I bought mine in 2009 and like it as well as everyone else, after adding a rod holder and small fish finder (battery powered) on the front.
As for the 'watertight' bulkhead - it's not. The silicone sealer doesn't adhere to the plastic hull well, even after I added more. My solution was to buy several kid's inflatable balls around 10" and stuff them in the bow and stern. Flotation bags for about $2 apiece and I can adjust the pressure/fit according to where I am (coast or high lakes).
Would love to give the 126 a good review, but...
Bought this at Dick's because a friend has one and loves it. Very stable [a bit slow - not a big deal] and it has the sealed bulkheads. Being a novice and not a strong swimmer I wanted one that wouldn't sink if I happen to flip it.
Mine does NOT have the sealed bulkhead even though it's advertised with one. Husband went to Dick's and not one of their stock has the bulkhead and they were as stymied as we were. Called 2 other Dick's and same thing. Contacted Future Beach [only way to get to them was by fax - none of their emails, etc... work]. Someone got back to me nicely, but now can't get them to answer me again with a solution.
Plan to take back to Dick's and go with another brand.
As my first kayak it served me well.
Very stable - i can stand up in it, sit on the rear hatch cover and row,etc.
Paid a bit more than most it seems but?? That's life. $400 at Dick's.
I canoe'ed on and off over the years and after taking a few lake trips had no prob taking it on a 2 day solo trip on the Buffalo river{west Tenn}.
I now refer to it as my BATTLESHIP! And I keep it for beginners. I'm actually going to retro fit it with some thigh braces just to see if i can roll it.
tracking - A+
stability - A+
turning - C
Gear storage - A++ (you just cant believe how much crap u can pack in and on the thing!)
Speed - hahahahah
but its a fishing kayak so??
A couple years ago I was looking to buy a kayak and saw the Trophy 126 on sale at a local sporting goods store. It looked like a very nice kayak with nice storage space in the smaller front hatch and in the hatch behind the seat plus the bungees. So I bought it and took it out paddling and thought it was ok. Yes, my feet and legs we cramped a little and my butt hurt after about two hours of paddling... but I thought that was normal. (Come to find out after buying a much better quality kayak, this is not normal). This small kayak tracks ok (not great but ok), but is on the slow side. This kayak does have adjustable foot pegs too.
So as of January 2011, I bought a Tarpon 120 and have something to compare the Trophy 126 against. It's like comparing a Cadillac to a Chevette. I feel you are better off buying a more expensive better kayak than a cheaper one (Trophy 126) the first time around. If you plan on keeping your kayak, I would recommend spending a couple hundred dollars more on a better kayak b/c you will be so much more happier with the comfort, speed and tracking of the yak.
I bought this kayak last spring and used it a ton! I love the stability and storage, but don't like the seat, and foot clearance. I adjusted the foot rests to make it more comfortable, but I still get some cramps in my feet when paddling a long distance. When fishing I usually hang my feet out the sides and let them rest in the water. I took the seat out completely and now use a nicer canoe seat with back, and that pretty much resolved the problem.
Overall I would recommend this kayak, but I would also suggest looking into other yaks with a bigger cockpits if you're going to use it for mostly fishing. Sometimes it can get a little cramped if you are not well organized.
This is my first kayak and the Future Beach Trophy 126 is a great kayak for the price and I could sum it up in 9 words:
More foot room!
More foot room!
More foot room!
I said I could sum it up that way but will say more:
The Future Beach Trophy 126 paddles easy, glides nicely and tracks well. It has plenty of features usually seen in higher priced kayaks. The seat is OK for about 1.5 ± hours. Our first time out was for almost 2 hours and it was reasonably comfortable for that time. Our second time out was over 4 hours and it started getting uncomfortable at the halfway point.
As mentioned earlier I think the Trophy 126 needs more room for my feet. I am 6' tall, weigh 218 lbs and wear size 11.5 shoes, not exactly giant feet and I my feet are pretty cramped in this kayak.
With my size I can get in and out pretty good, the cockpit size is adequate for a recreational Kayak but could be a little longer than the 39". My wife's Future Beach Fusion has a 46" cockpit and I wish mine was similar especially considering how I have to twist my feet around to fit inside.
I paid $269 for this well built and feature laden kayak. With a little more foot room and a little better seat it would be the perfect kayak for recreational paddling and fishing.
I purchased this kayak (in yellow) last summer and have loved it since. I have used it in mild rapids and it performed excellent. So my wife decided she wanted to go kayaking. I rented her a 12ft Perception which was a bit more narrow with a round hull. Throughout the 14 mile river run we often traded kayaks to compare. Her kayak was a bit faster but that didn't matter much since we were drifting in a fast river. However, Trophy 126 was by far much more stable. It also tracked incredibly well while the Perception required a bit more effort to keep it in a straight line.
All in all, the only disadvantage with the Trophy 126 was the speed, but that's because you have a wider hull cutting through the water, but that same wider hull is what gives the Trophy 126 its incredible stability making it more versatile, for drifting down the river to fishing along the coast, or just paddling at the lake. I am currently in the process of purchasing my second Trophy 126 (probably the orange one).
Bought this kayak at Dicks. Thought it would make a handy fishing boat. I own 3 other kayaks, but this is the 1st F.B. I am impressed how heavy built this thing is, and yes it is heavy for a 10fter. My main complaint is lack of foot room. I can't understand why the people at Future Beach just don't make these things a little taller in the front.
With that said, for a modest price you will get one tuff, stable kayak with a lot of features you'll only find on more expensive models.you might also find you'll want a little more padding on the seat
The Trophy 126 is my first kayak, and I had done a lot of research before buying--which mostly just served to scare me and convince me that kayaking was difficult and frustrating.
To my surprise, the Trophy 126 is none of those things! It is AMAZINGLY stable at rest, even in choppy waters--I leaned it to the point of the coaming touching the water with no problems. Leaning it is a bit of a chore in the first place; the dihedral hull is very stable, and resists tipping well. I never have to pay attention to my body position while I'm fishing or fooling around.
As this is my first kayak, I can't say anything regarding speed. It goes as fast as I think it should, and I was pleasantly surprised in this area. Tracking is dead-on; waves and high wind may shift it laterally just a little (not noticeable unless you're specifically looking for it), but never causes the 'yak to change its heading. It's such a joy to paddle in that fishing is now an afterthought. I just spend most of my time gliding around the water!
I'm also very impressed with the cargo capacity. The front hatch isn't much to scream about--it holds my GPS and emergency supplies--but the back hatch opens up into the rear bulkhead, and about a full third of the kayak can be packed full. Holds my rod, tackle box, backpacking tent, a small dry sack, and still isn't half full. Easily could be a weekender 'yak.
The rod mounts are in a good spot, I think, behind the seat and angled outward. They're easy enough to reach, and just right for trolling. My only gripe is that the flush-mount holders won't accommodate a fly rod. Not to worry, 'cause there's plenty of room in the cockpit!
Speaking of which, I'm a 6'0" guy at 185lbs, and there is legroom to spare! I can stretch my legs and feet all the way out, and there's still room!
In all, I'm VERY happy with my purchase. I'll add some more accessories as I get settled in, but I've already been out on it five times and haven't really felt I was missing anything. $300 on sale at Dick's made it a steal!