Amazing fishing platform, it was really great to be out and run a test on it. I would highly recommend the kayak to anyone who wants to join the world of kayak angling. Also, thanks Darren for inviting me to test it, I really enjoyed the day spent on Mako. :)
On the original models the steering handle was fixed to the side of the kayak and then moved to the side rails which worked better however with the side rail unit there were occasional issues with factory assembly pinching the cables causing cable tightness which thankfully was easy enough to fix and after that we didn’t have any issues with successive runs 👍
Nice review! I really like the hull design! Wish more kayaks would have a design like that. Not a fan of a wet deck in a kayak. Looks like the Riot deck stays pretty wet unless you use scupper plugs which isn't recommended for rough or ocean water. I do think for me the location of the rudder steering handle would be an issue over time. These two things will likely keep me from looking closer at the kayak. I do like the hull design tho! Thanks again.
Thanks Jerry, yes there will always be certain design features like handle positioning etc. not to everyone's liking for sure but as you say it's a sweet hull form ideal for the coastal pedaler :-) it will always be hard to achieve that dry deck and still get that low profile shape that makes it so good at handling the coastal conditions and waves but as you say it would be nice to see more pedal drive manufacturers following suit with giving it a go :-)
Hello Darren. Thank you for the informative video. How is the peddle drive noise compared to other manufacturer's peddle drives? I mainly fish on lakes and ponds for bass. I need a lightweight peddle drive kayak for car topping, but I also need it to be quiet.
Hi Rich, thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed it - I have found the drive most definitely to be no noisier than the others on the market, they all have their own unique sound of course depending on the gearing system they use - the Impulse drive opts for a plastic cog system and so water is allowed to enter the unit as opposed to sealed units that have metal cogs and oil - the plastic cogs can be easily replaced if you find them wearing over time and so the unit is super easy to maintain - I would say you will have no issue with the Impulse drive unit targeting bass and the fact it is so lightweight is just such a huge plus in my book - hope this helps :-)
Thanks John, also wanted to show the key features of the kayak and sometimes pictures that you can look at in detail can help do that better than video footage but I take your point, I maybe should have described it more as a story book with video clips rather than a video :-)
There seemed to be quite a bit of water sloshing around in the front tankwell while pedaling, no? I saw that you had the scupper plug out. Was it just water coming in and out of the scupper? The only negative I've really heard about this kayak is that it's not for tall people (5'11" or taller) because you can't get the seat back far enough for comfortable pedaling. Unfortunately, that's me at 6'3".
Hi Chris, yes that's right, I had the plug out and so water was coming up through the scupper in the choppier conditions but then of course going back out again, I personally always leave the scupper plugs out as we are predominantly coastal and it's important to have the kayak draining quickly in choppy conditions....I'm 5'10" with a 32" leg and had about another 3 to 4 inches left on the seat track so yes it could be a little tight for space for you but would very much depend on your leg length as opposed to your over all height - hope this helps :-)
I’m considering buying one but here’s a few questions I have. 1. why is the rudder controller so far back instead of where it would be uncomfortable to use it after a few minutes of reaching behind you. 2. how can it be really stable when bottom doesn’t have any deep channels in it, looks really smooth to me. 3. how does it compare to the Vibe? I had a Vibe and used it once then sold it, did not feel stable at all.
Hi Mike, will try to answer your questions - 1./ Yes on other pedal drives the steerage handle is more to the front and mostly on the top deck - with the Riot I personally don't find the controller too far behind to comfortably use as it's pretty much straight down from the shoulder but that's just me personally and as it is mounted on the side of the kayak rather than on the deck top I think it's better out of the way for self rescue's etc. 2./ Regarding stability - in the seated position I find it ultra stable, standing up not as stable of course as the tunnel hull catamaran style hulls - I'm not familiar with the Vibe kayaks so can't honestly give an opinion on what they are like for stability I'm afraid.... The width of the Mako kayak of course helps massively with stability.... In a nut shell Mike I would advise demo testing a kayak before you buy it if at all possible as people's needs can vary - Every manufacturer will have their own take on how they want their kayak to perform on the water - some will go for the high freeboard tunnel hull designs offering maximum stability and yet this will sacrifice maneuverability and make them harder to paddle if needed - I personally love the Riot's hull shape as for me it is plenty stable for what I use it for and I like how maneuverable it is in tight spaces - it is also very easy to paddle which is a big plus for me as I like to sometimes take a break from the pedals and go for a good paddle burn...
Signcarver Mike I've never been in the Riot but I can tell by looking at the hull design it will be every bit as stable as the Vibe Seaghost 130 if not more. If you're referring to another model of Vibe I'm not able to provide any input.
Hi Donald, have had it in small surf and it handled well punching out from the beach with it's well rockered hull and it's very maneuverable so easy to correct quickly if needed, particularly when coming back in on a wave - planning to take it out in some bigger surf conditions and heavier seas early this year when the opportunity arises - it's hull shape would lead me to be quite confident that it will perform well - it's important to remember that it will of course never be as good in these water conditions as a hull specifically designed for the purpose but considering that pedal drive kayaks are normally quite high profile with little rocker, I think Riot have done a good job in designing one that will handle coastal conditions better than most...hope this helps.
@@darrenskayaks6463 thanks for the info, I am considering getting one of these for fishing off the Florida coast. I currently use a Tarpon 160i and a Hobie Compass. I havent seen any videos of these in rough water.
This is the best review of this kayak that ive seen yet. The riot 10 alot of heat in another vid, comparing to the hobie passport. My mako 12 performs exactly as described, and I am most impressed with its tracking when paddling. It is also a great kayak for bringing your dog along for the ride. I use mine mostly in fresh water lakes in Northern Ontario, but did some coastal in atlantic Canada this summer. The kayak attracts a lot of attention, and I cannot stress enough the selling feature of an open bow for a mans best friend.
Hi Nathan, yes Riot will be offering gear options and you can simply change out the cogs yourself if you want to vary the ratio - the drive I was using in the video was a 10:1 ratio which I found worked very well - hope this helps...
@@darrenskayaks6463 that's an awesome feature. This is the first time I heard of selectable gear ratios from any kayak maker. They may be out there but for me this is new info. I wonder how mako compares to Brooklyn kayak, and pescador pilot.
@@phillipjacobson4498 yes Riot were thinking outside the box alright with the Mako design, the drive is designed to be easily serviceable by the owner - All 3 kayaks have their pros and cons like any hull design - Brooklyn kayak pedal drives are tunnel hull and so offer more stability for standing but less maneuverability and the drive when retracted sits up quite high in front of you which may or may not be a factor depending on how often you will fish in the shallows and reed beds and need to raise the drive - the Pilot is very nice with a decent blend of stability and maneuverability and the drive retracts into the hull so is less obtrusive on deck how ever the recess under the hull can create some drag - The Mako is worlds apart in both hull design and drive unit from either of these with a much lower profile well rockered hull and lightweight drive that sits strapped to the front of the deck when retracted offering an uncluttered working platform if needed, you can even lift the lightweight drive up and simply put it in the stern well out of the way if you like - at the end of the day I think there isn't a kayak that will tick every box for someone but paddlers just go with the one that they feel will suit their over all needs best - I have found the Mako so far to be a great option for me personally for what I need from a pedal drive fishing the coastal waters here in Ireland and I can easily lift it by myself which is a big plus for me as I often head out by myself...
@@oscarrommelacevedoperez6179 I'm afraid I can't help you with this, the cost of shipping a kayak that distance would be extremely expensive - It would be far cheaper to get one shipped to you from an agent in the States...
I am also looking into purchasing a mako, deciding between the 10 and 12. What would you say the major pros and cons on each. As they look very similar. I think all you loose is a front compartment.?... they saltoony guy that posted he has one. Has a very negative video, the only thjng that concerned me which he said was water getting in the hull. Since you have 2 have you had that issue? Is it really a problem?
Hi Frank, yes I noticed his video, I can't say I have had any water ingress issues with either of our models - as to which one would suit you best would depend on your build and where you wanted to use it - the Mako 12 as well as having more storage is a good deal faster and better suited to coastal conditions, it would definitely be my preferred model for our own local water conditions here - hope this helps...
@@darrenskayaks6463 i live in California and mostly fish the delta, and lakes. May go to the san Francisco bay sometime. I fish for largemouth and striped bass, as well as salmon.
Hi Frank, being quite a low profile hull I'd say the Mako 12 but make sure to get out for a test paddle on one first as being low profile you will probably need the scupper bungs in - a 14 foot Mako would suit better but of course the price creeps up as the boat length increases!!
it seems like a low profile yak and others have mentioned water collecting in the deck and another person said water leaks into the hatch and interior hull. was curious if that was an isolated problem or common occurrence.
@@spotlightinspect5540 yes it is a low profile hull alright compared to some of the other pedal drive designs on the market - I must say that I actually like the hull design as most of my use is coastal and you need a low profile hull to battle the winds and I don't mind a bit of water splashing in over the sides as will happen with lower profile hulls - the low profile also means a slower drift which is good for fishing....the well rockered bow rides over the small waves easily which is a another plus for coastal - regarding water leaking into the hull I honestly haven't noticed this to be the case with my own one - a small pool of water does tend to gather in the front well when paddling against wind and wave as the bow of the kayak rises up over the waves and so the water doesn't flow out the bow well scupper like it would when the kayak is stationary but I wouldn't say it was a problem myself...I hope this answers your question - I haven't come across a better coastal pedal drive yet that I preferred but it is all very much down to personal taste of course - I hope this helps to answer your question...
Amazing fishing platform, it was really great to be out and run a test on it. I would highly recommend the kayak to anyone who wants to join the world of kayak angling. Also, thanks Darren for inviting me to test it, I really enjoyed the day spent on Mako. :)
Thanks for your help Alen and delighted you enjoyed it :-)
Apparently the cables for the rudder are bad
On the original models the steering handle was fixed to the side of the kayak and then moved to the side rails which worked better however with the side rail unit there were occasional issues with factory assembly pinching the cables causing cable tightness which thankfully was easy enough to fix and after that we didn’t have any issues with successive runs 👍
Nice review! I really like the hull design! Wish more kayaks would have a design like that. Not a fan of a wet deck in a kayak. Looks like the Riot deck stays pretty wet unless you use scupper plugs which isn't recommended for rough or ocean water. I do think for me the location of the rudder steering handle would be an issue over time. These two things will likely keep me from looking closer at the kayak. I do like the hull design tho! Thanks again.
Thanks Jerry, yes there will always be certain design features like handle positioning etc. not to everyone's liking for sure but as you say it's a sweet hull form ideal for the coastal pedaler :-) it will always be hard to achieve that dry deck and still get that low profile shape that makes it so good at handling the coastal conditions and waves but as you say it would be nice to see more pedal drive manufacturers following suit with giving it a go :-)
@@darrenskayaks6463 good point about the deck.
Hello Darren. Thank you for the informative video. How is the peddle drive noise compared to other manufacturer's peddle drives?
I mainly fish on lakes and ponds for bass. I need a lightweight peddle drive kayak for car topping, but I also need it to be quiet.
Hi Rich, thanks for the feedback, glad you enjoyed it - I have found the drive most definitely to be no noisier than the others on the market, they all have their own unique sound of course depending on the gearing system they use - the Impulse drive opts for a plastic cog system and so water is allowed to enter the unit as opposed to sealed units that have metal cogs and oil - the plastic cogs can be easily replaced if you find them wearing over time and so the unit is super easy to maintain - I would say you will have no issue with the Impulse drive unit targeting bass and the fact it is so lightweight is just such a huge plus in my book - hope this helps :-)
You did this very well, but I expected a video to have more video.
Thanks John, also wanted to show the key features of the kayak and sometimes pictures that you can look at in detail can help do that better than video footage but I take your point, I maybe should have described it more as a story book with video clips rather than a video :-)
There seemed to be quite a bit of water sloshing around in the front tankwell while pedaling, no? I saw that you had the scupper plug out. Was it just water coming in and out of the scupper? The only negative I've really heard about this kayak is that it's not for tall people (5'11" or taller) because you can't get the seat back far enough for comfortable pedaling. Unfortunately, that's me at 6'3".
Hi Chris, yes that's right, I had the plug out and so water was coming up through the scupper in the choppier conditions but then of course going back out again, I personally always leave the scupper plugs out as we are predominantly coastal and it's important to have the kayak draining quickly in choppy conditions....I'm 5'10" with a 32" leg and had about another 3 to 4 inches left on the seat track so yes it could be a little tight for space for you but would very much depend on your leg length as opposed to your over all height - hope this helps :-)
I’m considering buying one but here’s a few questions I have.
1. why is the rudder controller so far back instead of where it would be uncomfortable to use it after a few minutes of reaching behind you.
2. how can it be really stable when bottom doesn’t have any deep channels in it, looks really smooth to me.
3. how does it compare to the Vibe? I had a Vibe and used it once then sold it, did not feel stable at all.
Hi Mike, will try to answer your questions -
1./ Yes on other pedal drives the steerage handle is more to the front and mostly on the top deck - with the Riot I personally don't find the controller too far behind to comfortably use as it's pretty much straight down from the shoulder but that's just me personally and as it is mounted on the side of the kayak rather than on the deck top I think it's better out of the way for self rescue's etc.
2./ Regarding stability - in the seated position I find it ultra stable, standing up not as stable of course as the tunnel hull catamaran style hulls - I'm not familiar with the Vibe kayaks so can't honestly give an opinion on what they are like for stability I'm afraid.... The width of the Mako kayak of course helps massively with stability....
In a nut shell Mike I would advise demo testing a kayak before you buy it if at all possible as people's needs can vary - Every manufacturer will have their own take on how they want their kayak to perform on the water - some will go for the high freeboard tunnel hull designs offering maximum stability and yet this will sacrifice maneuverability and make them harder to paddle if needed - I personally love the Riot's hull shape as for me it is plenty stable for what I use it for and I like how maneuverable it is in tight spaces - it is also very easy to paddle which is a big plus for me as I like to sometimes take a break from the pedals and go for a good paddle burn...
Darrens Kayaks Thanks so much for your reply.
@@mikesigncarver3803 no problem, good luck with your search for a pedal drive, you really can't beat them when it comes to hands free fishing :-)
Signcarver Mike I've never been in the Riot but I can tell by looking at the hull design it will be every bit as stable as the Vibe Seaghost 130 if not more. If you're referring to another model of Vibe I'm not able to provide any input.
Have you used it in water rougher than the what was in the video? If so, how did it do?
Hi Donald, have had it in small surf and it handled well punching out from the beach with it's well rockered hull and it's very maneuverable so easy to correct quickly if needed, particularly when coming back in on a wave - planning to take it out in some bigger surf conditions and heavier seas early this year when the opportunity arises - it's hull shape would lead me to be quite confident that it will perform well - it's important to remember that it will of course never be as good in these water conditions as a hull specifically designed for the purpose but considering that pedal drive kayaks are normally quite high profile with little rocker, I think Riot have done a good job in designing one that will handle coastal conditions better than most...hope this helps.
@@darrenskayaks6463 thanks for the info, I am considering getting one of these for fishing off the Florida coast. I currently use a Tarpon 160i and a Hobie Compass. I havent seen any videos of these in rough water.
This is the best review of this kayak that ive seen yet. The riot 10 alot of heat in another vid, comparing to the hobie passport. My mako 12 performs exactly as described, and I am most impressed with its tracking when paddling. It is also a great kayak for bringing your dog along for the ride. I use mine mostly in fresh water lakes in Northern Ontario, but did some coastal in atlantic Canada this summer. The kayak attracts a lot of attention, and I cannot stress enough the selling feature of an open bow for a mans best friend.
Как идёт против течения?
Are there two gear ratio pedal drives for that
Hi Nathan, yes Riot will be offering gear options and you can simply change out the cogs yourself if you want to vary the ratio - the drive I was using in the video was a 10:1 ratio which I found worked very well - hope this helps...
@@darrenskayaks6463 that's an awesome feature.
This is the first time I heard of selectable gear ratios from any kayak maker.
They may be out there but for me this is new info.
I wonder how mako compares to Brooklyn kayak, and pescador pilot.
@@phillipjacobson4498 yes Riot were thinking outside the box alright with the Mako design, the drive is designed to be easily serviceable by the owner - All 3 kayaks have their pros and cons like any hull design - Brooklyn kayak pedal drives are tunnel hull and so offer more stability for standing but less maneuverability and the drive when retracted sits up quite high in front of you which may or may not be a factor depending on how often you will fish in the shallows and reed beds and need to raise the drive - the Pilot is very nice with a decent blend of stability and maneuverability and the drive retracts into the hull so is less obtrusive on deck how ever the recess under the hull can create some drag - The Mako is worlds apart in both hull design and drive unit from either of these with a much lower profile well rockered hull and lightweight drive that sits strapped to the front of the deck when retracted offering an uncluttered working platform if needed, you can even lift the lightweight drive up and simply put it in the stern well out of the way if you like - at the end of the day I think there isn't a kayak that will tick every box for someone but paddlers just go with the one that they feel will suit their over all needs best - I have found the Mako so far to be a great option for me personally for what I need from a pedal drive fishing the coastal waters here in Ireland and I can easily lift it by myself which is a big plus for me as I often head out by myself...
@@darrenskayaks6463 is Tere a way to ship tris kayak to México? I dont find options to get one of those here :(
@@oscarrommelacevedoperez6179 I'm afraid I can't help you with this, the cost of shipping a kayak that distance would be extremely expensive - It would be far cheaper to get one shipped to you from an agent in the States...
I am also looking into purchasing a mako, deciding between the 10 and 12. What would you say the major pros and cons on each. As they look very similar. I think all you loose is a front compartment.?... they saltoony guy that posted he has one. Has a very negative video, the only thjng that concerned me which he said was water getting in the hull. Since you have 2 have you had that issue? Is it really a problem?
Hi Frank, yes I noticed his video, I can't say I have had any water ingress issues with either of our models - as to which one would suit you best would depend on your build and where you wanted to use it - the Mako 12 as well as having more storage is a good deal faster and better suited to coastal conditions, it would definitely be my preferred model for our own local water conditions here - hope this helps...
@@darrenskayaks6463 i live in California and mostly fish the delta, and lakes. May go to the san Francisco bay sometime. I fish for largemouth and striped bass, as well as salmon.
@@FishnFrank420 sounds nice, plenty of good battles then :-) what build are you Frank, this may have a bearing on which model might suit best..
@@darrenskayaks6463 im a big guy, 5 9 and 280.
Hi Frank, being quite a low profile hull I'd say the Mako 12 but make sure to get out for a test paddle on one first as being low profile you will probably need the scupper bungs in - a 14 foot Mako would suit better but of course the price creeps up as the boat length increases!!
how much water gets in
Hi there, sorry I'm not sure I know what you mean, when you say water gets in, where are you referring to ?
it seems like a low profile yak and others have mentioned water collecting in the deck and another person said water leaks into the hatch and interior hull. was curious if that was an isolated problem or common occurrence.
@@spotlightinspect5540 yes it is a low profile hull alright compared to some of the other pedal drive designs on the market - I must say that I actually like the hull design as most of my use is coastal and you need a low profile hull to battle the winds and I don't mind a bit of water splashing in over the sides as will happen with lower profile hulls - the low profile also means a slower drift which is good for fishing....the well rockered bow rides over the small waves easily which is a another plus for coastal - regarding water leaking into the hull I honestly haven't noticed this to be the case with my own one - a small pool of water does tend to gather in the front well when paddling against wind and wave as the bow of the kayak rises up over the waves and so the water doesn't flow out the bow well scupper like it would when the kayak is stationary but I wouldn't say it was a problem myself...I hope this answers your question - I haven't come across a better coastal pedal drive yet that I preferred but it is all very much down to personal taste of course - I hope this helps to answer your question...
Nice video, subbed. Checked out my setup. I have the same kayak.
Thanks, lot's of different ways to set the kayaks up :-)