Hey Don. Watched this walkthrough about two years ago when I was trying to find the perfect yak to replace my OK prowler 13 and Malibu 2XL. Found it, The Crew! I agree with everything you’ve said about the Crew other than 2 minutes to convert from single to tandem. More like 10 seconds, if you don’t tether the seats in. I’ve been saltwater yak fishing for 20 years and if you’re looking for 2/1 design, this yak is perfect. Even if you’re looking for a big single yak to paddle, this yak is perfect. I made a few mods worth sharing. I felt the seats sat a little flat. Found myself sliding forward a little as I fished. Cut a 2” PVC pipe about 5” long and slotted it the same thickness and width as the seat leg. Slid one over each front leg of seat so now the back legs are in the normal recessed position and the front legs are very stable and rest flush with yak deck. This gives the seat about a 5 degree slant front to back. No more sliding and zero problems sitting or getting up. Purchased two Egg Sitter gel pads from Target. Secured each to bottom of seats with plastic cutting board ( spray painted black, cut to size, and slotted in order to run bottom seat straps through). So now each seat has gel seating with hard plastic backing under the seat. Works great, seat still folds upright or flat, at a glance can’t even tell there’s been a seat modification and my back side is very happy! I added the deck pads. Gotta do that. Lastly, I purchased a med to small size heavy duty canvas pouch from military clothing store ( I’m in the Army so that was pretty simple) that has vertical loops on one side and 1 zippered pocket. I attached that to the back of one seat and is perfect size for phone, food, keys etc. not water proof but a zip lock bag is. My Crew rides on top of my Xterra with no issues. I’m 55 and I’ll have this yak until I can no longer lift a paddle. Thanks for showing me this awesome kayak.
Steve, thanks for watching and the kind words, I truly appreciate it and you. I like you mods and the tilted seat can be a good thing for those of us with back and/hip issues as well. I hope you enjoy that Crew for another 20 years!!! Tight Lines and Safe Paddles!!
Thank you very much!! I appreciate you watching and the kind comments. I am glad that the video helped, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Safe paddling!!
Well done. My new Crew arrived 2 days ago - same color as yours. All the water around here is either inaccessible or frozen right now, but spring is just around the corner. Can't wait to get on the water. I'm glad you mentioned that the gear tracks and the deck pads are not included in the price. I was disappointed when the boat arrived without tracks and pads. Oh well, I'll just have to order them. Thanks again.
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words. Yeah I think they had to exclude the tracks and pads for two reasons, one was to keep the price point at under 1K and the other was because some will use this kayak for recreational purposes only and the pads and tracks are more for the angler than the recreational paddler, so to make as many customers happy with the kayak, they kept those items off. Safe paddles when you can get out on the water safely!! I hope it is soon!!!!! Please let me know if I can help with anything on this in the future.
Thanks Don. Solid review. I purchased one last fall based on Crescent's reputation of making great boats to paddle. Paddling solo was kind of an afterthought. But all the videos out there calling tandems "divorce boats" had me wondering. Mine hasn't touched water yet, but we just relocated to upstate SC and I hear the water calling....keep up the great work!
Thank you very much!! I have been super impressed with how well this paddles Solo!! It is not a divorce boat by any means. I hope to get some in the water footage very soon and show various paddle performance in different configurations. Safe paddles and I hope you get in the water soon!!!
I think it would be fine, just make sure you have it strapped down well and have bow and stern lines. I transported mine a few times on a roof rack of a Subaru Ascent. Spread your rack bars s far apart as possible.
It is as stable as you need it to be, the hull is designed very well and does help with stability for sure. The speed is surprising, it is actually a pretty quick kayak especially if you have two experienced paddlers on board.
@@kayakflyfishingschool considering how wide it is, what surprises me are words like "quick" and "performance". Is it a faster kayak than the Tarpon 140?
@@matthewm7666 No it is not as quick as the Tarpon 140, but you are comparing two totally different designed boats. The Tarpon 140, is sleek, slender, skinny, and designed to move fast and quick, but the initial stability and secondary stability are far less than the design of the Crescent Crew. The Tarpon is designed for one person, it is 7 inches thinner in width, 11 pounds lighter, a foot longer, has 275 lbs. less capacity, the paddler sits down in the hull more than a raised seat of the Crescent, and the hull design is totally different.
It really is a nice one. Going to get some on the water footage soon, weather was not the best for the walkthrough to get good on the water paddling and stability videos, but they are coming.
I would look at something from sea-lect designs, that is who makes the foot pegs in the boat, and their designs are usually pretty solid. The lines may need to be ran on deck rather than inside, but that can be fine with pad eyes and tubing.
@@Crussman499 I believe that One Objective makes a mount that will work for rudders and motors. www.oneobjectivebf.com/store/c55/Crescent_Kayaks.html#/
Hello Don, I was wondering if you have enough experience with kayak carts to suggest which models work well with the Crescent models and their hull designs. I am looking to add up a CK1 and SUP+ to my fleet (Crew and Ultra) and attempting to accommodate all with a "universal" kayak cart. Thank you for your informative videos.
I use the Suspenz All-Terrain airless cart for all of my Kayaks, unless I am in soft sand. I use a Suspenz balloon tire cart for soft sand. I have used the Wilderness systems cart and they do well on the Crescents. I just like the Suspenz better as it has more clearance height and allows me to transport over tougher terrain. However the Wilderness cart is a good choice. The other popular cart I have tried for the C Crescents is the c-Tug. It is an okay cart, but don’t quite fit the best, a quick modification with a piece of 1” or 1.” PVC is needed to help keep the cart in the Kayaks without sliding around. The wildernesses and suspenz both have awesome weight capacities. I have hauled 5 Kayaks in that Suspenz All Terrain cart at one time, up and down hills and over parking curbs and through gravel and had no issues. It comes down to your preference and if you are transporting over rough terrain, parking lots, soft sand or a combo.
Any idea how this compares to the Vibe yellowfin 130t? Looks like the crew has a better solo sitting position so would like to hear more about how it performs in that regard. Thanks for the review.
I have not been able to lake the Yellowfin 130t yet, so I can’t honestly give you a good boat to boat comparison. I think the Crew center position is a little better position for Solo paddling, and the rear seat being just a bit higher gives the rear paddler a like extra boat without affecting paddle performance. Crescent are known for their focus on the paddler, and the Crew is no exception. I have paddled this in lakes, rivers, inland marshes, and more and it really performs great in two person configuration, but for me it excels more in the Solo position. Really easy to paddle, great glide and tracking, yet due to that rocker hull, she maneuvers like a shorter kayak. I hope to have some in the water footage in various configurations soon. Is there anything specific you want to know?
@@kayakflyfishingschool That's awesome to hear. I assume it's tough enough just to design a boat, much less one that functions well as both a tandem and solo. Functionally, i'd be curious how they compare. For example, are the gear tracks, cup holders, etc, functional for solo equal to tandem (i assume they are not exactly), and what are the tradeoffs? Where should gear be stored in the solo position, for both access and for performance? I'd love to be able to just buy one kayak to meet the needs of 60% using for myself and 40% having a kid or two on board... that's a hard boat to design - do you think this fits that bill?
@@reljin2 IN the Crew, the gear tracks and cup holders work really well in solo or tandem positions. The cup holders are in front of the rear seat in Tandem, and just behind the seat in SOlo mode, so the paddler can still reach whatever may be in there easily. The gear tracks work well in either position as well, but for me if you are using it for fishing solo, the gear tracks are better aligned for that as you do not have to reach too far forward to mount or access anything like rod holders or whatever hardware accessories you may mount to the tracks. Gear should always be stored as evenly weighted as possible throughout the kayak, with the paddler in the center of balance of the boat, which in Tandem mode is where the seat sits in rear position and in Solo mode, where the seat sits in front position.The tracks become really great behind you in the solo mode as you can move forward any storage crate or whatever you may have in the tank well to where the seat used to be, thus allowing you to utilize a lot more space and distribute weight more evenly front to back (bow to stern). Keeping that weight distribution can be difficult, but with the tracks and storage areas in front and rear of the Solo paddler in the Crew, one should have less issues with figuring out weight balance which would allow them to enjoy the paddling performance, fishing, exploring, or whatever they want to do in this Kayak in the Solo mode. When you get back home from a day out on the water and want to take the family out, it is a simple movement of the seat and what little gear you may have moving rearward, and adding the second seat upfront. In two minutes you can go from your SOlo fishing machine, to the family paddling platform! If you have younger kids, you can even turn that front seat around to keep a better eye on them, and as they get older, turn that seat around and watch how they paddle and one day, you can put them in the rear sea and have them paddle you around as you fish. Even if your kids are not old enough to paddle, no worries, that rear seat position with the weight of the kid/s up front will allow you to paddle this kayak as effortlessly as it does in the solo position. The configuration options and gear storage are fantastic features of this kayak that fits your bill of getting yourself and the kids on the water, but it is the paddling performance that will make every trip enjoyable and effortless to paddle no matter how many people are in the boat versus how many are paddling. Crescent is known for their paddling performance, and it really comes through in this kayak. As always, I recommend a test paddle if you can, try this one out and others and compare, the paddling performance versus others usually sells itself.
@@kayakflyfishingschool thanks for taking the time to explain all of that, that is awesome! I cannot wait to get one out on the water and try it out. Thanks so much!
LOL!! No, I actually had cut it a few days earlier and should have gotten stitches, but I am hard headed and just used some butterfly bandages. That band aid was just make sure you all didn’t see that wound and so I wouldn’t bleed in case I over did it..it kind of matches the color of the kayak though. ;)
@@zolopo thank you very much!!! I appreciate it. I was using those water bottles to hold those banners in place. I have magnets now that hold the banners so no more cords or bottle trip hazards. :) So glad that you like your Crew and I hope that you will always have safe paddles and fun adventures with it!!
Sort of. What I mean is that it will fit, but only in one location and it isn’t quite the right cut/shape to match the deck fully. Crescent is releasing the Crew Riser in the next week or two. I have the LT riser and it moves a bit too much and I don’t want to mess it up or the floor of the Crew, so I will get a Crew riser when they come out.
@@kayakflyfishingschool Donald Dehm thanks for another great video. I have the crew for fishing solo and have considered the riser. I’m not sure about the bungee placement if I have stash pockets in the solo position. Any thoughts or comments?
@@AriePharmD you’re welcome and thank you for watching and the kind words. The seat bungee and stash pockets are extremely hard to use together since they use the same mounting area. You can mount the pad eyes in the oval areas for the seat riser bungee and mount the round retainers for the stash pockets in the outside of the pad eyes in the circle indents. I am going to do an install video on this in the next few weeks.
![30 ชั่วโมงคนเดียว บนรถไฟชั้น 3 โซเวียต [Around The World Ep. 2]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/MlE9boAVqDA/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey Don. Watched this walkthrough about two years ago when I was trying to find the perfect yak to replace my OK prowler 13 and Malibu 2XL.
Found it, The Crew!
I agree with everything you’ve said about the Crew other than 2 minutes to convert from single to tandem. More like 10 seconds, if you don’t tether the seats in.
I’ve been saltwater yak fishing for 20 years and if you’re looking for 2/1 design, this yak is perfect. Even if you’re looking for a big single yak to paddle, this yak is perfect.
I made a few mods worth sharing.
I felt the seats sat a little flat. Found myself sliding forward a little as I fished. Cut a 2” PVC pipe about 5” long and slotted it the same thickness and width as the seat leg. Slid one over each front leg of seat so now the back legs are in the normal recessed position and the front legs are very stable and rest flush with yak deck. This gives the seat about a 5 degree slant front to back. No more sliding and zero problems sitting or getting up.
Purchased two Egg Sitter gel pads from Target. Secured each to bottom of seats with plastic cutting board ( spray painted black, cut to size, and slotted in order to run bottom seat straps through). So now each seat has gel seating with hard plastic backing under the seat. Works great, seat still folds upright or flat, at a glance can’t even tell there’s been a seat modification and my back side is very happy!
I added the deck pads. Gotta do that.
Lastly, I purchased a med to small size heavy duty canvas pouch from military clothing store ( I’m in the Army so that was pretty simple) that has vertical loops on one side and 1 zippered pocket. I attached that to the back of one seat and is perfect size for phone, food, keys etc. not water proof but a zip lock bag is.
My Crew rides on top of my Xterra with no issues.
I’m 55 and I’ll have this yak until I can no longer lift a paddle.
Thanks for showing me this awesome kayak.
Steve, thanks for watching and the kind words, I truly appreciate it and you.
I like you mods and the tilted seat can be a good thing for those of us with back and/hip issues as well. I hope you enjoy that Crew for another 20 years!!!
Tight Lines and Safe Paddles!!
What a great walk thru!!! Thanks for taking the time to make this video!! I'm sold!!
Thank you very much!! I appreciate you watching and the kind comments. I am glad that the video helped, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Safe paddling!!
Does the kayak come delivered with 1 or 2 seats?
It comes with two seats from manufacturer/dealer.
Well done. My new Crew arrived 2 days ago - same color as yours. All the water around here is either inaccessible or frozen right now, but spring is just around the corner. Can't wait to get on the water. I'm glad you mentioned that the gear tracks and the deck pads are not included in the price. I was disappointed when the boat arrived without tracks and pads. Oh well, I'll just have to order them. Thanks again.
Thank you, I appreciate the kind words.
Yeah I think they had to exclude the tracks and pads for two reasons, one was to keep the price point at under 1K and the other was because some will use this kayak for recreational purposes only and the pads and tracks are more for the angler than the recreational paddler, so to make as many customers happy with the kayak, they kept those items off.
Safe paddles when you can get out on the water safely!! I hope it is soon!!!!! Please let me know if I can help with anything on this in the future.
Thanks Don. Solid review. I purchased one last fall based on Crescent's reputation of making great boats to paddle. Paddling solo was kind of an afterthought. But all the videos out there calling tandems "divorce boats" had me wondering. Mine hasn't touched water yet, but we just relocated to upstate SC and I hear the water calling....keep up the great work!
Thank you very much!!
I have been super impressed with how well this paddles Solo!! It is not a divorce boat by any means.
I hope to get some in the water footage very soon and show various paddle performance in different configurations.
Safe paddles and I hope you get in the water soon!!!
I'm couscous to get your opinion on carrying a Crew to the top of a Nissan Armada type SUV. Thirteen feet seems like it might be a little too big?
I think it would be fine, just make sure you have it strapped down well and have bow and stern lines.
I transported mine a few times on a roof rack of a Subaru Ascent.
Spread your rack bars s far apart as possible.
@@kayakflyfishingschool Thanks for the feedback. I enjoy your videos.
@@bobmedley7513 you’re welcome and thank you for watching
Thanks for the Great Review. Love that Kayak
You bet
Looks very slow and stable.
It is as stable as you need it to be, the hull is designed very well and does help with stability for sure. The speed is surprising, it is actually a pretty quick kayak especially if you have two experienced paddlers on board.
@@kayakflyfishingschool considering how wide it is, what surprises me are words like "quick" and "performance". Is it a faster kayak than the Tarpon 140?
@@matthewm7666 No it is not as quick as the Tarpon 140, but you are comparing two totally different designed boats. The Tarpon 140, is sleek, slender, skinny, and designed to move fast and quick, but the initial stability and secondary stability are far less than the design of the Crescent Crew.
The Tarpon is designed for one person, it is 7 inches thinner in width, 11 pounds lighter, a foot longer, has 275 lbs. less capacity, the paddler sits down in the hull more than a raised seat of the Crescent, and the hull design is totally different.
Nice kayak.
It really is a nice one. Going to get some on the water footage soon, weather was not the best for the walkthrough to get good on the water paddling and stability videos, but they are coming.
What kind of rudder would you put on the Crew?
I would look at something from sea-lect designs, that is who makes the foot pegs in the boat, and their designs are usually pretty solid. The lines may need to be ran on deck rather than inside, but that can be fine with pad eyes and tubing.
@@kayakflyfishingschool awesome. And anyone that can make the rudder bases?
@@Crussman499 I believe that One Objective makes a mount that will work for rudders and motors.
www.oneobjectivebf.com/store/c55/Crescent_Kayaks.html#/
Hello Don,
I was wondering if you have enough experience with kayak carts to suggest which models work well with the Crescent models and their hull designs. I am looking to add up a CK1 and SUP+ to my fleet (Crew and Ultra) and attempting to accommodate all with a "universal" kayak cart.
Thank you for your informative videos.
I use the Suspenz All-Terrain airless cart for all of my Kayaks, unless I am in soft sand. I use a Suspenz balloon tire cart for soft sand.
I have used the Wilderness systems cart and they do well on the Crescents. I just like the Suspenz better as it has more clearance height and allows me to transport over tougher terrain. However the Wilderness cart is a good choice.
The other popular cart I have tried for the C Crescents is the c-Tug. It is an okay cart, but don’t quite fit the best, a quick modification with a piece of 1” or 1.” PVC is needed to help keep the cart in the Kayaks without sliding around.
The wildernesses and suspenz both have awesome weight capacities. I have hauled 5 Kayaks in that Suspenz All Terrain cart at one time, up and down hills and over parking curbs and through gravel and had no issues.
It comes down to your preference and if you are transporting over rough terrain, parking lots, soft sand or a combo.
Any idea how this compares to the Vibe yellowfin 130t? Looks like the crew has a better solo sitting position so would like to hear more about how it performs in that regard. Thanks for the review.
I have not been able to lake the Yellowfin 130t yet, so I can’t honestly give you a good boat to boat comparison.
I think the Crew center position is a little better position for Solo paddling, and the rear seat being just a bit higher gives the rear paddler a like extra boat without affecting paddle performance.
Crescent are known for their focus on the paddler, and the Crew is no exception.
I have paddled this in lakes, rivers, inland marshes, and more and it really performs great in two person configuration, but for me it excels more in the Solo position.
Really easy to paddle, great glide and tracking, yet due to that rocker hull, she maneuvers like a shorter kayak.
I hope to have some in the water footage in various configurations soon.
Is there anything specific you want to know?
@@kayakflyfishingschool That's awesome to hear. I assume it's tough enough just to design a boat, much less one that functions well as both a tandem and solo. Functionally, i'd be curious how they compare. For example, are the gear tracks, cup holders, etc, functional for solo equal to tandem (i assume they are not exactly), and what are the tradeoffs? Where should gear be stored in the solo position, for both access and for performance? I'd love to be able to just buy one kayak to meet the needs of 60% using for myself and 40% having a kid or two on board... that's a hard boat to design - do you think this fits that bill?
@@reljin2 IN the Crew, the gear tracks and cup holders work really well in solo or tandem positions. The cup holders are in front of the rear seat in Tandem, and just behind the seat in SOlo mode, so the paddler can still reach whatever may be in there easily. The gear tracks work well in either position as well, but for me if you are using it for fishing solo, the gear tracks are better aligned for that as you do not have to reach too far forward to mount or access anything like rod holders or whatever hardware accessories you may mount to the tracks.
Gear should always be stored as evenly weighted as possible throughout the kayak, with the paddler in the center of balance of the boat, which in Tandem mode is where the seat sits in rear position and in Solo mode, where the seat sits in front position.The tracks become really great behind you in the solo mode as you can move forward any storage crate or whatever you may have in the tank well to where the seat used to be, thus allowing you to utilize a lot more space and distribute weight more evenly front to back (bow to stern). Keeping that weight distribution can be difficult, but with the tracks and storage areas in front and rear of the Solo paddler in the Crew, one should have less issues with figuring out weight balance which would allow them to enjoy the paddling performance, fishing, exploring, or whatever they want to do in this Kayak in the Solo mode.
When you get back home from a day out on the water and want to take the family out, it is a simple movement of the seat and what little gear you may have moving rearward, and adding the second seat upfront. In two minutes you can go from your SOlo fishing machine, to the family paddling platform! If you have younger kids, you can even turn that front seat around to keep a better eye on them, and as they get older, turn that seat around and watch how they paddle and one day, you can put them in the rear sea and have them paddle you around as you fish. Even if your kids are not old enough to paddle, no worries, that rear seat position with the weight of the kid/s up front will allow you to paddle this kayak as effortlessly as it does in the solo position.
The configuration options and gear storage are fantastic features of this kayak that fits your bill of getting yourself and the kids on the water, but it is the paddling performance that will make every trip enjoyable and effortless to paddle no matter how many people are in the boat versus how many are paddling. Crescent is known for their paddling performance, and it really comes through in this kayak.
As always, I recommend a test paddle if you can, try this one out and others and compare, the paddling performance versus others usually sells itself.
@@kayakflyfishingschool thanks for taking the time to explain all of that, that is awesome! I cannot wait to get one out on the water and try it out. Thanks so much!
@@reljin2 you are very welcome. PLease let me know if I may be able to help with anything in the future. :)
Safe Paddles always!!!!
Did you broke your finger paddling this kayak?
LOL!! No, I actually had cut it a few days earlier and should have gotten stitches, but I am hard headed and just used some butterfly bandages. That band aid was just make sure you all didn’t see that wound and so I wouldn’t bleed in case I over did it..it kind of matches the color of the kayak though. ;)
Hehe. Great review. Just watch the water bottles on the floor. I have the exact same kayak and I love it.
@@zolopo thank you very much!!! I appreciate it. I was using those water bottles to hold those banners in place. I have magnets now that hold the banners so no more cords or bottle trip hazards. :)
So glad that you like your Crew and I hope that you will always have safe paddles and fun adventures with it!!
Does the seat riser from a LT work on this?
Sort of. What I mean is that it will fit, but only in one location and it isn’t quite the right cut/shape to match the deck fully.
Crescent is releasing the Crew Riser in the next week or two.
I have the LT riser and it moves a bit too much and I don’t want to mess it up or the floor of the Crew, so I will get a Crew riser when they come out.
@@kayakflyfishingschool Donald Dehm thanks for another great video. I have the crew for fishing solo and have considered the riser. I’m not sure about the bungee placement if I have stash pockets in the solo position. Any thoughts or comments?
@@AriePharmD you’re welcome and thank you for watching and the kind words.
The seat bungee and stash pockets are extremely hard to use together since they use the same mounting area.
You can mount the pad eyes in the oval areas for the seat riser bungee and mount the round retainers for the stash pockets in the outside of the pad eyes in the circle indents.
I am going to do an install video on this in the next few weeks.