Tarpon 160 Review

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Reposted from the Wilderness Systems blog, written by Cameron Barton

Yesterday, Feb. 15, 2010, was my 1st voyage on a WS Tarpon 160! I drove through lots of rain on the way down to the coast, but finally found some clearer skies as I made my way westward to my launch. The NW wind was blowing quite briskly, but I knew of some sheltered areas back in the bay near the oyster bars and small islands. Plus, I was chomping at the bit to try out this kayak! I am borrowing the 160 from a friend, testing it out. Here I am at my launch site, eagerly anticipating how the Tarpon 160 would perform.

I have been paddling a 13' kayak with no rudder, so I was in for some major thrills. Immediately, speed was the biggest noticeable difference. It felt like I was gliding across the water. Wow. Not long into my paddle, I engaged the rudder. This seems easy to accomplish with the pull cord apparatus - very accessible. Getting used to the foot pedals was a little awkward at first, but I quickly got used to it. I am 5'7", and the pedals seem to be in my range for ease of use.

The difference the rudder makes is unbelievable. I'm kicking myself for kayaking without one for so long. It is very responsive. I thought it may be difficult to use the rudder in the strong wind, but it kept me right in line with my destination.

Wild winds made for a whacky test drive on this Monday afternoon, but one other predominant attribute the Tarpon 160 provided for me was STABILITY. Never did I feel out of control. The kayak felt so secure and solid during my entire paddling excursion.

Plenty of storage space comes with this kayak. All my gear fit nicely, with loads of room to spare. The small hatch/dry storage in front of the seat is quite handy for stuff you want near, but not out. I also like the rubber mesh "pockets" for small gear. I need to work on some rearrangement of my crate accessories, but the crate itself fits nicely behind the seat.

Speaking of the seat - SWEET. I worked hard in the wind and the seat was 100% comfortable through it all. It provides excellent tweaking options to get it just right.

Loading and unloading the 160 was easy, but, then again, I only have to lift it on to an Extend-A-Truck. Strap it down, flag it & I'm on the road again. If I had to put it on top of a rack I probably couldn't do it.

The WS Tarpon 160 felt great. I look forward to getting it back in the Gulf waters for some more test drives to learn more about it and to catch a BIG OLE FISH out of it!

Comment by james p shank on February 17, 2010 at 9:44pm

The wife and I both paddled the Tarpon 140 for more than a year and I had mine rigged to perfection... we were serving as safety boaters at a dealer demo day in Farmville VA and Jeff Little was there as the Wildy rep and casually mentioned that I should try his T160... you'd be surprised at the difference in speed... (sly little smile...) As Tina and I were busy watching for those who might need assistance I never got the chance and thought I was safe, but as the demo day ended and we were all loading up... Jeff said I was welcome to paddle his boat while he loaded his static displays... I figured why not...

Less than two weeks later I had sold my T140 and was rigging a new T160.... after Tina paddled my 160, her boat was on the block and SHE was in a new T160 as soon as her boat sold! Those were our big water boats for a good while... and we would still be in them if not for injuries that required Tina to go to a different style yak for long distance paddles. We now have Commanders for fly fishing, Still loyal to the wildy team and recently won a new boat in a year long tournement.... Sweet ride, and boy do I miss er.

Jeff Suber Comment by Jeff Suber on February 16, 2010 at 8:43pm

Great article Cam. Size really is important. I'm amused when I tell people how fast the 160 is and their reply is that they are not looking to go fast. But what they fail to realize is that if a boat is fast then you will need less energy to paddle it slow, leaving you with lots of energy for your body and mind to enjoy the day.