The Mariner
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Location: Adelaide, Australia
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Malibu Pro Explorer short review
Hi Everyone,
I had a test-paddle arranged with a customer on Saturday morning so I grabbed the opportunity to accompany him on a Malibu Pro Explorer.
On terra firma...
The build quality is really good with no sharp edges or blemishes in the surfaces. All deck fittings are securely riveted on and there is a nice comfortable rubber carry handle fitted at the bow & stern.
My first impressions of this kayak is that it seems bigger in the flesh than it's 3.8m length makes it sound on paper. Malibu have used their trademark monstrous hatch up front & together with the high sides it looks bigger than, say, a Swing as shown in this pic of them side-by-side.
You'd also think this would translate into it being heavier but I found it no more difficult to pick up & carry than my Swing. The Swing has a nice moulded-in hand grip which makes carrying easy but while there is no such feature on the Pro Ex the higher, squarer ****pit sides make getting a good grip quite easy.
Storage for a small-ish kayak is exceptional. Huge hatch up front, a good size rectangular hatch with nice secure 4-point toggle locks in the ****pit under the paddler's thighs and a good size tankwell right behind the seat. Fishing rod storage is taken care of by the 2 flushmount rod holders fitted on either side behind the seat.
The ****pit layout is great for the fisherman with a nice, wide, flat console area between the footwells to mount all the accesories you can think of. The moulded footwells are nicely defined with good support for your feet and they offer plenty of legroom for taller people. I'm 6'1" & I had 1 more footrest left.
On the water...
The high sides help keep water from spashing into the ****pit and at my 100kg the seat was dry for the entire time but the downside is they do catch the wind more than a lower profile kayak but it doesn't make it unmanageable by any means.
There are plenty of scuppers throughout the deck but I did find the un-scuppered footwells did fill with a little water off your feet when you climb on board. A drain channel to drain them all to a scupper, like on the Prowler 13, would fix this but it's only a minor observation & not a big deal at all.
Whilst you sit quite high on the water stability is not an issue... you'd have to work hard at tipping this kayak. Access to all the storage areas is easy, including moving forward to open the large bow hatch.
It's not a fast kayak but it's not a slow-coach either and comparable to others of similar length & width in it's class. Some hull slap & noise from the bow was evident at cruising speeds but at slower speed it was only just noticed, so sneaking-up on fish should be fine.
For the angler looking for a smaller, more manageable kayak, who likes their bum to stay dry & not have to skimp on what they take out on the water with them, as well as have plenty of deck space to work with the Pro Explorer would be a really good choice
Last edited by The Mariner, 18/Jul/2005, 6:44 pm
--- Regards,
Phil.
Forum Administrator.
Visit www.hookedonkayaks.com.au for kayaks and kayak fishing accessories. |
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18/Jul/2005, 3:49 pm
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Yak Man
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Location: Northern Beaches /Sydney
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Re: Malibu Pro Explorer short review
Nice one Phil,
Good review. 
---
Regards, Phil (O.K. Prowler).
**************************
Dawn Prawn Kayak Fishing Club.
Mona Vale Beach.
**************************
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18/Jul/2005, 5:40 pm
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yakka macca
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Re: Malibu Pro Explorer short review
quote:
The Mariner wrote:
Storage for a small-ish kayak is exceptional. Huge hatch up front, a good size rectangular hatch with nice secure 4-point toggle locks in the ****pit under the paddler's thighs and a good size tankwell right behind the seat.
Mariner, what is under the front hatch? Is it a sealed area or is there scuppers in there as well? How deep is this area? Could it be converted to a live well for keeping fish? Also is there any waterproof storage areas suitable for storage of camera and the like?
A photo of this area without the hatch on would be good.
Sorry, just a few questions from a newby who is bored with boat fishing and likes the idea of getting a workout while fishing.
Love the site !
Thanks
Yakka Macca
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18/Jul/2005, 9:31 pm
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The Mariner
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Re: Malibu Pro Explorer short review
Hi Yacca Macca,
Welcome to the forum 
Both the front hatch & the ****pit hatch open up into the inside of the hull. Neither are sealed off or scuppered. I wouldn't try to convert the area under the front hatch to a live well as it would be a tricky job and any leak would allow water into the inside of the hull.
Here's a pic of the open front hatch...
The rear tankwell is the best & most commonly used location for a live well & Malibu have included a recess to take a round bucket so you can either make your own to fit there or you can buy one of theirs complete with pump etc. If you wanted to you could convert the ****pit hatch area to a live well by taking the hatch lid off & making a drop-in tank that rests on the hatch rim but you'd loose the dry storage offered by this hatch.
The inside of most sit-on-top kayaks are supposed to stay water-tight so theoretically any storage area under a hatch is dry and suitable for things like a camera etc. However in reality a little water often finds it's way past hatch seals & into the inside of the boat so never expect anything stored below deck to stay dry on any kayak, especially an expensive camera. The best thing to do is invest in a small 'dry bag' to keep such items in. These are quite inexpensive & will keep their contents dry under almost any circumstances incl. total immersion.
... and don't apologise for asking any questions here. That's what this site is for & all the members are here for support. We were all new to this exciting way of fishing once !
Last edited by The Mariner, 23/Jul/2005, 12:00 pm
--- Regards,
Phil.
Forum Administrator.
Visit www.hookedonkayaks.com.au for kayaks and kayak fishing accessories. |
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19/Jul/2005, 9:30 am
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PoddyMullet
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Re: Malibu Pro Explorer short review
G Day Yakka Macca, welcome to the board. Nice read Phil, good job on the review.
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Perception Swing & Dagger Drifter II. Wouldn't one yak be enough?
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19/Jul/2005, 9:57 am
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yakka macca
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Re: Malibu Pro Explorer short review
Phil
You wrote in your review, the foot well is un scuppered. I find this strange! I have looked on sites around the world and this kayak clearly shows scuppers in this area. My question is why is this so, surely this mould is the same worldwide and why would they not include this feature for the Australian market. Even on the Western Australian site who is the distibutors for this kayak in Australia, they clearly display scuppers in the foot well.
Go figure !
Phil, still lovin your site.
lots of info here.
Sel
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20/Jul/2005, 10:19 pm
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The Mariner
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Location: Adelaide, Australia
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Re: Malibu Pro Explorer short review
Hi Sel,
Sorry, I didn't make this very clear. What I said was:
quote:
the un-scuppered footwells did fill with a little water off your feet when you climb on board. A drain channel to drain them all to a scupper
By 'footwells' I meant each individual foot rest, rather than the whole footwell area. There are 4 moulded foot rests down each side, but only the first & the last on each side have scuppers located adjacent so they drain, as you see in the pics. The remaining 2 have no drain facility & do hold a small amount of standing water. Here's a pic...
The Malibus sold in Australia are the same as sold in the U.S.... no differences at all.
Last edited by The Mariner, 23/Jul/2005, 12:03 pm
--- Regards,
Phil.
Forum Administrator.
Visit www.hookedonkayaks.com.au for kayaks and kayak fishing accessories. |
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21/Jul/2005, 10:14 am
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