Wilderness Systems  Tarpon 105 Sit-On-Top Fishing Kayak - 10'6"

Perfect Staycation Toy

We have used them twice now and both times have truly been the experience we imagined them to be.

Lousy seat straps.

I have had the Tarpon 105 since the first year they were produced (tan). The kayak itself is great. But the gray straps on the adjustable seat are inferior to the black straps on the Tarpon 105. None of the straps on my Tarpon 100 have frayed. But all the straps on the 105 have broken and have to be replaced. Sadly, Wilderness does not supply replacement straps and they are impossible to find. You cannot use the black straps from the Tarpon 100 because they are configured differently in how they attach. I have bought my polyproplene straps on Amazon to replace the original gray straps. They appear to be superior. I should not have to this. I am disappointed with W.S. on their lack of customer support.

Great first kayak, solid

I was researching and really wanted a perception tribe. Couldn't find one in my area, which they say good things come to those who wait and research...ok maybe not quite like that. But it turned out waiting and continual researching paid off. I had a friend suggest looking at wilderness and specifically the wilderness tarpon 105. Being new and intrigued I liked them up and watched the YouTube videos. It hooked me. Went to REI locally near me and a wonderful lady helped me and showed me the tarpon and I bought it on the spot. She was very helpful and this last Friday and Saturday I was on lake pleasant in AZ for 2 days straight in waves caused by the boats and wind and jet skid. This kayak is so easy to use. Getting in and out was fine and I have bad knees and a total knee replacement on my right one. Handing is easy, in the wind and waves from boats. I found out I can keep up to 5 mph when I'm paddling and the kayak was straight. Color is beautiful. Love the mango color. Easy for a beginner kayaker even like myself, this is my first and I'm loving it. Looking forward to more adventures.

Great Kayak

Excellent kayak for the calm flat water lake I use it on. Easy to get in and out of while in the water for when you fall out. Does not track extremely straight, but good enough for my purpose. Bought and use scupper plugs to prevent water from getting in.

Nice boat

Great boat, very roomy and stable. However, lumbar support is needed (at least for me). Not terribly fast but stable and relatively nimble. Glide not same as SINK so have to work a bit more. All in all it is a very nice SOT.

Tarpon 105

Tarpon 105 Review Last weekend I went kayaking with my family with the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 105 kayak. I kayak a lot but usually with a different kayak. This time I just wanted to try a different kayak. When I first started paddling the kayak, I realized that it seemed a little heavier than some of the other kayaks I have paddled. Because of this extra weight, it was a little harder to paddle. It felt like I was paddling a barge. It just felt really heavy and slow. Another thing was the handling of the kayak. It was very hard to keep going in one direction. It felt like with every paddle it would go the opposite direction of where I wanted to go. However, there were a few good things about the kayak. The seat was very comfortable. It was the best kayak seat I have ever sat on. Another positive thing is the stability. Usually when getting into a kayak it will wobble a little bit and I would have to find some balance and then get into the kayak. In this kayak, I could sit down with relative ease. Overall, I would say that there definitely are some positives and negatives about this kayak but for me the negatives outweigh the positives.

Tarpon 105 Review Last weekend I went kayaking with my family with the Wilderness Systems Tarpon 105 kayak. I kayak a lot but usually with a different kayak. This time I just wanted to try a different kayak. When I first started paddling the kayak, I realized that it seemed a little heavier than some of the other kayaks I have paddled. Because of this extra weight, it was a little harder to paddle. It felt like I was paddling a barge.

Paddled slow moving rivers & creeks!

I purchased my first Tarpon 105 in May 2008 for $500 new. Very nice boat! My how the prices have risen. Still though, I'm giving serious thought to purchasing my second Tarpon 105. The upgrades look much better. Especially the handles! Angler's you need to get this boat!