Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
The first three boats I used on Lake Michigan were aluminum. I loved them. Okay, perhaps I was merely infatuated with them because they were the platform I used to access what I believe to be the most exciting fishing in the country.
Then I bought a fiberglass boat. I loved it and still do. All the boats offered the same access to the fishing, but the glass boat offered me the opportunity to do it with a comfort I never imagined could be experienced in an easily trailerable boat capable of handling big water and sizeable waves.
Sure, the glass boat was slightly heavier, but the biggest difference wasn’t weight, it was the shape of the hull and how it was designed to cut through the waves, not bounce over them. In hull design parlance, it’s the VEE.
Most aluminum hulls are made with what boat builders call a modified or semi-vee hull. The forward portion of the hull is “V” shaped to knife through waves, but the vee flattens out appreciably or totally at the stern end of the boat. That’s a great compromise for boaters working inland lakes where shallow draft or stability while casting or jigging is more important than being able to ride comfortably and safely over ocean-like swells and wind-blown waves. The Kodiak is a total Vee hull with 20 degrees of deadrise from the pointy-end to the square end of the boat.
The result isn’t the luxury-car like ride expected in a similarly sized glass deep vee, but it is a noticeable departure from the slam-bam experience of heading offshore in one of the aluminum models starting with L, T, S or other manufacturers. I spent a day on with Lance Valentine on his Kodiak at Grand Traverse Bay and two days with him on Lake Erie. Fishing wise, the lakes couldn’t have been kinder. To test the advantage of the Vee hull we had to search out some wakes to bounce across.
A series of two-foot wakes pushed close together can be a tougher ride than slopping through threes or fours when heading to an offshore bite. We crossed some of those wakes faster than my glass boat will even go. Lance slowed a bit from the 50 miles per hour cruising speed, but mostly, he just trimmed the motor down enough to put more of the Vee into the water.
Sitting in the passenger seat next to the driver, I leaned forward and tensed up instinctively as the boat powered towards the wakes. Sure, the boat bounced and spray flew, but the sting and abuse I expected to my back and butt just didn’t happen.
Neither did the pounding and abuse I inflicted to the hulls on my previous aluminum boats and the eventual downfall of those aluminum models – leaky rivets. All three of my previous aluminum models sported leaks sooner than later. All aluminum manufacturers offer warranties on their materials and workmanship for some period of time, often six or ten years. The Kodiak comes with a lifetime warranty.
Valentine’s Kodiak was powered by a 200 hp Suzuki, but Polar Kraft isn’t aligned with any particular motor company. If you’d rather have a Merc, Yammy or other brand, no problem.
The boat had plenty of useful storage options for rods and gear; wide, sturdy gunwales to mount track systems or individual rod holders or other rigging and a choice of floor coverings, colors and other options to personalize the boat for you. If you are looking for a new boat and are leaning towards the advantages offered by aluminum, be sure to check out Polar Kraft’s Kodiak 200 Pro. See them online at http://www.polarkraft.com.
FISHING TOYS 