Video · Kayak Reviews
Kaku Zulu Review: A Big Guy Fishing Kayak with a GPS Motor
I put the Kaku Zulu on the water with an AutoBoat GPS motor to see if it lives up to the big guy kayak label, and why the seat matters.
What’s in this video
A lot of people ask me for a good big guy kayak. Everyone looks at the hull and says it holds 500 or 600 lb, but the seat is one of the limiting factors. The Kaku Zulu seat is built like a tank: thick tubing, an aluminum bottom, and it’s designed to work as a standing perch too. Along with the Kaku Voodoo, it’s my top pick for bigger anglers.
My friend’s Zulu has the mount for a bow motor like the MotorGuide, and there’s a separate bracket for the pedal drive. We put an AutoBoat GPS motor on it, right in the center of the kayak. The steering uses a thick steel cable, the rudder is a wide beaver tail blade, and everything feels overbuilt. It’s made here in Florida. Not fancy, it just works.
On the water it turns on a dime with the rudder up, and tracks better with it down when there’s weather. The deck space is huge. I walked all over it, stood way on the back, and jumped on it at 205 lb with barely any water coming up the scuppers. There are five Power-Pole mounts for rigging. Honestly, I struggled to come up with a con.
With a smart GPS motor you can stand up and still have full control of the boat. Anchor mode on the AutoBoat held me right in place.
Key moments
- 0:00 Introduction to Kaku Zulu
- 0:26 Kayak features and seating
- 2:07 Mounting options and design
- 4:32 On-water testing and stability
- 7:36 Standing and rigging
- 8:54 Durability and final thoughts
- 10:40 GPS motor performance
- 13:21 Final setup and conclusions
Quick takeaways
- When picking a big guy kayak, check the seat, not just the hull capacity. The Zulu seat is thick tubing with an aluminum bottom.
- Run with the rudder up for tight turns and drop it when there's wind so it tracks better.
- There are five Power-Pole mounts and a big flat deck, so you can stand and walk around the whole boat.
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