Old Town Old Town Sportsman AutoPilot 120
The most capable hands-free motorized fishing kayak on the market, held back only by its weight, four-figure price, and total dependence on a healthy battery and clean electrical connections.
Best for: Serious tournament and big-water anglers who want GPS Spot-Lock and hands-free boat control, can store/transport a 150+ lb craft (trailer or truck bed), and can absorb a ~$4,000 spend.
The good
- GPS Spot-Lock holds position within roughly a 3-foot radius in wind/current, freeing both hands to cast and fish — the standout feature reviewers consistently praise
- Center-mounted motor placement balances the hull well and lets you steer via motor or rudder; Kayak Angler's reviewer was sold after four minutes and bought one
- Genuinely versatile: the 24 lb motor console lifts out and the prop stows upright, so it can be paddled or fit smaller storage when needed
- High usable capacity (406 lb) and a tournament-ready deck — multiple rod holders, measuring-board storage, and flat rigging surfaces
The bad
- At 152 lb assembled it is impractical to cartop; reviewers (Outdoor Life) say you realistically need a trailer, cart, or truck bed extender plus a second set of hands
- Price near $4,000-$4,500 is roughly double the pedal-drive Sportsman PDL — Outdoor Life flatly notes many anglers will struggle to justify the cost
- Total battery/electrical dependence: if power dies, Outdoor Life warns paddling this heavy hull any distance 'will give you a workout'; battery is also a separate purchase
- Documented connector corrosion / loose-plug issue — Old Town's own support docs warn of arcing and melted plugs/sockets, and owners report intermittent motor cutouts traced to factory connectors (some upgrade to a Minn Kota MRK28 plug)
This is the real flagship of motorized kayaks and the Spot-Lock hands-free control is not hype — independent reviewers and the maker agree it changes how you fish. The honest caveats are practical, not theoretical: it's heavy enough to dictate how you transport and store it, it costs about double a pedal kayak, and its biggest single point of failure is electrical — both the battery (paddling home is miserable) and the plug/socket connections, which Old Town's own support documentation and owners flag for corrosion and motor cutouts. Note a spec conflict in the wild: older reviews cite 119 lb / 415 lb capacity / $3,799, but that 119 lb appears to be hull-only without the motor console, and current manufacturer figures (152 lb rigged, 558 lb max, ~$4,500) are what a buyer actually deals with.