Ahoy Mateys!! We recently became proud owners of Pelican kayak. Before writing a review on them, we wanted to spend time on the water with them first. Here is a little funny story about how we became kayak owners.
Our first wedding anniversary was fast approaching. I had planned on surprising Vy with a new kayak because we had been talking about getting some for a while now. Little did I know, she had the exact same plan! Well, there just happened to be some sweet kayaks on sale at Dick’s Sporting Goods. But the sale was coming to an end. So I revealed the surprise a couple of weeks early and we rushed to order them. We rushed so much in fact, that we didn’t really have a way to get them home. Luckily, my parents came to the rescue with their car trailer (thanks guys!!!). Our unpreparedness made our cats very happy since we had to put the kayaks in the living room for a bit.
Stats:
Length: 10 feet
Cockpit Width: 25 inches
Cockpit Length: 47 inches
Weight: 39 pounds
Max. Capacity: 300 pounds
Hull Material: RAM-X
Color: Fade Blue and White, Fade Magenta and White, Fade Royal Blue with Yellow and White and Fade Sunset and Grey
Review:
Our awesome Pelican kayak, the Mustang 100x EXO, appears to be an exclusive product to Dick’s Sporting Goods. The only other place that I have seen them is on Pelican’s own website. Pelican has been a worldwide leader in plastic boat manufacturing since 1968. They are based out of Quebec, Canada. A mix of the mastery of thermoforming, proprietary Ram-X materials, and affordable prices have put them at the top of their class.
Being our first kayaks, we decided to go with the sit-in, recreational kayaks, which are more stable and roomier than the touring types. In our opinions, sit-in kayaks are a bit more comfortable than the sit-on-top ones. However, it is harder to get in and out once you’re on the water. Sit-in kayaks also have a lower center of gravity, which makes them more stable.
One of the first things that I noticed when looking at the Mustang was the price. It wasn’t the cheapest option but it was far from the most expensive. The Trailblazer, also made by Pelican, is about $100 cheaper. However, the upgraded components on the Mustangs, in my opinion, were well worth the extra cash. The upgrades include a small storage compartment on the front of the boat, padding for your knees (which is quite important in my opinion), adjustable footrests and an Exopod to store everything while you are out on the water. The exopod itself retails for $78. The footrests can accommodate a large variety of riders. With Vy barely 5 ft tall and I am 5ft8, the footrests have adjustments that are almost maxed out on the small side for her but have plenty of room for taller riders than us.
The other thing that I noticed was that this was one sleek-looking kayak. It was hands down the best looking option out of all of the kayaks that were lined up against the wall at the store. The Mustang comes in 4 color options, blue seemed to be the most popular one. We both decided on the blue ones since not only does it look great on land but it also looks great in the water. The blue color stands out really nice if you love taking adventure photos as much as we do!
If fishing is on your to-do list, the Mustangs have 2 fishing rod holders built in just behind the cockpit. There is also plenty of storage on the Mustangs whether you fish or not. You have the smaller front compartment and a nicely sized tank well in the back. Underneath the front deck of the kayak, there is also has enough room for a small ice chest such as the Igloo Maxcold Cooler ice chest. It fits perfectly under the deck. We also highly recommend the dry bags if you are going to store anything that you don’t want to get wet in the tank well. You will accumulate a little bit of water in the tank well from time to time.
The Mustang was our first experience in a sit-in kayak. I wasn’t sure if it would feel kind of claustrophobic, but it has a very generously sized cockpit. It is small enough to give you the benefits of a sit-in while giving you the ability to get in and out with ease. The seat is very comfortable. This is great because when we go out, we like to spend all day on the water, with the exception of lunch breaks and the occasional swims. I don’t even like sitting down for long car rides so the fact that I can spend hours in my kayak is quite a testament to how nice their seats are.
Another thing that I love about Pelican Kayak is how much pride the company has in its products. It shows when you watch some of the very impressive and quite funny videos of them torture testing their kayaks, as well as some of their competitors. You can watch the videos here.
We actually got to test them out on one our greatest adventures in our kayaks so far when we took them out on Lake Tahoe. Having to carry the kayaks from the parking lot to the launch area, I can testify to the lightness of them. At 10 ft long, 30 inches wide, they only weight at 39 pounds. This makes them some of the lightest kayaks in the consumer kayak industry. I also had the pleasure of carrying a competitor kayak over a portage at Shoshone Falls, and I will take our Mustangs anytime.
As for Lake Tahoe, there were a lot of giant boulders, either lurking underneath or formed into some sort of obstacle course that you can kayak through. Between that and occasional boats zooming through with big wakes, you have yourself a challenge. Our kayaks handled it with ease. The Twin-arched Multi Chine Hull gives you the perfect balance of stability, speed, great tracking, and maneuverability. It also super durable that even when we grazed the rocks a couple of times, there was nothing but a tiny, barely visible scratch.
Pelican kayak also comes with a limited lifetime warranty that will cover you against any manufacturing issues that you may have. Match that with some top notch customer service. The only problem I have had with mine is that I had trouble getting my drain plug out. I called just to make sure I wasn’t doing something that would break it. They let me know that it might be a little bit on the tight side until it breaks in. I would rather have it be too tight than loose. It sure is nice having an actual person to talk to rather than a robot that passes your call around. They are also really great at getting back to you on Facebook.
While you are out enjoying nature, you can rest assured that you are also giving back. Pelican Kayak is made up of 50% post-consumer recycled materials. If that isn’t good enough, they recycle 99% of all the scrap that is made over the course of the manufacturing process. They even use the heat from their ovens to warm the factory in the winter. Way to go guys!
Also, a quick shout out to Rack and Road in Costa Mesa, especially Chris and Rhianna. They were amazing in helping us with picking the best rack for our kayaks. Having a Jeep that already has a Surco Roof rack on it, the Rhino-Rack Folding J style carrier was the perfect fit for us. The Rhino-Rack can also work with other cross bars. If you’re in Southern California, go check out Rack and Road. You can also get them on Amazon.
Vy and I couldn’t be happier with our Pelican kayak. We can’t wait for many more awesome adventures in them. Check them out if you’re looking for a new kayak!
Happy Adventuring. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, subscribe to our Youtube channel, and sign up for our newsletter!
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