Video · Kayak Reviews
Lightning Kick 106 Review: Fin Drive Pedal Kayak Tested
I tested the Lightning Kick 106, a 10 foot 6 pedal kayak with a Hobie style fin drive, and put it through stability and flip tests.
What’s in this video
The Lightning Kick 106 showed up in seafoam green, and I wanted to test it before I start rigging and maybe motorizing it. I also show my backyard upgrades: a new dock, boat lift and an underwater fish light that kicks on at dark and pulls the food chain into my canal.
The Kick 106 is 10 foot 6 and 33 inches wide with a tri hull and no front hatch, so waves can’t push water in up there. It uses a fin style Freedom Drive, basically a Hobie style drive now that Hobie’s patent expired. The fins sit in a recessed area in the hull, so you can run nearly zero draft. The rudder is recessed too, so your line won’t snag on it. It has track mounts, two flush mount rod holders, a transducer cover with a cable path and an in hull access hatch. It was about $1,599 at the time, with real Marine Mat decking.
Standing is a little harder because the seat sits low, but once up it’s stable, even standing on one gunnel at 6 foot 2 and 200 lb. When I climbed on it upside down, it only got about four cups of water in the hull. Hobie Outback and Pro Angler kayaks took gallons in that same test.
Key moments
- 0:00 Unboxing the kayak
- 0:24 Backyard setup and upgrades
- 2:24 Kayak features walkthrough
- 7:28 On-water stability testing
- 9:09 Hull integrity check
Quick takeaways
- The fins and rudder sit in recessed areas of the hull, so it runs shallow and won't snag your line.
- There's a built in transducer cover and cable path for a fish finder.
- The low seat makes standing up a little harder, but it's stable once you're up.
- In my upside down test it took on about four cups of water, far less than Hobies I've tested.
Gear from this video
- Lighting Kayak Kick 106 Fishing Pedal Kayak
- My Underwater Fish Lights
- My Inflatable Floating Dock
- Tbnation.net
- WEBSITE
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