Emotion Kayaks

Emotion Grand Slam Kayak Review

The Grand Slam is the largest kayak offered by emotion and the name is very fitting on this one.  They really nailed it as far as loading it up with all the right features.  This is one of Emotion Kayaks best models; decked out with everything you need for a long day out on the water.  At fourteen feet this is a big single paddler kayak.  All that extra space was devoted to additional storage and improved performance on the water.   Designed especially for the serious and advanced kayaker, the Emotion Grand Slam can handle just about anything you throw at it, from rough waves to powerful winds, nothing short of a hurricane will keep you on shore with one of these.  Let’s have a closer look at the features. Read the rest of this entry

Emotion Kayaks

Emotion Tandemonium Kayak Review

This time the name chosen by Emotion Kayaks, although funny, doesn’t suit this kayak.  Pandemonium means utter chaos and disorder, but the Tandemonium is far from that.  Quite the opposite in fact.  This kayak is even more stable on the water than the Co-Motion kayak.  For such a large, family kayak the Tandemonium handles very well.  It’s loaded with some cool features and is perfect for larger family who want to relax out on the lake, glide smoothly down river or bob in some light ocean swells.  The hull is designed for maximum stability and is great for paddlers of all ages, giving a comfortably well-balanced ride across the water.  Let’s take a closer look. Read the rest of this entry

Emotion Kayaks – CoMotion Kayak Review

I love the way Emotion Kayaks name their boats.  Starting with a great play on words, the Co-Motion Kayak is a great, comfortable tandem kayak that will bring you to lots of great play on the water.  The first of Emotion’s two-person kayaks, the Co-Motion is perfect for your local lake, rivers or a nice quiet bay.  In includes a bunch of well thought out features that show how much effort the Emotion kayaks design team puts into their work.

Emotion Kayaks – CoMotion Performance

First off, the Co-Motion handles very well.  It is stable on the water and easy to enter and exit.  This is a very important consideration to make when looking at tandem kayaks.  It’s often easy for one paddler to Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Mojo and Emotion Mojo Angler Kayaks

The most popular definition of the word mojo means self-confidence, self-esteem and sex appeal. With the Emotion Mojo kayak, you’ll definitely feel at least one of the above! The trim and quiet design is highly stable on the water and will give you the confidence to paddle where you’ve never paddle

d before! With the option of purchasing this kayak direct from the factory with angling extras included, it makes the perfect kayak for recreation use and definitely for use as a fishing kayak. Read the rest of this entry

Emotion Temptation: Winner of “Best Recreational Kayak of the Year” in Outside Magazine, Paddlers Magazine and Canoe and Kayak Magazine!!

As the name implies, the Emotion Temptation kayak is extremely tempting!  It has a really sleek look with great lines running from bow to stern.  It is a versatile touring or recreational sit-on-top kayak well suited for kayakers of any skill level.  It was designed to be stable, fast, easy to maneuver and full of superior features.  It paddles straight and true, more like a much longer kayak.  It packs a lot into its 10 foot hull.  Let’s check it out. Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Spitfire

Taking its name from an infamous WWII British fighter plane, the Emotion Spitfire kayak offers great versatility for paddlers of all ages and levels of ability. It is the shortest in Emotion’s line of sit-on-top kayaks, but like its namesake, it is not to be underestimated. It may be short, but the Spitfire’s small size conceals loads of great features that come at a very affordable price.

Firstly, this new kayak is designed for stability. It has a semi-flat V hull which sits well on the water, giving you a stable platform for paddling, as well as good speed and tracking, especially when compared to other kayaks of its size. It’s perfect for new kayakers of young ages to experienced adults. Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Advant-Edge

Giving You the Advantage!

If the manufacturer of the Emotion Edge Kayak was so proud of that kayak that they just had to call it “sexy”, then surely the Emotion Advant-Edge should be called “super sexy.”  The Advant-Edge is the longer, sleeker more decked-out version of the Edge.  The Advant-Edge kayak comes with many of the standard features of the Emotion kayak line, but it incorporates many new added features for improved performance and a stream-lined design.

When comparing the two models, Edge and Advant-Edge, straight away the differences in design will stand out.  The hull is narrower and considerably longer.  It has more of a pointed look and in fact almost resembles a larger version of the Emotion Bliss. Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Comet 110

Emotion Kayaks has really outdone themselves with the new Comet 110 kayak.  They’ve taken an award winning design, the Comet kayak, and beefed it up even more, added more great features to an already outstanding concept.  The two kayaks are similar, but it is obvious that the Comet 110 is the big brother.  Straight away you can see that is incorporates many of the same design elements, but it is much bigger.   Let’s have a closer look. Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Bliss

Bringing you closer to… bliss!

The Emotion Bliss kayak is designed specifically with smaller framed people in mind.  Being larger framed myself, its not a good match for me, but that is really something that drew me to the Emotion Kayaks to begin with, there really is one out there for any kind of person, tall, short, big or small.  So if you’re 180 lbs. or under with a small frame, this could be the kayak for you.  I couldn’t test it myself, but I did a lot of research and collected a lot of rave reviews from happy customers.

What I found is that this kayak was well named.  Many paddlers agreed that it was bliss to paddle the Bliss.  The kayak is sleek with trimmed up ends bow and stern.  Its nimble on the water thanks to built in tracking and its surprisingly fast for a shorter kayak.  It responds very well and tracks straight as an arrow.  Lets get down to the facts, shall we? Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Edge

The Emotion Edge is such a styling, new kayak that the manufacturer had to describe it on their website as “sexy!”  If that alone doesn’t have you sold, how about a proud owner I found who described it as the 4×4 of kayaks!  If you’re not sold yet, then I’m not sure what more I can say!  But I’ll do my best. 

Emotion Edge – The body

Why is it so sexy?  First off, it must be the new hull design.  It really is sleeker, but also wider which is a good thing if you want stability and space.  The coolest new feature is the the quadra-plane hull.  I think that’s a fancy way to say that this kayak can turn on a dime.  The quadra-plane hull aids in tracking along with the entry and stern lines, but it also allows for more dexterous maneuverability.  Many customers said it was quick and responsive.  You can lean more and carve through your turns, looking smooth and sharp through calm or rough water. Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Glide

The Emotion Glide Kayak, a light, comfy, sit-inside kayak, is perfect for families and recreational use.  The hull design lends itself to new paddlers of all ages, offering stability on the water and great performance.  Experienced kayakers will also enjoy its easy tracking and comfortable design.  Okay, so it’s not as compact as an inflatable kayak, but the Glide is light and can be easily moved from your home to your favorite body of water, whether that’s a lake, river, pond, creek or harbor, you’ll have no problem getting your kayak to the shore.  And once you’re there, you’re ready to get on the water, no messing about with pumps or worrying about Read the rest of this entry

The Emotion Comet

Winner of Outside Magazine’s “Gear of the Year”!!!

The Emotion Comet.  I like the name.  Imagine a comet gliding through space and its long tail fanning out behind.  That what this Kayak is like, but less in space and more on the water!  You might be hard put to paddle as fast as a comet, but this model has great acceleration and nobody will stop you from trying!  The Comet is a good choice for novices to experienced kayakers and can be used from recreational paddling to fishing to river rafting.

Emotion Comet – The Hull

The Emotion Comet Kayak is the smallest model of sit-inside kayaks offered by Emotion.  Its size is really its strongest point.  You can easily throw this into the back of a pick-up, but also it’ll fit inside a Jeep or van with the seats down. Read the rest of this entry

Emotion Kayaks

Setting up your electric powered fishing kayak

In the previous post I talked a lot about the reasons to think about converting your existing fishing kayak into an electric powered fishing kayak.  There were many advantages discussed, like the greater control in positioning your kayak during a fight with a big fish, less entanglement of your lines from the kayak drifting, the greater range and speed, and some safety reasons.  In this post, I’ll talk about what type of fishing kayak you should look for and the components you want to look for.  Let’s get started.

What kind of fishing kayak would be best to add a motor to?

Really, you could add an electric motor to any fishing kayak, but for the best setup, you’d want to use a sit-on-top fishing kayak.  They are generally flatter and more stable, not to mention they’ll be much easier to modify and they have more space.  You’ll want a kayak that isn’t too skinny, more than 30 inches wide is best, and has a nice flat-ish bottom.  Otherwise it just isn’t going to have the stability you need. And if you don’t have that stability, plan on wearing a wetsuit! Also a fishing kayak with large tank wells would be ideal as you’ll already have that built in space to mount your motor.

The next thing you’ll want to look for is a fishing kayak with enough carrying capacity to hold you, you gear and the added weight of a motor and batteries.  Definitely go for a fishing kayak with a rated capacity of over 500 lbs.  More is always better.  Be sure not to exceed your capacity.  In fact leave plenty leftover, you’re going to need it for all the fish you haul in.

What you need to convert your fishing kayak

You’ll need just a few things: the motor itself, a battery or two, a means of attaching the motor to the kayak and a system to recharge your battery.

In some states you’re going to have to register your fishing kayak as a motorized water craft.  So bear that in mind and be sure to look into your local laws and regulations.  Registration is usually cheap and much better than paying a fine.

So for the motor, you can get one of these at a mega-every-thing store (you know the one I’m talking about!) or some smaller fishing kayak supply stores if you’re lucky enough to have one in town.  Otherwise you can always look for one online.  A great place to look online is here: Electric Marine Motors.  Expect to spend around a hundred bucks on a good motor.  Look for a motor with about 34 lbs of thrust and about a 30 inch to 40 inch shaft.  If you’re going to be taking your fishing kayak into salt water, be sure to get a motor rated for it.  Otherwise, you’ll just end up with an expensive, corroded sea anchor!  I don’t have any brands to really recommend over the others, they are all pretty good.  Try for lighter models to make your paddling easier.  And be sure it has the specs you want and get one with a good warranty just in case.

You’ll probably be able to get your marine batteries at the same place. The batteries are the really heavy part, anywhere from 40 to 65 lbs, but they are critical. You can opt for special sealed batteries, but these typically aren’t worth the added cost, which is a lot more than regular marine batteries.  Get your charger with the batteries, too.  Be sure to find a good charger that will charge up your fishing kayak batteries at a good amperage without overloading them.

Those are all the components that you’ll need to set up an electric motor on your fishing kayak.  Now the hard part is putting it all together!  I’ll cover at least one idea in a future post.  Otherwise, your fishing kayak is ready to be converted, just use your imagination and I’m sure you’ll come up with a great idea of how to attach your new electric motor.

Related Articles:

How to set up your fishing kayak with an electric motor – Part One

Customize your Emotion Kayaks for Fishing

Emotion Kayaks Buying Guide

Return to Emotion Kayaks Review homepage

Emotion Kayaks

How to convert a fishing kayak to an electric fishing kayak

First off, you must be asking,”Why add an electric motor?”  Some purists out there might even think its borderline sacrilegious.  But adding a motor to a kayak isn’t about being lazy, it’s about making a fishing kayak that is going to perform better for you.  It makes fishing in your kayak much easier than it would be otherwise.  At least in the opinions of some.  Here are some things to consider.

Even if you’re an athlete in top physical condition and you can paddle your kayak from here to infinity and beyond without tiring, you can still benefit from adding an electric motor to your fishing kayak platform.  Of course it goes without saying that fishing requires a lot of hand use.  You’ve always got stuff to do with your hands.  This varies a little bit, depending on what type of fishing you’re doing, trolling and fly fishing for example would require the most hand involvement.  You need to be able to control your line and your bait precisely.

When you try to do this while paddling at the same time, it can become a bit tedious.  When you stop to take care of something or check your lines, your fishing kayak often ends up drifting around, or spinning about with the wind and waves.  This often leads to tangled fishing lines and a lot of swearing, and obviously takes away a lot of good fishing time.

Now if you’ve added an electric motor to your fishing kayak, then scenario changes a bit in your favor.  You can keep on moving forward with your lures hanging out just where you want them and at the same time you can reel in other lines to clean, change lures, re-bait or whatever else needs to be done.  An electric motor lets you more easily adjust the fishing kayak position.  You can even trail a big easily when it’s leading in a fight.  You can also put yourself in a controlled, slow drift in any direction you want to move in, while leaving your hands free to cast or reel in or work in the cockpit.

These are just the benefits added while actually fishing.  Other ways you and your fishing kayak benefit from an electric motor are the increased range and speed you can travel.  Sure, if you’re that top athlete out there with your fishing kayak you could paddle over 25 miles.  But most of us aren’t.  A motor gives a much greater range which means more spots to fish.  And think about how useful it would be in a strong wind.  This is also a point to consider for safety.  If you’ve been out all day paddling and a storm comes up with a strong wind, having an electric motor on your fishing kayak would be a real life saving.  And think about how much faster you could go if you paddled with the motor running.  You’d just be flying across the water!

So you can see that there are some really good advantages to having an electric motor attached to your fishing kayak.  You’ll have greater control of your positioning.  You’ll have less tangling of your lines.  You’ll have greater range, speed and mobility.  And you’ll have a safety back up.  In the next article, I’ll talk about what kinds of kayaks are best for conversion to electric powered fishing kayaks and I’ll talk about what to look for when buying the motor and other gear.

Related Articles:

Customize your Emotion Kayaks for Fishing

Emotion Kayaks Buying Guide

Return to Emotion Kayaks Review homepage

Purchasing Emotion Kayaks

We all know that the best prices are found online, no matter what product you’re looking for.  It’s no different with Emotion kayaks.  But, with such a variety of models to choose from it can be overwhelming to some to decide which kayak is best for them.  This is especially so for beginning kayakers.  In the specific Emotion kayaks reviews, available in the side menu, I try my best to detail the level which is suitable for particular kayaks.  However, I thought I would write a little more in depth about how to choose the kayak best suited toward your needs.

From the reviews listed on the homepage, you can see that there are many Emotion kayaks available.  Some of these kayaks are better suited for certain situations, such as long distance paddling.  Others are better used for river rafting, etc.  To help you decide, let’s look at a few factors you need to think about as you look to purchase a new Emotion kayak.

Consider how you will use your Emotion kayaks

Consider where you will be doing most of your kayaking.  The design of a kayak differs depending on its main purpose, so it’s vital to think about the kind of kayaking you will be doing most of the time.  For example, are you planning on whitewater kayaking?  Smaller, more nimble kayaks are better for this.  Or will you be doing some ocean kayaking?  For sea touring, a longer faster kayak is often preferable.  A tiny kayak in the ocean will be restrictive and uncomfortable, whereas a long kayak on whitewater rapids would just be ridiculous.

Your kayaking experience

Even though most kayaks can generally be used by both novice and experience paddlers and the learning curve aren’t insurmountable, a certain amount of experience will change your perspective on your kayaking needs.  For example, beginning kayakers may look for a kayak that has greater stability and is less likely to capsize or leave him or her feeling like it’s about to capsize.  On the other hand, a seasoned kayaker may be less interested in stability and might be looking for superior tracking and maneuverability.  Luckily Emotion kayaks score well on both those points in general.

Kayak Handling

This also will relate to you desired objectives with your kayak.  How well you boat handles on the water is also important to consider.  Emotion kayaks in general handle well, but as a general rule the shorter the kayak, the better it will turn, whereas a longer kayak will track much better.

On deck size and space

This is an important issue that ties in with the first idea of what you want to do with your kayak.  If you’re touring or going on all day fishing or camping trips, you’ll need more storage space to hold your gear.  And also you’ll appreciate the space to stretch out as you may get tired of sitting in the same spot for hours.   Being comfortable on long trips is important and not to be overlooked.  On the other hand, shorter trip, like a quick recreational paddle around the bay or a river trip, may require less on board gear, so storage will be less important.  Also, for kayaking in groups you should consider tandem kayaks.  These are perfect for trips with loved ones or friends or paddlers of varying levels of ability.  A great plus to tandem kayaks is that they can often be used solo with little detriment to performance and lots of added storage.  Typically sit-on-top kayaks offer more space than sit-inside kayaks, but that is not always the case.

Kayak transportation and storing

As much as we’d all like to spend every moment we can out of the water, this isn’t even remotely possible for the majority.  Whether we’re okay with it or not, our Emotion kayaks are probably going to be in the garage a great deal.  So definitely take into consideration how big and heavy the kayak is and how feasible long term storage is.  On the same line of thought, when you can get to the water, you’ve first got to get there.  So weight and size will be an issue for transport.  Consider how you’ll be getting your kayak to the water.

With these few things in mind you should be able to more easily identify the kayak that you’re looking for.  Browse around to read the reviews of the various models of Emotion kayaks and learn more about their unique features.

Related Articles:

Customize your Emotion Kayaks for Fishing

How to set up your fishing kayak with an electric motor – Part One

Return to Emotion Kayaks Review homepage

Fishing Kayaks

Kayaks are amazing little boats that offer hours of entertainment for people of all ages, but they also make great fishing platforms for the adventurous angler.  There are many options out there to customize your can into the perfect one man fishing rig.

The first thing to consider is where you’ll be fishing.  You’ll need different rigging equipment for different situations, for example are you fishing for small trout in rivers or will you be going for bigger catches off-shore?

The next thing to keep in mind is that, obviously, your space is limited.  It’s important to consider what gear is most important before you head out.  Going back to the car to get more this or that won’t be an option.  So be sure to include everything that you need and nothing more. Read the rest of this entry