Cartop Boating - Sportyak 245

The Sportyak 245, coming in at 86lbs, is a light weight, dual hulls, plastic boat that is cartoppable. I’ve been interested in a powered boating option that is cartoppable to complement my kayak and Whaly. This would fill in the gap of having a portable option that is also powered, since with the Hobie, I’m pushing ~3mph on cruising which makes it physically demanding to get to locations that are further out. I came across the boat on a couple YouTube videos that show folks taking it out on the ocean and doing fishing and camping activities with it. I was pretty intrigued so I looked further into the boat. It looked like a great portable option that would be viable in the relatively calm water of Puget Sound.

 

I found that it is available via West Marine for $700 MSRP. A surprisingly affordable option compared to a what kayaks are going for nowadays. I was lucky and came across it on sale for $500 so I had choice but to pull the trigger and give it a shot. For that price, it was worth a try to see if it’s a good portable option for fishing the sound.

 

Why did I want a cartop option instead of just taking out the boat? One of the disadvantages of a boat is needing to haul a trailer. That also require a vehicle that's capable of towing it, as well as be able to handle the conditions of the boat launch (ideally a 4x4 or AWD vehicle with adequate towing capacity). You’re also location limited to places that have a boat launch. The struggle of having to deal with towing a trailer, being skilled enough to back up the trailer, and additional cost and fees associated with using the boat launch and parking spaces makes a cartop option very attractive.

 

A cartop option eliminates a lot of the struggles I mentioned and provide a powered propulsion system while having the flexibility of launching anywhere you can launch a kayak at. That is my theory anyway, and my justification for purchasing the boat. What I need to confirm is how much of a task it would be to cartop the boat, and if it's viable for a single person to do it. The videos I’ve seen of this boat showed it to be a very stable and safe craft, so I want to verify that as well to make sure it’s a safe option to take out in the sound. The ~380 lbs weight capacity was a bit of a concern, but seemed doable for a 2 person with gears for close to shore activities. I will note what I discover in this blog and my review of the Sportyak 245 below.  

 

Sportyak 245 – Overview

First, I’ll list a brief overview of the boat. This is an 8' boat that's made out of plastic, similar material to a kayak. From my research, it looks like this boat is the same as the BIC 245, which is the more well-known name for it internationally (that's what they call it in the UK, Japan). Below are the specifications for the boat:

 

 

It is interesting to note that the boat rating is better outside the US rating. If you look at the UK rating, it states a max load of 639 lbs and a max HP or up to 3hp.

One of the key benefits of this boat is that it comes with attached wheels for easy transport. These are also big width wheels that will make traversing terrains such as sandy beaches easier. It also eliminates the need for extra equipment to transport it from the car to the water, making it extra convenient.

Below are additional details on the boat from the website.

One of the images show the boat having the ability to be stored upright, however, I haven’t been able to confirm this since it doesn’t feel stable enough for me to trust storing it like that. I would need straps or wall mount to do that without concern.

The cartop feature for me is the selling point of this boat.

Coming in at 86lbs, that’s the weight of a light kayak so on paper it sounds very feasible for cartopping. Especially when compared to the Pro Angler 14’ coming in at 120lbs. Accessories wise, the boat comes with oars, oars lock, and a seat. All in all, at the price range, this seems like a great option to get a boat out on the water.

Procurement and Unboxing

The purchase process was simple. I ordered the boat via the website and it had free shipping to store. There is an option for ship to home, but that cost ~$100, so I opted for store pickup. It arrived in about two weeks, and the stored call me to come pick up. It was wrapped nicely in a thick plastic (similar to the ones used when you store away your boat or pack it for transport). The folks there helped me put it on the top on my car and I was able to strap it down similar to how I would for my kayak.


Upside-down, the boat is a bit too wide for my SUV roof rack, so it had to be placed upright. Transporting it home was the first test on how viable it would be to take this boat on the freeway. It proved to be a no issue, and was stable out on the freeway just like a kayak. The trip gave me confident in transporting this long distance. Unloading the boat off my car was the first test on how viable it is for one person to manage the task. With some padding using a couple life jackets strapped to the roof rack, I was able to slide the boat down without much difficulties, although I had to be extra mindful to make sure it doesn’t slide directly on the car paint.

Unboxing the plastic revealed the content inside the wrapping; the oars, oars lock, the seat, and the wheel assembly. Putting on the wheel was a bit more difficult than I expected, since the tolerance on the screws seem to be really tight. I would recommend having another person help you put them on, as having that extra pair of hands to hold the boat steady is very helpful.

Propulsion – Suzuki 2.5 HP Outboard

For this boat, I researched the lightest option outboards available to meet the 36lb specification. The lightest outboards I found are the Honda 2.5HP and the Suzuki 2.5HP, both coming in at ~30lbs. The other 2.5 HP outboards are closer to the 40lbs range. I ultimately went with the Suzuki 2.5HP since it is water cooled, as opposed to being air cooled for the Honda. This should make the noise level of the Suzuki outboard better, an important factor to me since I may use this boat for salmon trolling also. I will post an article on the Suzuki 2.5hp with my experience and review on it for further details.

Registration

Washington state requires registration of the boat to take it out on the Puget Sound, since that is federal water. Registration required the boat certificate of origin, and a sales receipt to show that tax was paid. The total cost to register this boat came out to be ~$55, which was more expensive than I expected. I anticipated it would be around $20, but all those fees add up. A whopping 10% of the purchase price of the boat for registration, which is not insignificant. Not my favorite part of boat ownership, but a necessity to have this boat out on the sound and be compliance.

BIC Sportyak 245 Review

My first impression of the Sportyak was that the material looked sturdy like what you see on a kayak. The hull thickness felt about the same as a kayak also.


For the maiden journey, I took it out to Lake Washington for a test drive to familiarize myself enough with the operation and performance of the boat prior to taking it out on the sound. I went out with a friend to help the transportation of the boat. With two people, cartopping this boat is simple, although not trivial. I need to figure out how I would do this solo. Proper lifting and due diligence are still required to ensure you don’t damage the boat, the vehicle, or yourself.

For a big vehicle like an SUV, it is definitely more physically demanding to cartop it since you have to lift it over your head. Although the boat is light, it is bulky, which makes it awkward to handle so caution is required to get it safely on top. Something to keep in mind if you plan to go out with your kid, they may or may not be of much help to load the boat. After getting it on the rack, sliding it on and in position is simple. Tiding it down is also pretty straight forward by using straps to secure it similar to how you would for a canoe or kayak.

Once I got to the launch site and parked, unloading was faster than expected. Total time it took to get the boat unpacked and ready to roll down to the launch was about ~15minutes, and that’s doing it for the first time. With practice and experience, I can likely lower the setup time down to 10 minutes. Launching was a smooth process thanks to the wheel. It was better than expected and it easily rolled from the parking lot down to the ramp without issues. One item I was concerned about was if the outboard has enough clearance when rolling the boat since it would be angled at the stern. I was glad to find that clearance was not an issue. Will still keep an eye on it though for launch site with uneven grounds and slope.  

Out the water, I immediate notice the space constraint of the boat. With my DIY console and some fishing gears, real estate on the boat was quickly limited. I would say it can only comfortably fit 2 adult, unless the third is a small child.

I recommend bringing only the essential to optimize space availability. Another thing I noticed out on the water is that the boat sits pretty low on the water line. We have two adults with some fishing gears on board, so probably pushing 80% of the 386lbs capacity. Sitting so low made it felt like a decent wave could have a possibility of swamping the boat, or a turn that’s too at sharp while going at cruising speed.

I found that the instability can be alleviated by adjusting the weight distribution. Sitting towards the center of the boat and higher up, which made it feel a lot more stable. I would definitely recommend a cooler or some sort of seat you can sit on that elevate your body.

The Suzuki outboard did a fantastic job with this boat. A reliable outboard that starts up on the first or second pull. I was reaching cruising speed of about 3~4 mph, and WOT speed at up to 6mph. It is decently fuel efficient with its internal tank, but plan to take additional gas if you’re planning an all-day trip.

This initial deployment provided me with good insights into the boat’s capabilities and limitation. It is great in calm condition, but I would take caution if taking it out in choppy conditions. The space limitation is something to be mindful of, both in terms of real estate and weight capacity. Stability wise, I would have to be mindful of pulling up anything heavy, like a crab pot as the weight and load from the pot pulling would need to be counteracted carefully to prevent capsizing. I actually took it out crabbing actually on my next trip and saw that it can handle pulling up a pot without issue with proper weight distribution.

Conclusion

Overall, the boat met my expectations of a powered cartoppable boat that I can take out on the sound. The attached wheels it comes with is very convenience for transporting it from the car to the water, and is able to do so without much struggle even on tough environment like a rocky and sandy beach. Check out my upcoming crabbing videos to see it in action.

The main draw for this boat to me is being able to cartop it. It is indeed able to be cartopped, and transported on a roof rack without issues. However, the drawback is that since it is bulky, it is not easy to handle singlehandedly. It is much more doable with two people to cartop this boat without any assistance equipment. This makes it both a positive and negative constraint of this boat. Since it can only comfortably fit two people, and you ideally need two people to cartop it, this would be a two person, and only two-person activity. If you’re looking to solo with this boat, you’ll need to identify a safe solution, like a support equipment, to get the boat up and down safely. Once you resolve the loading/unloading task, strapping the boat down and travelling with it is about the same as with a kayak. Easy to strap down, and with about the same affect fuel economy.

 

As mentioned above, this boat can carry two adults comfortably. Space constraint and weight capacity is something to keep in mind with this boat to ensure you are safe and comfortable out on the water. It is similar to a kayak in that you have to prioritize what items to bring on in order to minimize any unnecessary equipment. It is capable enough to carry dedicated gears for your activity. You just need to be selective of what you choose to bring along.

Stability wise, the boat is decent. You’ll want to make sure the loads are distributed appropriately. I recommend sitting towards the middle instead of all the way in the back to help push the center of gravity towards the center of the boat. I was sitting in the back on the ride out and that pushed the stern down a bit uncomfortably close down to the waterline. To help with stability, I recommend bringing something that allows you to sit a bit higher up. It definitely provided a better feeling of stability when I was sitting on top of my equipment box rather than on the floor of the boat. Overall, if you distributed the weight evenly and sit towards the center of the boat, it feels pretty solid. You are able to stand up on this boat, but it is something I would only do in calm conditions.

What I really like about the boat is the attached wheels. They are very convenient and effective. They perform well and get the boat down to the water with ease when compared to some of the kayak cart. It is great to not have to worry about taking them on or off, or packing them up.

Packing and set up time is just about as fast as a kayak. Once you are able to load it on top of your car, strapping it down is fast and easy. You can probably get it done by yourself in about 10 minutes. Once you get it down, putting the motors on and loading it up is a quick and easy. I would estimate around ~15minutes to unload, set up, and be ready to take it down to the launch, and about 20 minutes to pack up and load it back on top of the car. This timing can be even better with two people and with experience.

Durability is to be determined, but so far, it is looking good. The wheels are able to go through rocky/sandy terrain well without being scratched up. The hulls plastic is thin, but is holding up good.

For the price point, it definitely exceeded expectations for my use case. I plan on using this boat for short excursion out on the sound that is more comfortable with an outboard. Main activities will be crabbing and fishing/squidding at spots that are a bit further off, but have a beach launch location nearby that is car accessible. I will continue to post on how this boat performs in those activities, but so far, everything is looking like it’ll be good.

Links:
 Sportyak 245 Video:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPJJ5RWRP1E

Clamming/Crabbing Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0IQ_PeFIFY 

Sportyak 245

Clamming/Crabbing with Sportyak 245