# Native Manta Ray 14 review- DAYUM FINE YAK!!!!



## Too Busy

Hey gang
I just picked up a Native MR 14 and paddled it for the first time on Saturday. I've got to say that so ar I'm very impressed with this yak. These are first impressions only, so I'll keep adding to this post as I get more seat time in this yak.

Initial Stability - Very good. From the moment I sat in this yak I thought is feels like a classic canoe. It's just a little bit tippy when you first sit down. Initial stability is less than all the following from tippiest to solid as a rock
Heritage Radfish, Tarpon, Ride 135, OK Big Game, Native Ultimate

I'd rate this boat as being very similar to a Heritage Redfish with slightly lower initial stability. Very slightly.

Secondary stability - EXcellent. Since it felt like a classic canoe I decided to see if I could really heel it over. I adjusted the fott braces, tightened the straps on the seat back and LEANED, and LEANED, and LEANED SOME MORE. I was able to lean it until I had water on the gunnels without it sliding out from under me. I'm sure it's possible to flip this yak, but it wouldn't be easy to to. I stole an Idea from Chad and the W/S Commander when I was paddling this boat Saturday and I popped up on the rear deck for part of my paddling. The extra few inches above the water didn't make the boat feel tippy. I was able to stand in yak very easily as well, but I didn't get to do an extended poling session as the trip didn't line up with high tide. I can't wait to get it on the flats in a few days.
I'll rate it above the Redfish and Tarpon on secondary stability.

Storage capacity and ease of use - Excellent. Large front hatch and huge tankwell. Front hatch is bigenough that I was able to load 7 foot 1piece spinning rods without a problem. I also tossed in my 9 fy 8wt fly rod - not broken down!!!
Tankwell had my crate, soft sided cooler, shoes (ok I forgot to leave my crocs in the car), cast net, and an assortment of trash I picked up during the days paddle / fishing.

Seating - LOVE THE DVC seating system. The molded seat is deep enough that it really gives you a solid felling in the yak. No scupper holes in the seat pan gets mixed reviews from me. On the plus side, no enema when you're pushing through waves; on the minus side, no drainage if / when you do get water in the seat. Carry a sponge and get the water out of the seat pan if it gets in there.

Cockpit size, dryness, and layout - The floor of the cockpit ACTUALLY SLOPES FORWARD - Why can't any other yak companies get this one right????? This boat sits high and dry with my 200 pound frame, plus fishing gear, cast net, anchor, cooler, trash , etc. I probably had it loaded with 260 -270 pounds and never had a problem with water in the footwells. 
The cockpit is wider than the Tarpon so I get to relax my hips and let my knees rest in a more natural position. Cockpit width is very similar to the Redfish.
Footwell length is one area where this boat whips the competition. I have a 35 inch inseam and there was PLENTY of adjustment left in the foot rests. I'm gussing this yak could handle a 38 or 39 inch inseam EASILY. So you guys that are 6'4, - 6'7 should add this to the list when your checking out the next yak.
Cockpit layout is pretty good. I haven't started adding accesories yet, but the console is in easy reach. Molded in paddle keepers on each side of the hull come in handy. One issue I notice is that they're a bit small in diameter. My Stake Out Stik fits nicely, so does the handle of a fishing rod. It's a bit small for my paddle though. There are two good sized easily accessible flat areas behind the seat that are just begging for rod holders. 
Molded in cuholder, plus a couple of recessed wells make it easy to keep small items available. I put a few split shot in one just to have them handy to vary my presentation as the current kept changing. They do add a step to getting the yak clean when you get home though.

There are 2 small day hatchetes; 1 in the cockpit and 1 behind the seat. The boat I picked up has a fitted plastic cup that fits in the day hatches instead of a catch bag. I used teh one in the cockpit as a mini livewell. I filled it with water and dropped 5 or 6 mud minnows in there. I'm not sure how long they would last, because they were getting eaten pretty quickly on Saturday.

Paddling / tracking - Again, I found myself thinking about a classic canoe. I was paddling by myself Saturday, so I don't have a good feel for ultimate speed of this boat. All I can say os WOW! for my first impression. Maneuverability is great. At low speed it turns easily. it responds well to leaning... just like a good canoe. Tracking was very good, but the wind wasn't blowing very hard on Saturday, so I need to get it out in 10-20 winds to see if it's going to weathercock.
Glide is terrific on this boat. It takes about 3 or 4 paddle stroke to come up to speed. It took very little effort to maintain speed for a long paddle across Copahee Sound.

Noise - Very quiet hull while paddling. When you look at the boat in profile you notice a nicely raked bow and stern. Now compare this to a Tarpon which has a similiar bow and a little less rake to the stern, or a Redfish which has even less rake to the bow and a vertical stern. I think the raked ends make for a quieter ride and improve the efficiency of this hull.
I did notice a fair amount of hull slap when I was staked out perpindicular to the ripple. This is to be expected with the high flat sides on this boat and something to keep in mind when you set up to target spooky fish.

Weight - 65 pounds. This isn't a light boat, but it IS 13 pounds lighter than the Tarpon and 7 pounds light than the redfish. I've read a number of reports of Redfish cracking as Heritage chases the weight game, so I'm a bit concerned about the durability of a boat this light. It warrants keeping a close eye on the stressed areas around the scuppers and at the seat edge.


Here's my bottom line. This boat may kick the Tarpon 140 out of my stable; it's that good.


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## landlocked

Excellent report!!You covered it like a blanket:beer:


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## mdelletro

I love this boat I have 2. You mentioned that there is no drain in the seat area, the original manta ray was made by liguid logic and did have one. Last winter my boat cracked around the drain plug. They covered it under warranty with no problems 2-3yr old boat. So they gave me a brand new one , which bears the name native manta ray rather than liguid logic. It seems the drain must of been eliminated may have been a problem area. I have used this boat for camping and it can handle a ton of weight.


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## Kaleb5000

Very well described. I own a 14 ft manta ray as well and love it. I am a fishing guide part time for a kayak shop and get to try many different kayaks and the Manta Ray and Ultimate are still my 2 favorite boats.


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## BIG FINN

I also have the 14 Manta Ray and have no complaints. Need another one.


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## Too Busy

Good lookin boat. Mine's fire brick red..... should have bought sand


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## BIG FINN

I like the red also but might end up with blue. Heres a lil' red one in action


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## baitslingin

the MR does make a perdy good lounge chair  especially when its slooooow in back river


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## ruthless

Wait till you see the new seats and outfitting in the 2010 Manta Ray.


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## bbcroaker

Are they guaranteed to keep an "old kayakers" butt from getting numb after 2 hours of fishing?
When are they coming out?


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## Kaleb5000

The old seats are gauranteed to not make your butt sore after all day fishing the new seats could onlý be better


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## Too Busy

the new upgraded MR12's are available now, the 14's are running a little behind, but should be shipping to dealers. 

There's a really good video about the upgrades. I'll see if I can find it.


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## ruthless

New seats have extra padding under the seat (removable) and extra padding on th hips. There is also an accessory rail (like the new tarpons) for fishfinders, consoles, etc. Here is the link from their website.

http://www.nativewatercraft.com/manta_12_lg.cfm


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## seeknfin

bbcroaker said:


> Are they guaranteed to keep an "old kayakers" butt from getting numb after 2 hours of fishing?
> When are they coming out?


 Young butts suffer from that also, I fished a couple of weeks ago with a younger friend of mine and after 3 hours he was looking for a place to get out to stretch his legs. (a little hard to do in 30 feet of water ) me on the other hand, peddling an Outback had no problems with the yakker butt and mines 55 plus years. I'm sure it's the movement in the legs that keeps the blood flowing to that much vital area. Anyway didn't mean to jack your thread just thought someone could use the input.


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## ruthless

"Numb Butt" is not alway a function of the seat, but the angle of the legs. I find that a slight bend in my knees will relieve fatigue. You can also add a wedge shaped the currrent seat (which is what Native had done) to support your legs. Just keep in mind that even an inch of height will affect the stability of kayak. Not a lot, given the nature of kayak fishing all you need is a little help to earn a turtle.


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## Too Busy

*Update after 2 more trips*

I got to take the MR14 on two more trips during the long holiday weekend. At this point I'll have to say that the Redfish 14, and Tarpon 140 are both easier to stand and fish from than the MR14. It's doable and a buddy of mine has pics of me standing fighting a nice fat 25" red in the MR14. It does require your full attention though. 
Thankfully no one got pics of me falling in a little while later when I got a case of redfish fever. I was standing poling the yak across the flooded grass when suddenly 5 BIG TAILS popped up 20 yards in front of me. I planted the paddle to stop the yak and it promptly slid sideways out from under me. I honestly can't say if I could have saved myself in the Redfish or Tarpon.... I just had one of those incredible moments of STUPID that roll through from time to time when we see nice fish. :redface: 

OK Back to the review.
This boat moves REALLY well through the grass on a flood tide. It doesn't move much water or create a big bow push, so I was able to pole up close for some easy 15-20 foot casts to tailing fish. Not too shabby.

Yesterday I spent 5 hours in a screaming wind. The high sides catch more wind than either a Redfish or Tarpon. Interestingly enough, it doesn't try to weathercock. Instead you continue pointing in your intended direction, but get pushed kind of sideways. This once again reminds me of a canoe more than a kayak. So far this is all low speed work on a flooded flat.

After the water got too deep to spot tailers I took it out in the open water into a 15-20 mph wind out of the North. The North wind was not producing large waves on my side of the sound, just little 6-9 inch continuous slop. 
I'll stick with my orginial review.. This is a nice dry riding yak. It punched through the slop without flooding the footwells and the seat stayed nice and dry.

The winds weren't a hige problem once I got the boat up to speed. The sideways push was minimized quite a bit by the channeled hull, so tracking at speed even in a big wind it very good.

I can't wait to spend some time in the new Tarpon and the new MR14.


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## ruthless

The MR 14 is definately not a standing platform, and does catch wind. But the trade off is that you stay dry, and it is faster than most 14 footers out there. One question did you have that cooler and box in the tanke well when you did the wind tests? On windy days I used a lower profile crate and it make sa world of difference.

Combined with my Ultimate 14.5, I have a quiver of kayaks that will fish any water.


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## Too Busy

ruthless said:


> The MR 14 is definately a standing platform, and does catch wind. But the trade off is that you stay dry, and it is faster than most 14 footers out there. One question did you have that cooler and box in the tanke well when you did the wind tests? On windy days I used a lower profile crate and it make sa world of difference.
> 
> Combined with my Ultimate 14.5, I have a quiver of kayaks that will fish any water.


Standard crate w/ 3 rods in the vertical holders, VISIPole, soft sided cooler, cast net and frabil flow troll bucket in tankwell.
Thats my standard setup in any yak.

I can't say enough good things about this boat.


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## ruthless

Opps had to edit, it is definatley NOT a standing platform! LOL


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## Too Busy

It's do-able, but it does need your full attention. It's not a Ride or Big Game; that's fror sure.


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## bbcroaker

Man what a seat!(Looked at it on the web site)
My Surf to Sumit looks kinda puny compared to that 

*Seekinfin* you didn't hijak my post .Thanks for the input.

*Cory * thanxfor postin that website so us num butts we can view it.
Next time I'm out I'm going to be thinking agout it.
Will it fit in a Prowler Trident 15? or a Redfish?


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