With all the excitement about full-size, full-feature fishing kayaks, it’s easy to forget skinny water anglers who fish water that big boats can’t reach. To meet the needs of flats and grass anglers, Bonafide has added a low-profile, shallow-draft boat to their lineup.
First Look: Bonafide SKF 117
The SKF 117 has a wide, open, flat, padded deck for plenty of standup space and a comfortable frame seat for paddling and fishing. However, the SKF’s real strength is below the water.
Based on the legendary SS127 hybrid catamaran hull, the SKF 117 benefits from the same great tracking, speed and stability as Bonafide’s most popular fishing kayak. To further improve tracking, a spring-loaded drop-down keel keeps the boat straight against quartering wind and seas.
For all-day fishing comfort, Bonafide outfitted the SKF with their most comfortable high-low seat. Place the seat in the low position for a better paddling angle and then into the high position to make it easier to stand up, cast and see fish.
One of the toughest tasks when I’m standup fishing is setting down the paddle so I can pick up the fishing rod. The SKF 117 has a wide paddle holder across the bow to keep my paddle or my fishing rod in place. The moment I see a fish and grab my rod the fish often sees me and swims away. Quickly switching between rod and paddle will put more fish in the boat.
That is SLICK!