Viking Tempo Fisherman
1 review
Great form & function however company ideals & support lacking! – Found that the Kayak is perfect for what I neeeded it for as a fishing kayak. The kayak had a defect that wasnt found during the inspection at the factory, and developed a soft spot in the side, upon correct / prefered storage, dents developed & were very unsightly for a new kayak and should have not occured. Upon my contact to the manufacturer, I found that the company itself was backward and limited to its ability to deal with warranty issues and were not helpfull - especially with e-mailing information and phone manners!
I would caution people dealing with this company and ensure that all understand the warranty that they give with the product. I would never buy another kayak from them from this experience! Cheap with good finish (Second time around), great form and has everything I need as an active fisherman. Bad warranty service from a poorly made kayak, very messy return policy and name calling 'called me too perfect'. Would pay more $$$ for better service and better people working at a better company with better products!
Yes viking kayaks are very poorly made,i have repaired many scuppers for customers and found the build quality is worse than most chinease imports (wich are cheaper) warranty is very dubious overall i would stay away from them.
Yeh agreed, my kayak is denting again from storage & that consists of 3 wall hooks each with 2 thick pool noodles wrapped around them... I know what I am not going to buy next time! I agree with the cheap import comment - Nature Systems has a full lifetime guarantee on their kayaks - unlike Viking's which is 10 years and they constantly say that their kayaks are better and far superior to imported kayaks? I am sure that my purchase was a huge mistake!
Hi Andrew - . __Why don't you try to get your money back if you think they are that bad?
As the owner of 4 Viking Kayaks I find that this review is completely opposite to my experience with this
company, for which I have nothing but praise for their service and product. I would strongly suggest that anyone looking at this, also look at other reviews posted
on many of the kayak fishing forums.
As a Tempo owner, I find this review so inaccurate its almost laughable! A white residue on the surface?? That would be salt mate! we get a bit of it in the water on the coast (try washing it off with some fresh water, it'll work a treat!). The rotamoulder is wrong about the powder too! The top half of the mold on the Viking kayak has been textured to provide a none slip surface. The "bubbly surface" is a pattern on the mold and has absolutely nothing to do with powder.
Ahh Wendy @ Viking... You know exactly my experience with the first faulty kayak - this second kayak is exactly the same... This one isnt any better - the white residue is not salt - its something coming out of the plastic itself - CRC 303 plastic protectant seems to fix it for a while - washing it with water or anything else doesnt work. I assure you all no-one looks after their kayak more than me! Good to see that some family / friends have come to Vikings defence - when Viking couldnt get it right with me or other people that I know of... As this is a 'review' site I have the right to review a product based on my experience and thoughts.
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Since my review, I have a new Tempo (from warranty) that is in the Camo colour and had it especially moulded 4 kg heavier with more product. I have noticed that only after 3 or so outings (due to weather being so bad) that the plastic is going white - sort of a residue that it's emitting on the exterior. Furthermore I have spoken to a independent rotomoulder and they said that the kayak was poorly moulded, as the beads that they use weren't crushed / powdered; thus creating the rough 'bubbly' exterior (which traps dirt and mud) and the molten bead looking inner surface and irregular thickness of the kayak's skin throughout the kayak.
The overall design is good and functional, however there are a lot of flaws that are starting to get to me especially dryness of the kayak - everything gets wet from the kayak's design of water being able to travel over the sides and the bow especially! I understand that its a kayak and you will get wet, however compared to other kayak's this is a 'WET' kayak, and everything has to be waterproof or covered while moving or while ocean faring!
More details I forgot to mention is that the scupper holes that are on this kayak are poorly designed, so that while travelling at speed (with Minn Kota) water will travel up them, and that there are a few places within the kayak that will hold water especially the rear well area where a battery will sit and the divot between your legs; this is a usual spot to keep smaller tackle boxs but they will drown in the water that fills this area. The bottom of the kayak is very basic and poorly hydrodynamic and is very slow and inefficient causing a huge waste of power and personal exertion wile moving.
I think that its a costly personal project that was flawed from the start and I should have just gotten a refund and gone elsewhere rather than live with this heavy piece of plastic... Wish I got it in pure yellow as I would have affectionately named it 'The Lemon' :)