The Old Town Predator MX is fantastic and worth its weight in gold. With plenty of room for gear, high weight capacity, and very impressive stability, make this kayak a pleasure to use. We were delighted to get it out on the lake and test it. It proved to be an amazing fishing kayak.
Who It’s For
The Predator MX is meant for users who want a smaller, more transportable kayak. It is intended to get into more shallow water without having to worry about rudders, pedal systems, or transducers being pounced off of water obstacles.
Recommended Use Cases
It is meant to be used in all water types, except river rapids. It wasn’t designed for that and will become unstable in really choppy water.
Kayak Features
- Element Seating System: The seat is designed after stadium-style seating. And, no, this isn’t just a run of the mill plastic seat. The Element Seating System is designed to fit all users, even those bigger kayakers. It has a wide-backed seat with a metal frame that can handle the weight. It is very comfortable and is designed for extended fishing trips.
The Element Seating System is adjustable and can recline a bit. The best part is the chair can be set in three distinct positions. Low, high, and folded back. Low is best used for as you’re paddling around trying to find the right spot to fish. High is best for casting and reeling as well as other fishing related activities. Folded back means that the seat folds back and out of the way, increasing your standing position. - Performance Crafted Tri-Hull:The Performance Crafted Tri-hull is a design that has to do with chine. It means that the boat is crafted with a modified “V” hull so that it makes three distinct points underwater. A tri-hull kayak will be better at tracking and significantly more stable than a kayak with a vanilla “V” hull.
- Scupper Holes:Scupper holes are one of the many great ways to stay dry. They allow water to drain out of the boat naturally without the need for occupant interaction. A remarkable feature of the Old Town Predator MX is it comes with one-way scupper plugs. These plugs allow the water to drain out through the scupper holes, but they don’t allow any water back through. These one-way plugs are usually an aftermarket purchase, but with this kayak, you get 8 of them with the boat.
- 6 Removable Mounting Plates: Removable mounting plates may not seem like a huge deal. But when you start adding accessories to your watercraft that need to be mounted with bolts, these plugs can be a lifesaver. To install those accessories, you drill into the plates that are then mounted on the boat. Instead of drilling into the boat itself. Should your preferences change and you want to switch up your gear, you can either reuse the plate, or you can buy a new plate for a lot less than a new kayak.
- Rod Tip Holders and Rod Retainer Bungees: The Old Town Predator MX kayak is a fishing kayak. So, naturally, it comes with ways to store your rods. The rod retainer bungees hold your rods. This is an excellent feature because, as your paddling along, you don’t want you gear shifting and rattling around in the boat. The rod tip holders are silicone mats that protect your rod tips from being smashed if stepped on or if other gear is placed on top of them. They also prevent the rod tips from moving or flailing about.
- Slip Resistant Exo-Ridge Deck & Tank Well and Stand-up Assist Strap: The Exo-Ridge tank well is an exaggerated molded diamond pattern that prevents the occupant and gear from slipping and moving about. The tank well also can keep your gear dryer as long as that gear doesn’t dip into the ridges of the diamond pattern.
Directly in front of the occupant is a stand-up assist strap. It does precisely what its name suggests. It helps you stand up. It’s a feature that you don’t miss until you don’t have it. It makes it very easy to stand up without rocking the boat. Especially when you have gear in your hands. - Large Bow Hatch with Click Seal Cover:The click seal cover is just as easy as that. There is a knob you turn that seals the gasketed hatch. The hatch is actually huge and has plenty of room for additional PFDs, tackle, or whatever you want.
- Support Track Foot Brace System: The Support Track Foot Brace System on the Old Town Predator MX is a superb and easily adjustable foot brace. You can easily adjust the foot braces with just the pull of a red tab. This can be done onshore, or it can be done on the fly. This is a great option because the more you move, the more likely you are to need a different position to remain comfortable.
- Stand-Up Assist Strap:The stand-up assist strap is a feature that is seen more and more. It is a strap that you can hold onto and hoist yourself up from the kayak seat. It really helps especially if your seat is in the low position.
Kayak Specs:
| Type of Kayak | Sit on Top |
| Number of Paddlers | 1 |
| Length | 12 ft |
| Width | 34 in |
| Weight | 82 lb |
| Material | Polyethylene |
| Leg Room to Peg | 48 in |
| Total Leg Room | 52 in |
| Capacity | 400 lb |
| Hatches Included | 1 |
Our Review of the MX Kayak
What are the key elements we need to review on each kayak?Go in-depth on the to-be-mentioned categories
- Tracking:We really liked how the Predator MX tracked. It stayed nice and straight as we paddled. We honestly didn’t miss a rudder. This was mostly due to the tri-hull design. Tri-hulls are known for being great at tracking and remaining stable in flatwater conditions.
- Stability: This kayak was very stable. There were several instances when we found ourselves standing and fishing towards the shore. There wasn’t an instance where I thought I would fall. I didn’t even stumble or flail my arms. It was a really great experience. Having a stable boat was especially helpful when we were reeling in a few rainbow trout.
The stability has a lot to do with beam width as well as the tri-layer hull. Both of these features will give you a tremendously stable experience even as you approach the max weight limit with gear.
The only issue is when the water gets choppier, we noticed that this rig became a little less stable. Not enough to toss us in the lake, but we did notice a difference. - Hull Speed:The Predator MX had excellent glide and hull speed. There was very little drag as we paddled. Even when we were going against the inlet current. Having a good hull speed is essential for fishing because having a slow boat not only means you’re going to make it last to the fishing site. But it also means you’ll be more tired than everybody.
- Durability/build quality:The Predator MX is made from a single thick layer of polyethylene. This is pretty typical for most kayaks, but this one feels higher quality. After being dragged along sand and rock to the beach, we noticed how rugged this kayak truly is. There was hardly a scratch on it. The overall build quality is also outstanding. The little odds and ends like the stand-up strap and pedals feel very solid. There’s no give to the seat either. Everything just feels solid.
- Comfort: The adjustable pedals and comfort seats are excellent. You could spend 10 hours in this boat and still feel comfortable. The lack of a center console adds to the comfort factor because you have plenty of room for different leg positions, as well as plenty of room to stand.
Recommendation/Final Verdict
The Old Town Predator MX is a must-buy for various reasons. It isn’t as expensive as a lot of kayaks out there, and it comes with some great features. You get a tri-hull, a very comfortable seat, and great mounting options. On top of all of that, you get a kayak that is extremely stable, tracks great, and can take a beating.
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SupBoardGuide Editorial Team
At SupBoardGuide.com we are a team who love the water, the outdoors, and are more than grateful that our full-time job allows us to review stand up paddle boards. We paddle year round (it helps that we are just about 2 hours outside of Las Vegas), and we bring in a wide range of paddlers with the goal of providing our readers with the best, most in-depth, and accurate stand up paddle board reviews.
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