Manta Ray 14 Fishing Kayak-First Impressions

The "new" used Native, Manta Ray 14 along with the old faithful Wilderness, Tarpon 160i were transported to creek in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge on a warm February day.

First, the Manta Ray is a good sized kayak and yes it can be carried and lifted solo but it is relatively wide and weighs enough to be challeging to handle. 
Here are the specs: 14' 7" long / 28" wide / 69 lb weight  / 375 lb capacity

First impressions on loading the boat is that the cockpit road holders and storage areas are well laid out and reasonably accessible. 

Compared to the Wilderness Tarpon 160, the Manat Ray 14 has a more comfortable and slightly larger cockpit, a little more beam and perhaps freeboard. It also has gear rails on both sides of the cockpit a plus for those needing to attach more gear and electronics.

First paddling impressions:

• The boat tracks well even without the rudder.
• Its relatively fast, perhaps not as fast as the Tarpon 16 but not too far off.
• It is stable, yet maneuvers well.
• The seat is comfortable 
• I could reach the rods in the rod holders easily and reach around to the cooler to retrieve bait.
• The aft storage area can fit a 45 quart cooler
• Fishability- first impressions are excellent although I only caught shorts!