WS Thresher 155 or Ocean Kayak Ultra 4.7 ??

[Mojo227]

Has anyone paddled both of these boats? I am torn between the two....

[Whiplash]

Throw the Viking Profish Reload in the discussion. All good boats

[Mojo227]

Viking has been ruled out already for me. Great boats, just not for me.

[rickster04]

The 4.7 is

[Mojo227]

That's what I keep leaning towards but the Thresher looks so nice......

[pdt818]

4.7 hands down. I got to paddle the Thresher recently and it suffers from the rounded bow much like a Slayer does. It likes to push water more than cut through. I will say that the features on the Thresher are very nice though. Actually being able to put rods in hull is nice, and something you cannot do effectively on the water while in a 4.7. The rod tube on the OK is pointless and is a waste of money to install. I really don't understand the design premise on the Thresher of a bow hatch that has scupper holes. To me that is just wasted dry storage space. Even if scupper plugs are present, your goods are not water protected. Features aside, the pure paddling advantage goes to the 4.7.

[Mojo227]

What about the ice box? Is it worth having? Looks nice.....

[gssterl]

No experience on the 4.7, but I did paddle the Thresher 155 and agree that it kinda pushes instead of slicing through the water. It is also pretty heavy IMO and takes a bit to get up to hull speed. I felt that the Viking Profish reload (demoed on same day) was faster and easier to paddle as well. I do like all the features on the thresher, plenty of stuff to make you more efficient.

[SAHunter1983]

If you arent looking at the reload, get the 4.7. Tried them both at demo days and was not impressed by wild over the older T160. Thresher is probably a great boat for standing and fishing bays etc but they do push a lot of water and have a lot above the water catching wind. It seems like someone who paddles lakes and rivers took a lot of catchy ideas and tried to cram all of that into 1 boat causing it to be bulky and slower than other offshore models. 4.7 is tried and true. It is heavy but paddles and tracks efficiently and sits low in the water out of the wind. The 4.7 rake is good for slicing waves also.

Compare a baseball bat moving through water to a knife that is extreme but the same principle. Drag sucks especially if you get caught in the surf zone..

[rickster04]

Jackson Kraken can also be thrown in. I really enjoy paddling it and its also quite stable.

[AHP]

I was looking at the 4.7 and the viking.
I hate to stir up a debate but why did you not like the Viking?
Is it because the Viking is not as long as the Ultra 4.7?

I am just curious.

[SAHunter1983]

Joe doesnt want to drink the Koolaid... hehe. In all honesty though he will probably purchase through Angler Pro Tackle which does not stock Viking. On top of that he is a pretty big guy and is used to having ample space like his Mariner.

[Mojo227]

This thread has been attacked by Vikings.....

[Mojo227]

I do appreciate the sound advice that I have gotten though. 6'3" and 255 so yeah, I need a big boat! The tank well in the Vikings just seem so small. Great boat just not what Im looking for. I need all of the room I can get.

[5x5]

I have one of the original 4.7s from NZ and it is a great boat. Also have the ice box which is a great design but it has a large volume . If you are using it off shore , it is great. For inshore, I use a fishbag .

I also just picked up a Cuda 14 since I want to be able to stand up and flyfish.

[Heatstroke]

I'm in the same boat but with their little brothers.

[cogswell]

If you mean the Ultra 4.3, I love mine. I haven't paddled a ton of kayaks, but none of them yet move like this one. So far, everyone loves paddling mine vs others they have been in. Just most don't like the price tag that comes with it.