Unboxing My first INFLATABLE Kayak! The NRS Pike 126!

I wanted to share a quick unboxing with you folks and give some initial feedback. If you have followed my channel for a while then you will know I love to canoe, camp, kayak, and fish. And any combination of those things is cool with me! What started to not be so cool was loading my 80lb Wilderness Systems fishing kayak onto my truck cap for transport. I have gotten a lot better at it and it has become easier, but I wanted to really streamline things, when it comes to adventure. Now on a solo fishing adventure all my gear can be secured inside my truck bed camper shell without the concern of whether or not strapping is still secure. It is also just flat out easier to toss the inflatable in the back. I have a lot of adventure planned so we will see how it paddles and how well it holds up. I will also be kayak camping out of this boat moving forward. Don't worry my canoe friends, I still have the Penobscot and it will be used on a regular basis as well!

[@bnatural2]

Really good unboxing vid! Because you actually made it helpful. Congrats on the new yak! Looks awesome!

[@projectknifehand]

Thanks! There was a lot of info I wanted to cram in, and some I did not get to. I didn't get to include some points, but I wanted to keep it short.

[@dapperdingo]

Very good and informative video, short and to the point! Getting ready to take mine out on the lake next week, hopefully, for the second time since I bought it last September I wanted to make sure of the two air pressure requirements before heading out to the lake. Thanks for including that with all of the other important details! I did remember that you have to inflate the bottom first, at least. My dog Red went out in this kayak with me for the first time on the water with me last September. He loved watching the fish swim by the boat while I was fishing. He's getting pretty old and I think this may be his second and final voyage with me so I am leaving the Native 'Slayer' pedal kayak at home on this trip and bringing this one since it is the only one that Red can sit/lay in comfortably and enjoy the fishing trip with me, instead of sleeping in the camping van till I come back from fishing. But anyway, thanks for the great video!

[@projectknifehand]

I'm sorry to hear about red! I've got 3 myself. You're doing the right thing taking him out and I'm glad the video helped! Let me know how it goes.

[@dapperdingo]

@@projectknifehand I sure will, thanks!

[@mysteryman5213]

I'm about to confirm my purchase of this boat so viewing your video really helped. Thanks. The section on the seat opened my eyes. I hope the angle of it won't cause me any discomfort when I am out on the water for a few hours.

[@projectknifehand]

Personally, I find it very comfortable and a solid deal for the price. Glad I could help!

[@mysteryman5213]

@@projectknifehand FYI, the dealer here in Canada didn't have the Pro version in stock but we equipped the Pike with all the same Yak Attack goodies. Final cost was within $20 of the Pro. Can't wait to take delivery. Take Care.

[@ItsGoodintheWoods]

That thing is pretty cool!

[@projectknifehand]

Thanks man! It should make a lot of the kayak based stuff I do, mostly around me, a lot easier. Due to its lack of scupper holes it's more of a mild water boat. But NRS says that was intentional. They actually removed them from the previous design for paddling efficiency. She should handle most things I could throw at it. I still need a nice canoe though ;)

[@gwgrote5]

"Knucklehead" reviews should be highly rated. 😎 I know this vid is 8 mo old but your videos keep on giving. Thanks for taking the time to review this kayak. As for the foot-rales you were helpful with how they are implemented. I agree with the lack of extension (reclining). I find it appalling that there are no directions for people who have never had an IF.

[@projectknifehand]

Thanks for that! And thanks for watching!

[@GoneWalkabout]

Well done video! No BS!

[@projectknifehand]

Thanks!

[@joshscottoutdoors]

Pretty cool. Curious to see how it holds up.

[@projectknifehand]

It'll hold up fine I'm sure. But it will clearly be involved in my videos so we won't have to wonder much.

[@dohfOs]

heh. bought the same one awhile back and much like u i was a bit bummed there was zero instructions and made a couple of rookie mistakes the first time i had it set up. good thing u made one now so there doesn't have to be more of you and me 😅

[@projectknifehand]

Lol that's why I am here! I am still happy with the boat. Just a couple things I wasn't a fan of. That was one of them.

[@xCloudyx767]

Sweet video dude! Im in between the Aquaglide Blackfoot 130 and the NRS Pike 126 Pro version. You mentioned the Aquaglide in the video, which one would you choose between the two? Are there deal breakers for any? Thanks!

[@projectknifehand]

Thanks for that! The largest differences are in price, water type, and comfort in my opinion. I still really want to get a blackfoot angler. However, I got the Pike because it is cheaper, comes with a pump, and the footrests are far better. The blackfoot is self bailing though so better for rougher water. The NRS Pike is definitely more of a flat or calm water boat. Better for ponds and sleepy moving water. You can take the blackfoot on rougher stuff. But it costs more, then you have to buy a pump. I wasn't ok with spending nearly 1400 on an inflatable kayak and then immediately having to drop more cash on it just to pump it up lol. They have Amazon air pumps on their site for double what they can be purchased for on Amazon. So that's why I went with the Pike. Better foot rests which were important to me, and it's usable right out of the box with no other purchases.

[@xCloudyx767]

@@projectknifehand awesome thanks for the quick reply! Ya im set on the Pike Pro cause it comes with all the accessories as well, which I dont have. Can you stand pretty easily to cast on the Pike? Is it stable enough? Also how is that seat on after a full days of fishing? Comfortable enough?

[@projectknifehand]

Personally I don't stand when I fish. I'd love to but most of the time even with boats that say you can I find them wobbly. I did stand in the Pike and I was able to. But I didn't feel great doing it. It's an excellent boat and I never felt the need to stand and fish from it. So no help there really. As far as seats go it doesn't get much better. If you want to go the extra mile you can toss a foam pad on it. But I haven't felt the need to. I skipped the pro because I had all the stuff it came with mostly. I did like the fishing crate but I already had a cheap crate I use.

[@xCloudyx767]

@@projectknifehand awesome thanks a lot for this!

[@Mnt2ride]

Almost bought one but I couldn’t get the pro version. I bought a hard shell that was ready to deliver. I will more than likely get one. Maybe. Enjoy the ride.

[@projectknifehand]

I loved the pro package inclusions. But I already have all of that gear so I decided to save the money

[@RhodySeth]

How long does it take to pump up? My paddleboard needs to be inflated to 14 psi. Only takes about 12 minutes but it feels like an eternity. 😆

[@projectknifehand]

It honestly only takes about that much time. It only need to go to 8psi on the floor. And 3 on the tubes. They fill quickly with this pump. Love the pump

[@Swedetastict]

Just bought one. Seems like a nice Kayak. Have not got it into the water yet... Inflated it in my living room and I have to say, kinda hard to get it back nice and snug in the backpack 😄

[@projectknifehand]

Hah. You ain't lying. I have packed it a couple times now and it does get easier as you get better at it. I've learned a couple of tricks that help. One is starting at the nose and folding it as flat as possible and rolling from there. Maybe I should do a pack up video?

[@Swedetastict]

@@projectknifehand Heh, yeah that'd be helpful i suppose. Kinda twisted the nose a little to get somewhat flat and rolled it as tight as I was comfrotable with but still ended up with a good sized bump where the nose is. Thanks for the great video by the way 👍

[@projectknifehand]

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

[@neostephens8980]

Nice video. I was looking to buy a seat like that for my inflatable kayak. I went with the Sea Eagle Fasttrack and it came with an inflatable seat, but I want something more solid. I won't be fishing from it, but I like that NRS seat.

[@projectknifehand]

It's a great setup. Even if you aren't fishing from it it will be comfortable far longer. And thank you!

[@pakfrd7887]

I just bought this.

[@projectknifehand]

Awesome. I like mine a lot. I need to use it more honestly.

[@thomasserratelli2342]

How the heck do you get it back in the bag

[@projectknifehand]

Very carefully lol

[@dapperdingo]

@@projectknifehand Ha ha! That was the exact answer I was thinking before I clicked your comment. I found that deflating as much as possible when you get home and folding it up on the deck with warm sunlight to soften it up helps a lot. i will probably bring it home from my trip partially deflated on the camp van bed and do the final fold and storage on the deck, just like I did last year. Still could not store the pump and seat in the bag with the kayak without possibly damaging something by mashing it all in there together.

[@CrazyCranker]

I'm looking at this one and the Sea Eagle Fast Track Angler. Did you consider the Sea Eagle one at all? or straight to the Pike? I on the fence as to which one to get.

[@projectknifehand]

Well, I looked at it, but not for long. Only because I viewed it more as an inflatable touring style kayak. Since I wanted something for fishing and filming primarily, i felt like the blackfoot angler or the pike was the best option.

[@BeerPipeFishing]

What about MightySwitch for yakattack platforms? Do you need to purchase it separately?

[@projectknifehand]

Yeah it doesn't come with them. Just the mounting points that are attached to the kayak. I bought two yak attack mounts and they screw right to those platforms. The pro version comes with a lot of stuff but I didn't need any of it so I got this one

[@BeerPipeFishing]

@@projectknifehandthanks for reply!

[@projectknifehand]

@@BeerPipeFishing no problem. Any time.

[@TheJuggernaut017]

Hey thanks for the video. I noticed the seat doesn’t sit on the floor because it’s touching the side tubes. Did you push it down so that it sits on the drop stitched floor? I unboxed mine last week and inflated it and it did the same thing. I just don’t want to push it down and damage side tubes.

[@projectknifehand]

I believe I said something about that in the video but it's been a while. Inflate the floor first. Then the side tubes. And it sits just fine. It is a little snug sometimes but sits flat on the floor when done right.

[@projectknifehand]

Also thanks for watching!

[@thomasserratelli2342]

Just got mine today my son has the same one but we both can't figure out putt I ng it back

[@projectknifehand]

It isn't easy thats for sure! I start at the nose and roll the nose under. Have to take your time and make sure it's neat. I know that doesn't help but it's hard to explain.

[@onfootbassin]

Did you have issues getting the pressure gague to work? How did you get it to work? Which nossle connection did you use?

[@projectknifehand]

I did not have issues getting it to work. I will say you have to get a decent amount of air into it before it will start to read. I did not use any of the connections that came with the pump, the extra ones I mean. The hose has the proper ones on it already. Black ones.