by Peter Jung •

Aquayak Kayaks are continually striving to offer a quality range of kayaks that are manufactured in Australia and offer a good mix of leisure and fishing-based activities.

The third installment of testing for the magazines is on the Aquayak Scout with a fishing kit. This is not our first look at the Scout, as we have featured it before with a Torqeedo Ultralight electric motor fitted to it (see December 2016). I was impressed with how it performed with the motor fitted, but not everybody has the need for this, so I was excited when the Scout arrived at our offices in its standard form and we organised to get it out on the water.

Layout and fishing kit
At 3m long the Scout falls into the small/medium size category for kayaks. What Aquayak has done with the space that the 3m affords is quite cleaver. Their main focus is on the cockpit size and the storage behind the seat.

My testing assistant Chris Jordan’s first thought on the seating area was that they had gone a long way to achieve it, “It’s nice to have so much space for you and all your things.”

I feel the same way; you don’t necessarily want the entire tackle shop with you on the water, but it is nice to have what you do want within arms reach.

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If your intention is to spend many hours on the water at a time then the seat will need to be as comfortable as possible. I’ve used a number of kayaks that claim to have a comfort seat and my numb backside after a short time on the water would beg to disagree. The comfort seat provided with the Aquayak Scout is a fully adjustable, clips in place easily and provides quite a bit of support for the user.

So far so good – my backside isn’t complaining yet.

There is also a large rear well with a bungee for securing your gear. This easily fitted a small esky and had room for more if needed. On the test day we had an esky, tackle tray and net in the well and it was no problem at all.

There is also an additional storage hatch at the front of the kayak. It gives you access to the hull for any fit-out requirements and is also large enough to store the dry bag with any items you don’t need access to while you are on the water.

A huge feature of the layout is the Railblaza rail and port system. If there is a better system out there to provide this much flexibility in setup, then please let me know. The rail systems are standard and if you opt for the fishing kit set, you also get a rod holder and mini port.

The beauty of the rail system is you can adjust where you position the many types accessories we all have these days, whether it’s the rod holder provided, a sounder or a camera setup. The ports are also easy to use and give you the piece of mind that whatever you have mounted to it, it’s securely attached to the kayak.

Other items in the fish kit are a drift chute, a 12L dry bag and a paddle leash. All assist in making the kayak even more fishing friendly.

On the water
Half the battle with any kayak is getting it to the water before you even contemplate taking it out. At only 19kg (kayak only) the battle is made that much easier with the Scout. It can easily be loaded or unloaded from a car or trailer by one person, with four heavy-duty carry handles systematically placed to assist with this.

The true test as always is on the water. The tri-keel hull design of the Scout is excellent. It has impressive buoyancy and excellent speed and tracking. You get plenty of reward for each stroke of the paddle. The significance of the 150kg capacity is also not lost on me. The Scout coped with my 100kg+ and the rest of the bits and pieces with no dramas at all.

The Railblaza accessories and two flush mounted rod holders ensure fishing rods can be kept out of the way and the centre hatch with bucket is large enough to store a few extra lures, bait or items you want to keep out of the sun.

The one thing I haven’t mentioned is stability. At this point I would normally be mentioning a close call or mishap while on the water, however, thankfully for me I have no stories to tell. I have felt very confident using the Scout and Chris said the same thing after our testing day.

Recreational use
Although my focus would always be to head out in a kayak for a fish, I also have a youngish family and their thoughts on kayaks are more recreationally focused. At 16 and 13, like most kids these days, a fair bit of their time is spent with their eyes glued to a tablet or smartphone. When the Scout came home to be tested they were keen to get out and give it a try, so a long weekend away saw the Scout come along as well. It was great to see the girls out using it.

A true testament to the stability of the Scout was three girls all on the kayak (two seated in the main cockpit and one in the rear well). They spent hours mucking around on Cudgen Lake, which meant no fishing for dad. They loved using it and continue to ask me when we can go out again.

Give one a try
The Aquayak Scout in many ways ticks all of the boxes. It’s light enough for one person to load it, unload it and get it to the water. The layout is spacious and well thought-out and this includes the storage and rail systems. Once on the water it tracks well, manoeuvres easily and is one of the most stable 3m kayaks I have tested. Couple this with the fact it is manufactured and made in Australia and that gives you plenty of reasons to check out the Aquayak Scout and the rest of the range of kayaks they produce.
To find out more about Aquayak Kayaks and where your nearest dealer is, go to www.aquayak.com.

Specifications
Length: 3m
Width: 0.79m
Weight: 19kg
Capacity: 150kg
Price: (standard) $699 RRP  (with fish kit) $799 RRP

Features
• Comfort seat, double paddle (split two-piece)
• Two storage hatches
• Four heavy-duty handles
• Railblaza rod holder R
• Railblaza mini port
• Two accessory rails
• Drift chute
• Paddle leash
• 12L dry bag
• Self draining cockpit and a large self-draining aft well.