OFFICIAL DISCLAIMER: I'm not selling anything - I'm just talking about my boats ...  EMOTION MOJO - The Review I finally got a chance to spend some time in this boat this past Sunday out behind Caladesi Island (Dunedin, FL). I dodged storms on the way to the launch, got the boat ready, paddled about 50 feet and got dumped on. That passed, and it was a good day. Water was clear and slick as glass - very little boat traffic. Here's how the Mojo looked with all my junk on it ... ... and here's how I christened the new ride ... STABILITY Plenty stable for me. I didn't feel uncomfortable at all negotiating boat waves, etc. SPEED I also have a Malibu Pro Explorer, and it felt about the same as far as speed goes. HULL SLAP None TRACKING It didn't track quite a straight as the Pro Explorer, but it turned easier. That's a trade off that I can certainly live with. WET/DRY RIDE I didn't get any water in through the 2 scuppers in the cockpit. However, rain water that came into the boat collected in the seat area. It was plenty warm that morning so it didn't bother me. But in the future I'll probably sponge it out. FISHABILITY The console is a pretty neat trick. It comes with a Scotty rod holder, but I used a different type Scotty rod holder with a Scotty extension. It may look a little weird, but it's very functional. It's out of the way while paddling, but very handy for fishing. I plan to cut a piece of pool noodle to slide over the extension so I can hang lures on there. Since I cast off to the side anyway, the height of the console didn't bother me at all. I added a few pad-eyes to it so I could secure my lip gripper and pliers. The dry box (that comes with the console) worked great for holding soft baits, and the tackle tube fit nicely in the drink holder. I still need to rig something cute for my GPS mount, but for this outing I had the wrist strap wrapped around the rod holder. I'm addicted to a stake out pole, using it with scupper holes. In the Mojo, the only scupper holes are pretty close to the seat area, which makes it hard to use a 4' pole. The solution will be an anchor trolley - simple enough. A standard milk crate fits perfectly in the tank well. I added "j" hooks to my milk crate so I could use the tank well bungee to secure it - worked great. I opted to use a not_so_high high back seat so I could easily get to the tank well while sitting side saddle - worked out fine. Due to the design of the area behind the seat, the flush mount rod holders are a little higher from the water line than what you'd see on most boats. If I got in a real choppy situation I'd probably move any rods there to rod holders in my milk crate. But, if it was that choppy I'm goin' home anyway. For how I like to fish, and where I like to go, this boat definitely does the job. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ EMOTION ADVANTAGE - The Review Yes, you can fish from sit-inside cockpit boats too. I took it out to the boat ramp on the Courtney Campbell Causeway (Clearwater, FL) around 10 am. My goal was to see how it paddled, and how well I could go through the motions of fishing from it, especially in a non_angler friendly environment (like at a boat ramp). Catching fish was secondary. This boat didn't come with a rod holder, so I put a Scotty in front of the cockpit. I turned it around backwards so the rod could easily be accessed. Length:12 ft. 7 in. Width: 28 in. Weight: 45 lbs. (approx.) *Weight capacity: 275 -325 lbs. Here's mine ... Here's the view from the cockpit ... The thing that I absolutely LOVE about this boat is the accessible storage. I have a small milk crate (from Dollar Tree) behind the seat: The boat has mesh side pockets on either side of the cockpit - perfect for holding stuff close while keeping it tucked out of the way. I picked up these tackle tubes at Sam's Club. Awesome for kayakers, $6 each. It also has a "glove box" that holds a Witz dry box (which comes with the boat). However, since I put the flush mount Scotty instead of the deck mount, I compromised the space. So I had to use a sandwich box. I'll eventually go back and put the deck mount on there, which will help get the rod a little higher in the rod holder, and allow me to use that nice dry box. The boat also has a sealed rear bulkhead, with a hatch/cover. This is a great place to store one of those soft-side coolers from Sam's (loaded with "sports drinks" and bananas). PROS: - I found the boat to be very stable in the boat traffic at the ramp. - It was very easy to fish from - no problems swapping lures, releasing fish (1 small trout, 1 lizard_fish_on_crack). - It was very easy to paddle, no hull slap, handled waves and chop with no worries. - The storage is great. The area back behind the seat is very easy to get at - much easier than a tank well. - Getting in/out was easier than I thought it would be. CONS: - If you're used to a sit-on-top, the lack of elbow room takes some getting used to. A rod with a short butt is a must. Since I had a PFD on as well, the cockpit was a little snug for angling movements. For paddling, it was more than acceptable. - No paddle keeper. I'll fix that easy enough though. - It got HOT in there. No breeze for circulation, plus wearing a PFD, made for a toasty ride. But, it was bone dry. So, what makes it tough in the summer will make it awesome this winter. - The seat isn't adjustable. However (for me) it was comfortable enough to a 3 hour paddle. - Angling was never much of a consideration with this boat during it's design, so areas to place rod holders are few. Luckily the area above the cockpit will accept a Scotty base (2" x 4" footprint). Scotty's could also be mounted on the rear deck, but there's not a flat area to accept them gracefully. So, that limits you to one rod unless you're very creative. I'm sure I'll use this boat a lot, especially in the cooler months.
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