20 Best Bass Boat For Rough Water (2023 Update)

I gave it 5 stars because the value is great. I payed $636.00 new from academy sports. It’s better than every kayak on the market. It’s strong and water proof, fishes two people with plenty of room for extras. High weight capacity. Pelican can do better: 1 piece 12 foot boat Forged Ram X four times the thickness, widen the hull, extend and make flush the front water contact areas. include a carpeted floor, lighten the boat using spray in foam for buoyancy. Include hull protectors, and pelican decals with updated logo. How about calling the boat something that makes sense, Pelican Bass Raider 12X. Storage compartments, coolers, live wells, rails, rod holders, elaborate carbon fiber reinforced hull and motor mount design, integrated remote controlled trolling motor, with options from the factory! Comfortable, adjustable noise free seats. Your customers like to customize these types of vessels. Give them options to choose from the factory! The 10e is a good boat but it’s not good enough. It’s not near good enough, you pry won’t negotiate wider more efficient pickup beds to keep that luxury without sacrificing the increased size capacities. Don’t even get me started on the waste of space storage crap on the 10e. You are going to stand there designing a boat with the word bass on it and not include these things? Let’s kick it up a notch Pelican, my gosh! Shock the nation.Lazy B

I bought this boat 4 months ago. Super stable and easy to maneuver. I've had 2 people and too much gear and we both were swiveling around and sliding chairs for ideal comfort. Chairs have pockets to put maps,, flare gun,, bug spray,, flashlights, etc….. The modifications are only limited to your imagination. Lots of on-line groups. This boat is difficult to locate because it's popularity has skyrocketed. Tournaments with just these boats are being formed. I put a Motirglide 3xi on mine so fabricated a small deck in front. Slips through the water quiet and smooth. Lite weight so one person can unload. I suggest a padding for the floor in case you enjoy barefooting it.Pelican Commander

Waited a long time to find this boat new or used.
Bought the 10e NXT online BassProShop while hunting the internet for one over a year and lucked out .
Worth the wait , extremely stable , I'm 220 lbs , and my son 160lbs , battery 70lbs ,trolling motor , all our gear and this boat never wavered. Lots of fun , felt safe at all times.
Built very sturdy , pontoon style ,and the RamX plastic body , rubber bumper around the two parts of the boat is not an issue as you might have read or heard online .
I own a 8e also which is 6 yrs old and the RamX body , the rubber bumper and the two halves of our 8e six year old boat is solid .
I highly recommend the Pelican Bass Raider 10e NXT and the 8e also.
Fun to modify , and the 10e is safe for 2 fishermen and the 8e great for a solo fisherman.james fulginiti

well the price is good , i had the boat sins a year know. lets see , i will say the good thing first then the things i think need improve . well first of all this boat got some space , woow i love the space it have i can now fit a cooler in the back ouh i can fit all my gear at the back no problems, cooler fishing lures and fishing gear + a small continuer with some things in it like light ad list goos on an on , then the factory fishing rood holder one of the best things about it , the handle is helpful. the siting positions is not that bad but you need something to set on it if you stay a long time in the boat. good thing that it coms with to motor mount , the material got some advantage and dis advancing .. it's though but it's hard to stick something on it or to modify . NOW LITS SEE BAD THINGS , no drain plugs so if you ben to some high waters you will have some hard time , the boat is not stabile as i wanted but some foam in the sides fixed it 50% , the sets had no back support 🙁 . i would love to have 3 person in it ,, come on it's a 12 foot , but the thing is when the 3 person set the boat be come front heavy so waves gets in . so i would love to see this thing fixed , amm the max lode you can have in is 190 kg , i had a 8 foot and it got the same max lode !! last ting this thing is heavy so don't think that you can lode it on a car by your self.. do i recommend it? well yes i do but if you only can live with the dis advantage by the way this boat is a good boat to modify be your own , EXTRA INFO. i use this boat with a 2.5 mercury and the fastest i got with 2 person on board is 6 or 7 KM/H lights are addable if thy work by batteries ( using bicycles lights green and red) floor is not confortabil to set on so get something to bot behind your back and under you , this way you will stay longer in the sea , good way to add to the confortabil level is to install cop holder. (not much work ). you may need a jet ski trailer to move it essayer. GO AND HAVE FUN 🙂Omar111

My Brother and I bought this boat last summer. We love it. However we are currently looking for a good option for a seat other than the built in bench, can get quite uncomfortable long hours sitting on the bench. Other than that we love it.Jeremy

Only had it out once. Worked fine for two of us. Would give it higher score but have no idea of durability or length of lifetime.Actual purchaser

Have been out twice in this kayak since purchasing a week ago. So easy to inflate with foot pump and is ready in less than 10 minutes! Its very stable on the water and handles waves and choppy water really well. I'd go as far as to say that there's less chance of coming out in rougher water than in a rigid kayak (depending on your experience if course!) I love rigid kayaks but bought this so my kids could use it collectively and having done my research on inflatables, this came up as one the best and I don't regret it! My only gripe and it's a small one ,I'd that the carry bag is a bit small so you really need to pack the kayak down tight when deflated.superman-83

Set up the kayak in our living room to see how it is done before taking it out on the water. Didn't want to make a fool of myself in front of people where we will launch. The setup was fairly easy. The only problem I had was with the retaining rings on the valves. I broke two of them trying to slip them on to the base of the valve. I also had a leak iin one of the valves in the seat. Think I corrected that problem. The kayak is easy to inflate. It took me 260 strokes on the pump to completely inflate all the chambers. If you are looking for a kayak, I would recommend the 370. There is plenty of room for 2 people and gear.rlut3903

We got the Sea Eagle timely and was in good condition. Was an open box so the original packaging did not come with it. We blew it up to make sure we knew what we were doing. Everything seemed to work. We left it inflated but a couple of days later one side had lost all it's air. Thanks to Youtube, we learned that the valves sometimes get knicks in them and if you take a hair warm hair dryer to them it will get them out. Tried again and the boat stayed inflated. Tested it on the water and it's great for two people. The deluxe seats are the way to go! The only thing that was missing from the purchase that we should have received was the bag it is stored in and the inflation guage. We had to purchase them from Sea Eagle so we could tell how much to inflate the boat.duncdog22

We are relatively new to kayaking and friends who have more experience recommended this kayak to us. It is great. It is VERY easy to transport and inflate (takes us about 12 minutes to inflate and set up). The kayak is easy to launch and handle. We use it on fairly flat water (slow rivers, small lakes, and reservoirs). We are a middle aged relatively (but not unusually) fit couple. This was a very good purchase for us and we have used it about 6 times since we purchased it about 3 months ago. Happy to recommend this kayak.jessica b.

I bought 2 different brands 1 for me and 1 for my husband this kayak was really easy to set up and light enough for me to carry on my own (the other brand was too heavy so now is considered my husbands). We have gone out on both a lake and onto the Sound. It was amazing. It moves fast through the water. The seat is really supportive so you are very comfortable. (this seat way better then the other brand). I wish i had bought two of these. This kayak was less expensive then the other brand i bought and i would say it was better.Seattle

Unfortunately we were REALLY disappointed. We bought this for our annual camping trip to Lake George, NY, and it didn’t make it through the week. Today, the bottom tore after brushing over a narrow rocky section and one pontoon quickly deflated! Luckily we were near enough to the shore when this happened. This kayak replaced a Sevylor inflatable which we had for 10 years. I thought this would be an upgrade, but it seems the bottom is not as durable as described. I’m hoping the company will make good on this product.Adrienne R.

If you're looking for convenience, space saver, and a quality built inflatable, you can't go wrong with Advanced Elements' inflatable kayak. Since I go out every weekend, the inflatable stays inside the van. No need to store it in the garage. Inflation takes a few minutes, and you're good to go. The metal rod braises on both ends of the kayak does make a difference as far as stiffening the front and rear. It actually helps the kayak track good enough in comparison to other inflatables that sway side to side. However, the material of the body creates some drag, so it's not as fast as a hard shell kayak. In addition, as already mentioned by other reviewers, it's not a good idea to store it while it's still wet. Within a few days, the leftover moisture will leave a moldy odor. Dry it good in order to avoid the problem. Other than that, the inflatable kayak is worth it!Bobw

This is a great kayak and at a great price. Very stable. I feel confident up to a class III rapid. The seat, accessory bar and multiple d-rings made it well worth it to purchase over the standard model.Anonymous

For clarity, I'm no expert in kayaks. Also, this is sort of a fusion between a kayak and a canoe I think. This boat is pretty easy to set up, with about 10 minutes being a decent average time. The beam is real wide which makes it real stable on the water, even in heavy rollers, but that wide beam makes it very hard to carry by yourself without a trolley. I'm 6'2", 250(ish) pounds, and I feel very comfortable with this. Now, when I first got this boat, the very first time I sat in it, both the plastic seat adjustment tabs broke right off the bat, so I spent the first couple of minutes tying the seat into a seat shape, however Advanced Elements support had more robust parts to me in the mail within a week. The pictures show a ton of things put on the aluminum braces, and looking at the way those are set up, some of that is definitely mocked up for a picture, or you are just not planning on ever taking your kayak down all the way often. I haven't stood up in this kayak yet because I haven't had the need to, but this boat is so stable that I don't think it'd be an issue, especially with the drop-stitch floor. I did test out the primary and secondary stability on this, and I can't get it to secondary as I'd need to rope off to the other side like a wind surfer. The storage is great in this, a full cooler in the back, or a small cooler and a tackle box will fit with no issues. There are plenty of lash down points so you don't drop anything. The tarp on the nose took a bit of a beating the first time I used it by riding it up on a concrete boat ramp, but it's not leaking, just a little frayed. The skeg rides deep, especially with a heavier (me) pilot, so you need to be in about a foot of water at least before it's afloat. That is not a big deal as you are going to get wet anyways paddling.MOBrien

Bought for a 4-1/2 year old. It caught her eye amongst a sea (no pun intended) of Christmas gifts. It has wheels and rolls smoothly across hardwood flooring. The design is simple and can be modified with interchangeable pieces on the top. She loaded her small dolls on it and away they went. I subtracted a star since the interchangeable pieces are limited in number. It isn't like a Lego set by any means so would likely be boring for a much older child.NewLondonKK

I bought my first one 22 years ago at that it was advertised as the toughest duck boat on the market, i chose it over a fiberglass pirouge due to its durabilty and features, for the next 22 years, i put it to the test duck hunting and fishing. Its been dragged behind a atv, thrown in the truck , loaded down with 2 grown hunters and all the gear, made hundreds of trips hunting and bass fishing and maintaining duck blinds hauling brush, you name it and it did it . I was most impressed one freezing north Louisiana morning when i hit a log in the dark and went overboard, after i was able to climb back in over the side of the boat and it did not turn over , I'm 230 lbs and had water logged clothing and this boat is extremely stable. But after 22 years it developed a small crack in the bottom, nothing major , i still use but i liked it so much i just bought a new one, plus i paid $100.00 less for this one than i did for the first one, i bought the add on motor mount , its ok for a very small trolling motor but the weight of the motor eventually cracked the side of the boat where it attaches, i then built a bracket and have the motor on the rear handle, its a bit of reach to steer it but its much more durable. Once you have one of these boats you just cant do without it . A bargain at $599.00Duckdawg

I just received it this morning. It is what I expected it to be except the the scrapes, scratches n gouge. Contact customer support and all was taken care of. The CS people from academy are freakin awesome. Give me at least a month for a quality review so I can float this in some water so I can chase fish n ducks.Chris in Superior Az

Easily installed. This motor uses very little of my battery charge. I have a 12 volt system. I was ona 3 day trip with no ability to charge my battery. I used the trolling motor easily 5 hours each day and the motor was still running strong. the Spot lock works great and the Bluetooth remote control is excellent. A great upgrade to my Tracker Boat.M Kilstrom

Couldn't be happier. Never thought I'd use the remote and absolutely love having it. The motor is plenty strong. Don't believe any of the negatives on stowing and deploying. Unless you are old-old and weak – to complain about the process is a joke! Super easy Love how it frees space up on the bow as well. Lakeside was awesome – responsive and shipped immediately!mike p.

i bought the trolling motor on 1/29/22, a Minn Kota Endura Max Transom-Mount Trolling Motor – 55 lbs. used it on 5/1/22 had bad vibration, thought may be bad prop, minn kota sent me a new one, used it twice since then, no better now trying to exchange from cabelas where I perched it from, out of stock, waiting now for restock to receive one. stinkscarnavor64

Took this trolling motor out of the box and on its first fishing trip and it did fine except for one hick up. Gave it throttle and it didn't start. Gave it throttle again and it started just fine. Ran good the rest of the day. Took it on fishing trip #2 six weeks later and it ran fine as long as it was running, but as soon as you set it to zero throttle, it would be a "dead stick" for the next 8-10 minutes. It did this all day long. Event if you stop to go in reverse, it will "dead stick". Basically anytime it is turned off, it will not turn back on for 8-10 minutes. It is passed the 60day mark, so it needs to be sent to the manufacture and i can not get them on the phone due to them being "short staffed". Do not recommend this product.Jason117

Ordered online and picked up the motor at the Hamburg, Pa store (85mi roundtrip). Went fishing the next day to ty it out. The head shook so bad I had to hold the handle un-extended for fear it would've came off the transom! This was never run at the factory or whoever did it was blind! The prop wobbled so bad it literally was unusable! Drove another 85mi roundtrip to return it, had them reorder and ship to my home. Thrust is good using on a 16' aluminum fishing boat. I have a 36lb Minn Kota thats 30yrs old….the ONLY reason I purchased this was for more power on windy days on the lake. That one still runs as smooth (or smoother) as the new one. Minn Kota should be ashamed they shipped a motor like that from the factory!!Andy59

This is a great little motor! I have it on a Pond Prowler 8 and it works well! I have used it several times and usually number 1 speed is really all I need to fish with. When it's time to "go" I will go to speed 2 or 3… I've never even tried 4 or 5! Reverse is "so-so" as it seems to be with most trolling motors but it will "stop" the little boat. I have this hooked up to a group 24 AGM battery and usually fish for 3-4 hours and I have yet to run the battery down! The motor is very frugal especially on speed 1!RSC1952

Only used motor twice (the reason for only four stars) and so far, so good. The Endura C2 I purchased is rated with 45 lbs of thrust which is 5 more than my previous motor and pushes my 12 ft. Jon boat along at a good clip. If it performs as well as my previous Minn Kota, I will gladly give it an additional star.Buzzy Bobby

The motor is nice and quiet.The flexible shaft and telescope handle are very nice to have. Also the motor has 5 forward and 3 reverse speeds also very nice. When you switch from speed 4 to 5 there is quite a difference in speed. Very happy with purchase!!Captain J

I too am new to the world of kayaking, as is my family. We were looking for an activity that we could ALL do together and the 420x seemed to be the best answer for us. All in all, I am pretty pleased with the HULLS construction. I was at first frustrated with the inflation valves, but once I gathered how they functioned, I am pleased as punch. The electric pump is not necessary (imo) as it didn't take long at all to have the boat completely inflated and ready to go. Space wise, I am able to fit me, my wife and my daughter (as well as necessary gear AND the dog) I am over 6' and the wife is a couple of inches shy, so the added length of the 420x was essential. One thing I would suggest is to go with the DELUXE package as opposed to the PRO if you plan to have this boat on open water. The pro seats I think would be better suited for whitewater excursions as they put you LOW in the boat and it makes it a little more difficult to paddle on open water. That and the fact that the flag snaps are cheap (I broke 2 of them within the first 2 days). Of course this isn't a 'speedy' kayak but you can get and maintain comfortable speeds with 2 people in sync. (and of course the skeg is essential on flat water). All in all, we are very pleased with our purchase of this kayak and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to one of my friends.Shane G.

My primary use for this Kayak has been on flat water with the optional Skeg installed which helps with directional stability. After our experience on flat water we intend to use it for white water as we live fairly close to the Delaware water gap. The build quality is very high and appears to be the same as the company's other boats that are rated for up to 40 hp. Before buying it I drove to the manufacturers facility in Long Island to examine the quality, and was very impressed. I own another inflatable which I use with a 15 hp engine, so that forms my frame of reference. Its also a NMMA certified hull which not all inflatables are. I tip the scales at a bit over 300 lbs and bought this boat for exercise and to share with my wife who is petite. We both love it and have adequate room for ourselves picnic gear and our 22 lb mini schnauzer. We will take some day trips on the Delaware before summers end. Stability and ease of access are very good. I feel safer in this boat than in any of the hard shells Ive rented, or in the canoe I own.Neil G.

We wanted to buy a versatile and tough boat to use as a dinghy but also for other things. The 380x is perfect for that. It has little resistence when being pulled and you can stand up in it when getting into and out of our sailboat. We also like white water paddling sometimes in remote areas and this boat is perfect for that as well.Guest S.

I just bought this float tube about a month ago and finally took it out. So much fun. I’m 6’2” and around 260 and it did awesome. Fast on the water, lots of storage. Easy to maneuver. The foam seat was comfortable. I was out for about 4 hours. Inflated in under a minute. Really love this new addition. Even though I’m a big guy I was still high in the seat.FlyDaddy

While taking a fly fishing class I had the opportunity to try quite a few float tubes. The Outcast brand seemed the most durable, the Fish Cat 5 was the only one large enough for me, at 250#, (no belly, just big), being 5’9” I “shortened” the seat by inserting a boat cushion under the fabric covering the back rest.ShagawaMichael

Works fine – I do worry I might not get a lot of longevity out of this one, as the seal often goes faulty on these Edge motors with heavy use. I've bought two Minn Kota Edge and one lasted about a year until the seal went out. Luckily MinnKota replaced the lower unit under warranty.HunterBidenLovesCrack

Got this trolling motor to replace my old 50lb motor guide. Did not know if this 45lb would be big enough. This has just as much maybe more power. Light weight but strong. I did upgrade the prop to s weedless. Prop that came with it was small and not the best. Thanks Minn Kota.Denngriff

I owned a bass hunter years ago and loved it, this new incarnation has much more room, wider better use of space .The wheels make it easy to move around. Fits my Tahoe like it was tailor made. Slid it off the back of the truck into my SUV in one smooth move. Love it!Kent S

The boat itself it sturdy and well-made. It paddles in a straight line very nicely without the skeg installed. I've paddled it down a river with some class 1 riffles and it handled it very nicely. I've taken it on Humboldt Bay on a choppy day and it felt very stable. My only gripe is with the fabric seat. The stitching on one of the seat stays came undone and it just fell off. This happened the first time I took the boat out. Fortunately I have some connections to people with industrial sewing machines and was able to get it fixed for free. If y'all at NRS read these reviews, I'm gonna recommend you box-tack those things in place so they're less likely to come undone.Timothy

Was looking for a new inflatable kayak after my last one had a seam leak after 7 years. After looking at reviews I decided on the star paragon as it was a little longer which is great when taking my dog out with me. Tracks very straight, easy to inflate. Finding one in stock wasn't easy during the pandemic but luckily AQ Outdoors had a few in stock with an added plus they are a Canadian store. Ordering was easy and received my ordered earlier than expected which was a pleasant surprise. Still learning on getting the refolding down but very happy with my purchase.Cris G.

Have all 3 types of the star paragon series from the smaller inflatable to the tandem. All are excellent boats. I have had the XL as well as the tandem by myself in 25-30 mph winds with white caps and they have handled very well besides taking on some water. The only issue I have with those boats is some mild wearing at the points where the boats are folded. I take exceptional care of those boats and have had to do some patchwork in those areas otherwise from research on various types of inflatable these boats are excellent. The seats are comfortable the hand pump is top of the line and the foot braces hold up well and easy to attach. Tracking is excellent as well even in windy conditions.Cory

Directions were very vague but there are many YouTube videos on setting it up which got the job done. I thought that the hand pump would take forever to blow it up but since it has 2 chambers it took no time at all once we got it figured out. After initial set-up and we were on the river it was great!! I’m 5’6 and my 11 year old son is 5’3” and we both fit in comfortably. I know it mentions a weight limit but height should be a factor too because if 2 people over 5’8”/5’10” wanted to sit together it would be very cramped. Kayak did great on our river maneuvering around downed trees and when the trip was over deflating it took just a few minutes and it fit easily into the trunk of my small suv. My son and I are both beginner kayakers and we had no issues handling the kayak and vague directions aside I would have given the kayak 5 stars. I’m concerned future trips where we might come in contact with branches or rocks could cause holes but the material seems pretty thick so I am hopeful we won’t have any issues. For the price, quality and ease of use (after initial set-up) I totally plan to get 2 one seaters in the future as my son gets taller. Totally worth the purchase!!Tawna

Used extensively over the last week. Super easy to inflate and set up and the carry bag is a good size making it easy to put everything into. Paddling is very good with 1 person, good with 1 adult and 1 child but with 2 adults (under the max 180kg limit) it is a little cumbersome but still acceptable for a short paddle on calm water and light winds. With my 14 year old son on board we even managed to catch a few waves (small 1 foot surf). Easy to get in and out and tested capsizing and re-boarding – fairly easy to do and takes on little water. Improvements – 1. A pressure gauge to ensure correct inflation – the 10cm tape supplied is unreliable especially if the kayak has been sitting inflated for a few days. I suspect the kayak expands in the heat and feel under-inflated going by the 10cm tape. 2. instead of inflatable seats perhaps a hard plastic or netting style seat would hold shape better. 3. A drain plug would be handy – getting that last bit of water out before storage would be much easier with a drain plug. Overall I would recommend this kayak, for the price, ease of use and performance I think it is a good unit.RobSil

This review is more of a reflection of the brand than the product. We had used our Kayak 2 times and it was great, kids loved it. However, we had a wildlife issue when a koala used it to get up a tree and put a hole in it (very unfortunate). I asked Macpac if there was anything they could do in this circumstance but as it's not a manufacturing fault they would not help me. I guess I thought as they are an outdoor brand they might have some compassion for this very unfortunate event. I have patched the kayak as they said to do. But worry that in the future the patch will fail and could put my family in danger. I guess that is the risk when buying inflatable products. So tip don't place it at the base of a tree.Tiffany

Boat seemed to be of good quality except the floor is very thin and i rubbed 6 holes in it on a floating trip down the river and took on water. Few other friends that came with had cheap bimart rafts and not one problem. This boat is meant for lakes or high bodys of water it is not a raft for a river adventure like stated in there description. For the price it should be better quality.jeffcamaro1967

I’m sorry, I really want this boat, but I want it in white, or ivory! I live in Georgia! The sun would tear this thing up and burn my skin. Absolutely unacceptable for color. Other than that it’s a beautiful design.CapnRon

This is a very well put together raft. Very rugged! The price does not reflect the high quality of this raft! The seller went out of their way to help me with any issues!Jerome