Native Slayer 14.5 Review and Rigging (Updated)

 

Well I guess its finally time to reveal the new Native Slayer 14.5. I put a few trips on this craft and absolutely love it! It did take a small amount of getting used to in several areas compared to the Mantaray14. Where this yak is deficient compared to the Mantaray it more than makes up in other areas.

Lets just take a small glance at her and some of the small things I did to make her mine.

The first thing I did was install an anchor trolley. as you can see from the pictures above and below it is more or less just the standard anchor trolley with the exception of placing pulley blocks on both ends attached to deck loops via shock cord. this takes stress from boat movement away from the mounting points and as an added bonus keeps the rig tight and neat against the crafts side when not in use. I placed two deck loops on the top run to keep rig from ridding up on the gunwale.

A friend had the trick lettering cut out of solas tape and it really shines when hit by a light.

I mounted a Lowrance Elite 4 Fish finder with GPS on a Ram ball mount and a blue sea Deck seal.

Mounted a switch panel to control power to my accessories. There are three water proof toggle switches with a cigarette lighter socket, I use this to also charge my battery by using a male plug spliced onto my charger. I replaced the factory screws that hold the cover on with some thumb screws that I got a Lowe's. 

 

Here you can see the simple wiring that makes it all work. The battery is a 12.5 amp hour Werker battery from Batteries plus. It is secured in a padded camera case with a bungee cord wrapped around the two scupper towers inside the hull. the case sits between the two sides of the bungee securely.

Also installed LED safety lighting on bow for those times when I really need to be seen.

Here they are light up...they are so bright they will make you see spots if you look directly at them.

The Seat is really well made and very comfortable. It can be set up for a high or low seating position while on the water with ease. Adjustment is easy and solid. I can say this there will never be a wet butt in this seat. There is plenty of room under the seat to store things..even in the low seating position.

 

There are plano box recesses to the left and right of the seat with hold downs to make the boxes secure.

I made the switch to a ram style rod holder and like them much better than the scotty counterpart.

Behind the seat I mounted a pair of Ram tube rod holders, I use these for trolling live bait.

Mounted the Gopro on the forward rail mount. The Slayer has rails mounted on both sides in the tank well area, cockpit, and bow. Lots of options for accessories.

 Put a cooler bag in the front trunk area. This thing will hold a couple of nice sized Striped bass along with your favorite beverages.

My opinion of this craft is very positive, first off it may not be for everyone but for what I do it is perfect. Standing is easy and stable, and the room in the cockpit is awesome. Very well mannered craft, tracks straight as an arrow, and turns fairly easy.

 

 Before I mentioned some areas where there was a trade off compared to the Mantaray, the first would be speed. At a good clip this boat will comfortably maintain about 3.0 mph with a top speed of 4.10 mph, relatively slower than the mantaray. However I usually am trolling live bait and most of the time only need about .6 mph. The only other trade off is its relatively high wind profile, however the gain in your position and stability are a good trade off. I can move around in this yak with ease withoout ever feeling like I have to be careful not to flip it. The storage and room in the cockpit is incredible compared to the Mantaray. I have always been and will always be a Native fan and they did not disappoint with this one. It does exactly what they say it does and then some. A little on the pricey side, however well worth it.

The pay off!

Tight Lines'

Walt