Greetings Ya'll! This is my first post though I've been looking at this forum like a hawk. I've gone back in the history of this forum...all 15 pages that is, and read the posts that were interesting to me. I have learned so much from everyone here, Youtube, and other kayaking websites to the extent that I feel like an expert without actually owning one.
So, now that the PA 12 is here, with it's new bells and whistles I can honestly say...Absolutely not, no way, I'm not even tempted to consider the PA 12.
1. The seat looks awesome! The video I saw showed a fella who weighed somewhere around 150 maybe 175 lbs. and did a pretty good job of filling the seat. I'm afraid a 300 lb loveable lug like myself would actually break this thing. What's the payload for this seat? What condition would the chair be in after a year of fishing a minimum once per week...year round? And I take very good care of my equipment. I have little confidence in the string used for adjusting the seat. I have even less confidence in the hardware used for raising the back of the seat to the up position. Again, being 300 lbs. I gotta have everything "Heavy Duty" to maintain safety.
2. There's only 18 lbs difference (rigged weight) between the two. The features of the PA 14 are worth keeping. I wouldn't want to trade an existing feature to save 18 lbs.
3. I think installing that sliding chair mount on the PA 14 to gain an extra 2" in height and accessibility is downright brilliant.
4. I agree, the port and starboard rails are set back too far on the PA 12. Maybe they did that to accommodate the steering. Don't know.
5. Who ever thought that folding up the seat on the PA 12 to expose more reel estate for sight fishing, knocked it right out of the park. WOW!
I apologize for the length of this post, commenting on multiple subjects, and doing so as a brand new member. However, I look very forward to getting to know you all and making new friends.
Cheers Ya'll.