What's not to like about the Ultimate 14.5 ?

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:57 pm

Need to know aside from being in slop that can come over the bow, any cons from you Native Ultimate 14.5 owners?

MrSpectaculous · Post by **MrSpectaculous** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:00 pm

For me I find mine hard to get in and out of. The deeper the water the more difficult it becomes. I also had a tendancy to wrap my knuckles on the sides of the boat so paddling was awkward. Raising the seat with foam blocks solves this problen and totally transforms the boat. Paddle storage is a pain unless you get the front skirt or use a leash. The tandem is not really a tandem unless one of you is about the size of a 5 year old.

Mine tracks and paddles amazingly well and the wind is not as bad as you would think. With me at 240lbs mine sits low in the water..about as high as my Pheonix. Anyone could stand in one. In fact in the right area you could leave the seat at home. Roof top carry will result in you getting wet but it's nothing a hole saw won't fix. There is an Ultimate Owners forum for more info and common mods. Just google lakeline water sports.

It is an excellent shallow water fishing platform.

VFTG · Post by **VFTG** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:31 pm

I'll go along with the difficulty in a deep water re-entry, the only other problem I had was my folding cart wouldn't work with the Ultimate. I had to get a smart cart that's designed for the hull. Other than those small problems, it's a very comfortable boat and you can carry a ton of stuff. Also I carry a hand pump and a sponge to keep the water out.

shamus · Post by **shamus** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 9:25 pm

Anyone could stand in one.

not everyone

dunfly · Post by **dunfly** » Wed Dec 16, 2009 10:42 pm

A lot of plusses, but not perfect. You know about the slop over the bow, but this can be remedied by a bow skirt. To me the downside is not being able to get in and out easily and not being able to sit side saddle and control drift with my foot in shallow water.

noles · Post by **noles** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:13 am

shamus wrote:
Anyone could stand in one.
not everyone

true that!!

Evan · Post by **Evan** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:48 am

I use mine at least 3x per week and don't have any significant complaints. Let me put it this way - if you buy one, I can all but guarantee you won't be disappointed.

With that in mind, there are a few minor things that could be improved upon. Plastic rivets hold the arm pads in place, mine broke so I removed the pads. If you put a beer bottle in the cupholder, it interferes with your paddle stroke. The carry handles are crap and break really easily. Seems to always be a thin film of water in the recesses of the hull, which soaks into the bottom of your pants legs when your feet are on the pegs. The giant, foot-shaped pegs snag flyline like they were designed for the task. In tandem setup, the person in the bow had better be under 6 feet tall and less than 180lbs.

Tracks great, rides great, paddles great, fishes great, IS great.

Todd · Post by **Todd** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:56 am

Evan wrote: If you put a beer bottle in the cupholder, it interferes with your paddle stroke.

That is reason enough to never own one.

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:01 am

Luckily, that won't be an issue for me any longer. 6 months ago it would have been a deal killer.

Evan · Post by **Evan** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:03 am

Or you can just bring beer in cans - not as tall, don't get in the way as much.

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:41 am

From all I've read a seat riser is a very handy add on. Yes?

Evan · Post by **Evan** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:45 am

IMHO, totally un-necessary. The standard seat is arguably the very best feature of the Native - why mess with a great thing? Raising the seat is going to make the boat less stable. Hard to imagine what the benefit of a riser would be (???)

DaveR · Post by **DaveR** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:48 am

The pros seem to be more comfort attributed to your ass being a bit higher than your ankles and paddle stroke is a bit more natural. Stabilty suffers very little apparently.

Evan · Post by **Evan** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 11:53 am

More comfort is honestly hard to imagine, but I can see the point about allowing a more natural paddle stroke. My hands do sometimes scrape the sides as I paddle (which is another reason to remove those stupid armrest pads). A slightly higher seat might also solve the pesky problem of drinks in the cupholder getting in the way of the paddle...

MrSpectaculous · Post by **MrSpectaculous** » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:04 pm

I just put some of those foam strap on roof racks in the tunnels on both sides under the seat pan. This lifts the seat about 3"..if you need more then put them in the middle of the seat pan. I imagine a pool noodle would work also.

I took the foot braces out of mine.

When I said "anyone" I meant it is very easy to stand in.

jd · Post by jd » Thu Dec 17, 2009 1:15 pm

shamus wrote:
Anyone could stand in one.
not everyone

Bill,
Are you having trouble balancing once you are up or getting up? If you have trouble getting up, try attaching a line to the bow handle with a piece of PVC as a handle and you will be able to pull yourself up pretty easily.