The Ultimate Sit-on-top Kayak? | Hurricane Osprey 109 Review

If you're someone who doesn't take kayaking too seriously, you just want a quality kayak that's comfortable, that's easy to paddle, and it's easy to get around when you're not on the water, this might be the ultimate kayak for you. I'm Ken Whiting, and this is Paddle TV, where you'll find paddling tips and gear reviews all designed around helping you have a better and safer time on the water. And in this video, I am reviewing this baby right here. This is Hurricane Kayak's Osprey 109, but I'm not just going to review this kayak. I'm also gonna compare it to this one right here. This is Hurricane's Osprey 120. Now, I reviewed this kayak a couple of years ago. I'll leave a link to that full review down below. And the reason I wanted to compare these two is because when I look at the 109, it's not, well, it seems to be more than just a smaller version of the 120. There's some things that make it a very different kayak, but I don't do reviews based on how things look. I do reviews based on how they actually perform. But before I get on the water, let me first tell you a bit more about Hurricane's Osprey 109 sit-on-top kayak. Hurricane's Osprey 109 is a sit-on-top recreational kayak that currently retails for $1,400 US. It's 10 feet, nine inches long. It's 33 inches wide. It weighs 43 pounds, or just under 20 kg. It has a capacity of 325 pounds, or just under 150 kg. The boat features an elevated frame seat, adjustable foot braces, a canine bow pad for dogs to sit, two scupper holes to drain water, a water-resistant mini storage they call the H-Pod, a large stern tank well with bungees, four carry handles, one at each end, and two on the sides. And it's made with thermoformed plastic, which makes the boat light, stiff, and smooth to the touch. Ooh, oh yeah, that's smooth. But enough caressing this kayak. It's time to put some scratches in this kayak by taking it for a test paddle and seeing how it really performs. All right, I'm back from my test paddle, and I actually, it was such a beautiful day, I decided to test the 109, which I've never tried before, but I also decided to retest the 120 because it's been a couple of years since I've been in this boat and I wanted a refresher. And it was really great to paddle both, one after the other, to get a grasp on how similar or different they are. And here's what I can tell you. I'm gonna start, unlike I normally do, with a comparison of the two kayaks, and then I'm gonna go into a bit more detail about the 109 itself and who this kayak is for. Most models of kayak, when there's different versions of the same model, it usually means that they're different size, or they're the same kayak, but designed for different size paddlers. Take one of my favorite sea kayaks, the P&H Volan. They have four different sizes, the 156, 158, 160, 162. They're all designed to perform very much the same, but for different size people. The smallest one, the 156, is for paddlers up to 150 pounds, roughly, and the 162 is for someone up to 300 pounds. That's really not the case with the Hurricane Osprey 109 and 120. They aren't just the same kayak designed for bigger and smaller people, and one of the biggest indications of that is the fact that they both have the same capacity, paddler capacity, 325 pounds, or just under 150 kg. How is that possible when this kayak is 15 inches shorter, so over a foot shorter? Well, that's because it's wider. It's a couple of inches wider. The fact that this boat is shorter and wider makes it perform very differently from the 120. That was the theory, and when I tested it, it confirmed it, absolutely. The Osprey 109, being shorter and wider, is slower but more stable. There's no doubt about it. It was immediately evident. In fact, one of the things I loved about the 120 was, for a sit-on-top kayak, how fast it actually paddles, especially for 12-foot sit-on-top kayaks. They are not designed for performance, but this thing, it was great to get out in the boat again because it reminded me how well this boat paddles. It's narrow enough, and it's light and smooth because it's thermoformed, it just cuts through the water for a 12-foot sit-on-top kayak that's still 31 inches, so it's not a sea kayak, but it performed really well. The Osprey 109 doesn't cut through the water as well as the 120. It's definitely not as fast as the 120. That being said, though, I was really still pleasantly surprised. For a sit-on-top kayak under 11 feet, it performs surprisingly well. It has great glide for a kayak of this size. But now I'm getting into the review. I really wanted to start with the comparison, and that really kind of sums it up. The biggest difference here is performance and stability. The Osprey 109 doesn't paddle as fast, doesn't perform as well, but it's more stable. That's the big difference. Otherwise, they have the same seats, they have the same outfitting, the same features pretty much throughout, and so they are very similar boats in that regard. But this means that these boats are for quite different people. And this is where, again, I'm jumping ahead of the game. So let me transition now to tell you a bit more about the 109, and then I'm gonna finish off by telling you who the 109 is for and how that differs from who the 120 is for. Although you can go back and watch my full review of the 120 to get a very detailed picture of that. Now we're gonna start like I always do with portability. Maybe we'll say accessibility. Ah, we'll say portability. One of the joys of hurricane kayaks in general is the fact that they're thermoformed, and that means they're light, and you don't expect to be able to move a sit-on-top kayak around very easily yourself. You can definitely move the 109 around yourself. Yes, it's easier to carry with two people, but the fact that it has these good carry handles on the sides makes it very, very easy and manageable for one person to carry it suitcase style to the water. I mean, you're not gonna wanna do long portages this way, but carrying it 50 yards to the water's edge or from your storage to the vehicle, getting it on top of your vehicle or in the bed of your pickup, whatever, this is a very portable kayak for a hard shell full-sized kayak. And that is one of the biggest selling features of hurricane kayaks. The other big selling feature of hurricane kayaks in general is the fact that they produce kayaks that aren't just designed to be as stable as possible. They really put thought into performance. That was the case with the Osprey. That was the case with all the other hurricane kayaks that I've reviewed. I've reviewed maybe four, probably can't even list them all, the Prima 125, the Tampico. Tampico, is that it? Ah, I'm gonna leave links in the description box down below to all the other hurricane kayaks that I've reviewed, but they've all done a great job of providing quality performance along with stability. Now we're jumping ahead to performance and we're gonna actually talk about performance and stability at the same time. The Osprey 109 does exactly the same thing. Most sit-on-top kayaks, especially 11 foot sit-on-top kayaks that are 33 inches wide, you expect them to be ultra stable, but to paddle like a dock. To have very weak paddling characteristics. This does a good job, very reasonable job of those things for a kayak of its stature. Let's talk about top speed. Definitely not as fast as the 120, but for a sit-on-top kayak, 11 foot, actually any boat, 11 foot long boat, it travels quite well through the water. It also glides. When you stop paddling, it glides very well. And because of the hull design on this thing, it isn't just this flat board, it actually tracks and holds its line. Whereas a lot of sit-on-top kayaks will just kind of spin out and just die and you lose all your speed. This thing glides and tracks well. Stability wise, it's not as stable as a lot of 33 inch sit-on-top kayaks that are on the market, but it's still an extremely stable kayak. The hull design, what it does is it gives up a little bit of that initial, that primary stability. So when you're sitting in this boat, how stable does it feel? Well, it feels very stable, but it does kind of can go edge to edge a little bit because of the hull design and the things that make it perform better. But the nice thing is it has really nice secondary stability. So once you get on edge, you kind of hit this a little bit of an edge, it hits the wall and it kind of stops you from flipping. And so not the most stable kayak, but definitely stable. Definitely a kayak you can stand up in and fish in if you wanted to. High marks for boat, very high marks for performance and stability, the combination it provides. Now let's talk comfort. Love the seat. Absolutely love the seat. I love the seat on the 120 and it's the same seat. It's a great suspension seat. Couple of things, it's wide, it's suspension, so it conforms to any butt size. And the fact that it's wide is there's no pressure on your hips. You'd have to have a very wide butt in order for it not to be comfortable, I believe. The back support is really great. You crank this up when you're paddling and you get nice back support for paddling, but you can also just kick it right back and get into lounge mode because it's got nice high back support as well. Not much more to say, except the fact that it's raised is a big deal. And that's a major upgrade to get from a basic sit-on-top kayak to a higher quality sit-on-top kayak. When a framed seat offers that, when it's elevated like this, and it's not elevated that much, it's maybe, I don't know, three inches off the bottom or the floor of the kayak. Few things about that. For one, dry butt. You're not gonna have a wet butt, much more comfortable for that reason. This fabric is also quick drying and breathable, so even if you did get a wet butt for some reason, it's actually gonna dry out too, your swim shorts. The other thing is that when your butt is higher, is lifted up higher than your feet, your heels, now the angle between your feet, your upper body and lower body is slacker. It's no longer a right angle when your butt is at the same level as your feet. When your butt is lower, then that right angle is a bit more uncomfortable for some people. It puts more strain on lower back and people with tight hamstrings. An elevated seat is definitely more comfortable. The fact that it's a comfortable elevated seat is even better. Value, 1,400 US dollars. Is that good value? The answer is yes, absolutely. It's good value, but that definitely doesn't mean it's good value for everyone. It depends what you want. You can get a cheaper 11-foot sit-on-top kayak, but what you're not gonna get with a cheaper 11-foot sit-on-top kayak, you're not gonna get one that provides the same balance of performance and stability. You're not gonna get one that's thermoformed and therefore much lighter weight, easier to lift, to carry, to transport on your vehicle, all of those things. You're not gonna get the features this thing has, including the suspension or the framed seat. You're gonna get less kayak. What you get here, how it performs, everything about it, this is good value at $1,400, but it's not gonna be the right boat or good value to everyone. Now let's talk about durability because that is the cost of getting a thermoformed kayak. They're lighter, they're stiffer, and they're smoother, and so they glide through the water better, they perform better, but you give up durability. A classic rotomolded kayak, rotomolded plastic kayak, is a lot more durable. I think of them as like Tupperware containers. You can bang into rocks, you can drag them to a certain extent, across the ground, anywhere, and they'll last a long time. This is not a boat that you wanna be banging into rocks and dragging on the ground. This is a boat you do need to take care of. You don't need to absolutely baby it, but you need to take care of it. That makes it a boat not for everybody. Some people want a boat they can effectively abuse. And that really brings us to who is this boat for? The Osprey 109 is a kayak for someone who doesn't want the highest performing kayak, but they also don't wanna give up all performance to just have this ultra-stable kayak that isn't that fun to paddle. It's for someone who wants a stable kayak that's also fun to paddle. It's for someone who is okay spending a little bit more money for a kayak that's thermoformed so that it's lighter and just easier, much easier to get around, to transport and all that. It's for someone who doesn't need an ultra-durable kayak. And it's for someone who really wants and is okay to spend money to get a more comfortable kayak. The last thing I'll say is that this is not a kayak for, even though the capacity is 325 pounds, it's not a kayak for long people. It'll fit larger people quite well, not too large. I mean, the maximum weight is the maximum weight this thing could take. I wouldn't recommend this kayak to anyone probably more than 250 pounds. I think you will lose some stability from this kayak. It'll still float, but some of its performance characteristics will start being lost and you'll lose stability if you're more than 250 pounds. But also I'm six foot two, I have about a 34 inch inseam and I had almost maxed out the foot pegs on this. There's no more room. I can't move the seat back and I can't move the foot pegs forward. And so if you're taller than six foot three, it's probably not the right kayak for you. But if you are under 250 pounds and under six foot three, and you wanna bring a smallish or smaller midsize dog along because that canine pad is actually pretty cool. And it's a common issue people have is, how do I bring my dog along for the trip? This might very well be the ultimate kayak for you. Now bouncing back to the Osprey 120. Like I said, I did a full review of this thing a couple of years back and that link is in the description box down below. But what I can tell you who the difference between this boat and who this boat is for, the 120 is for someone who puts more emphasis on performance. They're willing to give up a bit more stability to have a kayak that travels through the water quite well, surprisingly well. Definitely faster than the 109. In fact, I was surprised how much faster the 129 was than the 109. Even though the 109 is good for its class, the 120 you can stand up in it, but I wouldn't call it a kayak that most people will get for stand up fishing or stand up paddling. It's doable, but it's not the most stable kayak when you're standing up. But otherwise it's for someone who's okay spending a little bit more money for a thermoformed kayak that is, you get all the benefits of the stiff and smooth plastic plus the lightweight factor. So there you have it, a very in-depth review of both the Hurricane Osprey 109 and the Osprey 120. Two very similar, but very different kayaks, but both are wonderful kayaks. I'm a big fan of Hurricane kayaks. I have become more and more of a fan after reviewing five of them. I love the fact, well, I love the fact that they are so lightweight and perform. They offer such a great balance of performance and stability. But I also, I love the build quality. They pay attention to the little details and they pay attention to things that make a more comfortable and enjoyable experience. I hope this has helped you decide whether either of these kayaks is right for you. Thanks for watching. Make sure to subscribe to Paddle TV if you haven't already. Give the video a thumbs up if you haven't. Leave a comment down below to share your experience with either of these kayaks to help, you know, people. I've only paddled these, both these kayaks. Well, this one now for probably two hours total, the 109 for an hour. Someone who's had these things for a full season will probably have more to share. Would love to hear your thoughts and stay tuned for more paddling tips and gear reviews here on Paddle TV and check out my other channel, Ken Whiting Adventures, for my paddling adventures. Thanks for watching.