Video · Kayak Reviews
New Vibe and Riot Pedal Kayaks: Uptown, Makana and Mako Air
I tour the combined Vibe and Riot booth at ICAST and see their new inflatable pedal boards, the Makana 100 and the Mako Air 8.5.
What’s in this video
Vibe and Riot came together as one company, so their booth at ICAST was a one-stop shop. Product manager Matt Sharratt walked me through it. First was the Uptown 100, a new inflatable paddle board with a pedal drive. You can swap pods to run either the Vibe X-Drive fin drive for shallow water or the Riot Impulse prop drive for instant reverse and more speed. It has a frame seat, cable steering and four gear tracks.
The Makana 100 is a new 10 foot kayak with a pontoon style hull. It’s 55 pounds empty, takes either drive, has a transducer scupper with a protective plate, a huge tank well for a crate, and Power-Pole mounts on each side in the back. All Vibe frame seats take a standing or sitting perch that gives you about 16 more inches of height.
The Riot Mako Air 8.5 is a three chamber inflatable catamaran with a 6:1 Impulse drive. I’ve used one. It’s 36 inches wide, rock solid, and ran about 5 mph. The weak spot is the rudder, about a 7 out of 10. The Cubera Lite is a 12.5 foot inflatable board that packs in a wheeled backpack. And the Shearwater now takes either drive in its Versa Pod, plus a Bixpy motor with no mods.
Quick takeaways
- Vibe pedal boats take both the X-Drive fin drive and the Riot Impulse prop drive by swapping pods.
- The Makana 100 weighs 55 lb empty and has a transducer scupper and two rear Power-Pole mounts.
- The Mako Air 8.5 is very stable for its size, but I rate the rudder about a 7 out of 10.
- The Shearwater takes a Bixpy motor on the back with no modifications.
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