Cobra Kayaks

The new 2013 Cobra Marauder – This is an all new Marauder, a meaner more refined machine than the predecessor that shared its name. The new design comes from Cobra’s New Zealand… Read more

offshoot, and as we know our cousins over the ditch know a thing or two about kayak fishing.

Off the water at near 30 kg bare the Marauder is no lightweight, but for a large chunky piece of plastic it's surprisingly no slouch on the water. The reason the ride is so slick is because of the clever design of the hull. Deep chines and a heavily rockered ski like hull provide wave-riding lift, enhancing it’s ability to step over swells and cleave through the kilometres.

I particularly liked the recessed transducer/scupper set up, a thoughtful feature that gets the transducer up out of harms way whilst providing the best possible fishfinder performance. Other cool things included the handy custom centre compartment, and I thought Cobra’s trademark Xtra Fishy moulded-in measuring tape was a nice touch.

I don’t have many gripes to speak of, except for the positioning of the front flush-mount rod holders, which meant my paddle kept hitting my rods when making an extended stroke. I know the folks at Cobra are good at listening to their customers (as evidenced by the fact they have added the rudder everyone knew it needed as standard on this new model) so hopefully they will fix that at some stage.

Stable, roomy, well thought out, and solidly built, this impressive fishing platform is packed to the gunwales with useful features other manufacturers can only dream of. In my book it ticks most boxes they talk about in their advertising.

This new Marauder is a serious Blue Water fishing platform. If you want an offshore kayak with the glide to make long paddles that bit easier, yet still have the stability to keep you at ease when the action starts happening out there then this is one of the best options you are likely to come across. I liked it; I liked it a lot. Good hull speed, plenty of stability, and heaps of thoughtful inclusions. Rod holder positioning, some hull slap

Cobra Re-Vision Wave and flatwater – First the bad news, the Re-Vision weighs a hefty 45Lbs so invest in a Cart if its a long walk to the waves. The seat has no shaping for your backside… Read more

and like it's little brother the Strike will give you a sore backside after an hour if you don't add a bit of padding. Those who buy a seat may cure this in flat water but you can't have a Seat-Back in the surf as it restricts your backwards lean which is essential on steeper waves. The metal hardware on the Knee-straps option are low quality and will corrode and snap after a couple of seasons.

That aside, this boat performs well in every other way. It has respectable speed on the flat and tracks well, the length means I can catch waves that are too small for my 3-metre surf kayak yet the gentle rocker prevents pearling on even the shorter choppy swells. it is extremely easy to steer on the wave by simple leaning, almost no paddle work is required and it rides over incoming swells with ease when paddling out.. Able to ride small waves or large, easy to control on waves, decent lake speed. Heavy, not comfortable for long periods without seat padding.