large bow hatch is present with a large cover, perfect for breaking down your cart or storing a large fish bag. The sonar pod has been carried over to the ATAK as with other Wilderness Systems boats and can fit the largest of transducers. Gear Tracks are present on left and right sides and run almost all the way from your feet to your seating position, giving you ample space to mount any of your favorite rail adapters. Just behind the seat is an area where only a crate would be able to fit. This is not the norm in fishing kayaks today, but that is because the ATAK has a hinged cover at the rear most of the boat for storing your rods during transport. The cover appears to be the exact same as the center console cover on the Thresher series of kayaks. Some will love this feature and other will hate it. I am not opposed to it, but at this time, I think I would of rather had the extra space.
Wilderness Systems has once again launched a feature packed boat for a certain niche of the kayak fishing community. The ATAK is going to be a flats and bass fisherman's dream.
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