First Kayak trip this past weekend…tarpon 140… only flipped it once in a very small creek!
Want a more stable kayak. How does the Wilderness Ride compare to a Malibu Stealth? Thanks for any advice.
Outer Banks 161 Honda 50
The Ride 135 is a super stable yak. The tunnel (almost pontoon) hull with center keel puts a lof of the boats volume along the edges of the boat. The result is a super stable platform. I’ve known people to fall off the boat, but never seen anyony flip a Ride without grabbing the carry handle and pulling it over.
Take a look at the Wilderness Systems Facebook page and you can get a preview of the new - redesigned Ride 135 and the new shorter Ride 115. Both are excellent boats. I was involved with testing the designs and was standing in the Ride in the first few seconds.
I can’t really comment on the Malibu as I’ve only spent 2 or 3 minutes in one.
Who’s Ready for a Sleigh Ride? www.KayakFishSC.com
Stealth has the live bait tank in the cockpit. Pretty cool feature. Not too many dealers for Malibu in the area. Wilderness systems is everywhere.
I’ve got the Malibu X13 and am very happy with it. The X13 has the fishwell in front under the hatch, but I just use it for storage.
I’ve never paddled a Ride, but it was on my list to try until I found my X13 used. Wilderness Systems are well made yaks. I’ve had a WS Pamlico 120 Angler for years and I’m still not ready to turn it loose. Until Native came out with their seating, WS phase 3 seats were the best in the business. Very comfortable.
If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ~Doug Larson
Strat
I’m curious how you flipped the Tarpon. I’ve seen a couple of different methods for falling out in calm waters and all involved some level of the person forgetting where they were. Most common is leaning to one side to get something out of the milk crate. Next most common is leaning outboard to land a fish.
I absolutely love my Ride 135, but I spend >90% of my time in my Tarpon 160. I like speed a lot more than stability unless I’m standing up dirfting an edge or poling across a flat.
Who’s Ready for a Sleigh Ride? www.KayakFishSC.com
TB can vouch for this because he was razzing me the whole time. At the kayak fest I paddled a tarpon 14, ride,and stealth back to back to back. The livewell thing is really nice but compared to the WS boats the malibu felt slow and not as agile. It Di feel slightly more stable than the tarpon in initial stability, but much less than the ride. I made it a point to stand in all the boats.the ride also paddles like a dream for its size. Don’t be fooled.
If you would like to demo a Malibu Stealth kayak please let me know and we can set up a time
Capt Dave
Fishingkayakssc@homesc.com
Forgot to add. The platform for standing in the malibu is nice. It’s textured and provides plenty of foot room. The wide now has a flat place to stand if I’m not mistaken on the new models. Haven’t been in one yet. You need to paddle all the boats and you choose. You can listen to us but you may not sit, fit, or stand like someone else. Schedule a demo and go try them.
I am heading to Charleston today for another look.
Too Busy,
I was kneeling in the 140 and tried to turn facing the gunnel…it was instantaneous flip over…no warning …just in the water. Getting back aboard was easy enough. I am not as light or agile as I used to be. I hope a kayak will help with this while having fun on the water.
Thanks everyone for the info.
Outer Banks 161 Honda 50
Bit the bullet…bought the Ride…got a milk crate from Staples for $3…on my way for a test run…only going to be 100 today!
Outer Banks 161 Honda 50
Sounds like I need to head to Staples. How’s their bait prices 
Good choice on the yak. Very popular “ride” for fishing.
If people concentrated on the really important things in life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles. ~Doug Larson
Very nice Strat. Let me know if you have any questions.
I wasn’t impressed with the staples crate; too flimsy
Who’s Ready for a Sleigh Ride? www.KayakFishSC.com
Yeah, you need to “find” one of the ones the dairies use. I bought a few at the flea market a couple of years ago for $2 each. You can stand on them.
My crate worked fine. Set in the back and held some stuff. I don’t think I will be standing on it. It is just plastic to hold some stuff…it doesn’t need to be “stand on strong”…it was $3.00.
The Ride was great! Fished with legs over the side in a side-saddle position with no problem. I did stand up once to say that I did it…that one is going to take some practice…I think “stable Kayak” is an oxymoron. Standing is possible in the ride but not for the faint of heart (or at least a move that needs to be practiced). My only other small boat was a Ghenoe…that is really stable.
Outer Banks 161 Honda 50/ Wilderness Ride 135
Here are some drills to help you out. You need to be willing to fall in to get better. 
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150239709762713
One thing about the Ride or most any other yak. The secondary stability kicks in when you heel it a little, so have one knee locked and the other slightly bent.
Who’s Ready for a Sleigh Ride? www.KayakFishSC.com