Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge - View Single Post

roby · 05-29-2012, 07:07 PM

I was in the same predicament about two months ago: Outfitter or Oasis? I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old so stability was a concern for me as well. Below are some pros and cons I went through...

The Outfitter was considered a better kayak fishing tandem before 2011, but after 2011 I think the Oasis is superior for the aspects mentioned above. One feature some forgot to mention was the weight capacity; it's higher on the Oasis. Another positive is the hatch up front. Even though it is small, the hatch allows access to the bow of the kayak. The only negatives against the Oasis is the lack of front rod holders, tray areas/flat areas on the rails, and its stability status versus the Outfitter which I would call "super" stable.

The Outfitter is shorter and one inch wider. For me, these were pros. The Outfitter is shorter and wider, but it moves very well in the water (I own a Revolution 13 as well). It has the already mentioned rod holders up front and more flat areas to install extras. Typically, the molded-in rod holders are not a big deal for me, but it was nice to have one more place to mount my GoPro so I could get a different perspective on the kayak. The biggest negative for some could be the hull slap on the Outfitter which would result in a wetter ride for the person up front. For me, this was not a big deal since I would mainly be in the harbors or lakes.
Aside: the 2011+ Outfitters have dual steering as well.

In the end, I would go with the Oasis if you are going out to the open ocean/surf launch and you have one kid. If you have two kids, like I do and are sticking to calm waters I would go with the Outfitter.

I provided a link where I put together video clips of some recent trips my boys and I took on the Outfitter. I wanted to note, while the kids were standing up, moving around and leaning over I never once felt their movements or was I ever worried. When I moved, it never disrupted the balance of the kayak on their end. As a parent it can be worrisome when your three year old is 5 feet from you leaning over on the yak.....

http://youtu.be/AHcByc3pvZg

* I got my Outfitter from Andy at OEX. You should test drive both yaks with your kids and wifey....
* The hull slap at the end of the video was exaggerated since we were looking for waves to "jump."

05-29-2012, 07:07 PM	#5
roby CEO of Team Roby Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 905	I was in the same predicament about two months ago: Outfitter or Oasis? I have a 3 year old and a 6 year old so stability was a concern for me as well. Below are some pros and cons I went through... The Outfitter was considered a better kayak fishing tandem before 2011, but after 2011 I think the Oasis is superior for the aspects mentioned above. One feature some forgot to mention was the weight capacity; it's higher on the Oasis. Another positive is the hatch up front. Even though it is small, the hatch allows access to the bow of the kayak. The only negatives against the Oasis is the lack of front rod holders, tray areas/flat areas on the rails, and its stability status versus the Outfitter which I would call "super" stable. The Outfitter is shorter and one inch wider. For me, these were pros. The Outfitter is shorter and wider, but it moves very well in the water (I own a Revolution 13 as well). It has the already mentioned rod holders up front and more flat areas to install extras. Typically, the molded-in rod holders are not a big deal for me, but it was nice to have one more place to mount my GoPro so I could get a different perspective on the kayak. The biggest negative for some could be the hull slap on the Outfitter which would result in a wetter ride for the person up front. For me, this was not a big deal since I would mainly be in the harbors or lakes. Aside: the 2011+ Outfitters have dual steering as well. In the end, I would go with the Oasis if you are going out to the open ocean/surf launch and you have one kid. If you have two kids, like I do and are sticking to calm waters I would go with the Outfitter. I provided a link where I put together video clips of some recent trips my boys and I took on the Outfitter. I wanted to note, while the kids were standing up, moving around and leaning over I never once felt their movements or was I ever worried. When I moved, it never disrupted the balance of the kayak on their end. As a parent it can be worrisome when your three year old is 5 feet from you leaning over on the yak..... http://youtu.be/AHcByc3pvZg * I got my Outfitter from Andy at OEX. You should test drive both yaks with your kids and wifey.... * The hull slap at the end of the video was exaggerated since we were looking for waves to "jump." Last edited by roby; 05-29-2012 at 08:08 PM.