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Not sure if this topic has been beat to death, but I wanted to give my impressions on both the new 2017 Outback and Pro Angler (PA).
I've been a 2013 12' PA owner for 3-4 years. I felt myself consistently fighting the older PA in the wind/tide and not enjoying fishing any longer, so I sold it! The Pro Angler also holds a lot of gear and for someone that has ADD, clutter can & will become an issue. With all that said, I ventured over to ACK and rented both the new 2017 Outback and Pro Angler.
Pro Angler: I didn't think I would like this boat, but I found the drop down skeg to be a huge advantage when drifting a flat. You can actually keep the boat headed downwind without it swinging 180 degrees. If you are a flats fisherman or enjoy making long drifts, this upgrade (which happened in 2015 I believe) is essential. I could also make small adjustments to my drift while by leaning left or right while standing up. AWESOME! This was unachievable in earlier model PA's. I was a little less impressed with the new Mirage 180 on the PA. It still has turning and tracking issues and wants to snake. Turning was abysmal going backwards, but I also attribute that to the lack of a large sailing rudder. As will ALL PA's, the downside to all of this is its size and paddability. I love standing and fishing a flat, but the PA is a down right BEAST to hand paddle in a 1ft of water if the boat is loaded down. If you have to paddle cross-wind across a flat to make a drift, it would double/tripe the time spent getting there compared to the Outback.
Outback: The outback was a breath of fresh air as it has more features of a real kayak, something I've missed out on for the past 3 years. The boat is lighter in the water and has an improved hull design over the PA, so paddling and peddling were much improved. The seat allows you to throw larger handled outfits which is harder to do on the PA since the arm rests are in the way. I also enjoyed some of the molded options on the sides. The boat is not as dry as the PA during or after transit. A very small standing water puddle will accumulate at the back of the rear storage. This is annoying if you are in salt water and your tackle bag is sitting in 1/2-1 in of water. I'm sure there are probably some hacks out there to eliminate this. One annoying feature or lack there of on this boat is the lack of a right rudder control. You can kiss all your right handed bait casting setups goodbye, unless there is a hack. I also found the ability to accessorize or add upgrades uninspiring, however, the paddle/pushpole holders are great. Moving on, Outback surprisingly didn't turn or track substantially better than the PA, but I will attribute this to the lack of a large sailing rudder. I've seen videos of these turning on a dime.
I really feel that both of the boats are great but have their drawbacks. I am still left with questions.
- With a large sailing rudder, will the Outback track and drift a straight path while standing? Similar to the way the Pro Angler was able to achieve this with a drop down skeg.
- Is there a known way to add a right hand rudder control?
- How does a micro powerpole effect weight distribution on the Outback? Is it heavy enough or catch enough air to make the boat list?
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