Performance
If there is one word paddlers use to sum up the Ascend 128t fishing kayak, it is “stable.” The 128t is built on a tunnel hull. Think of a tunnel hull as a pontoon boat or catamaran. There are essentially two rounded surface areas bridged by the center of the kayak. Tunnel-hulled kayaks are generally wider than other kayak hulls. The pontoon shapes on the outside act like outriggers, and provide a stable platform capable of standing to fish.
A pronounced keel runs down the center of the Ascend 128t’s tunnel hull, beginning at the tapered bow and extending back to the stern, where it protrudes into a skeg. The keel and skeg provide the 128t with well-behaved tracking, which describes the kayak’s ability to travel in a straight line, without the need for a rudder.
For the Ascend 128X, the design team changed the hull to what Ascend refers to as a catamaran hull. It works in a similar way as the 128t as far as providing a great deal of stability, but removes the central keel. The 128X resembles a widened, upside down letter-U compared to the M-shaped profile of the Ascend 128t hull.
In fishing kayaks we are now seeing kayaks powered in three different ways. These are paddle, pedal drive and motorized. The Ascend 128t is designed for the first, good old fashioned paddling. However, with the pre-installed Ascend 128t Yak-Power (more on that below), a trolling motor could be mounted to the stern to extend the kayak’s range and versatility.
The updated Ascend 128X makes the option of adding a trolling motor much easier, with a widened, squared-off stern and a flat mounting area that can accommodate a trolling motor or rudder system.
Market and demographics
The Ascend 128t is a sit-on-top fishing kayak. Sit-on-top kayaks are kayaks where the paddler is not enclosed at all. They sit on the deck of the boat, which has been molded for an exterior seating position. This is in comparison to a sit-inside kayak. A sit-inside kayak is one where the paddler slides into the cockpit of the kayak. They may also wear a sprayskirt to cover the cavity of the cockpit. Sit-on-top kayaks have become popular for fishing kayaks because of their ease of entry, open storage and easier rescue scenarios in the event of a capsize.
The Ascend 128t kayak was designed specifically with the kayak angler in mind. The elevated seat position and tunnel hull make the 128t less about covering water as a paddler, and more about comfort and stability. The stable hull of the 128t provides a platform for standing casts and sighting fish. The open concept of the 128t is valued by anglers for the large and accessible storage space it provides.
This kayak is best suited for deep, slow-moving rivers, smaller lakes and sheltered coastal waterways.
Carry A Waterproof VHF Radio, Use Your Phone Only As A Backup
- A handheld VHF marine band radio allows you to communicate with the Coast Guard and other boat traffic. Use Channel 16 only for hailing and emergencies. The radio should be waterproof, because it is virtually certain to get wet.
- A cell phone, even if in a waterproof case or sealable bag, might not work, so don’t rely on it as the primary means of emergency communication.
About the Ascend 128t
Design
Material and construction
The Ascend 128t is constructed of high-density polyethylene. Polyethylene is a plastic commonly used in kayak manufacturing. This polymer compound is also regularly used to make other durable plastic goods like milk jugs and shampoo bottles.
Ascend produces the 128t through a rotomolding process. Small plastic pellets are loaded into a mold. The mold is then placed in a large oven at high temperatures and rotated at speed, pushing the liquified nurdles outward so they spread and take the shape of the mold. While the mold is pulled from the oven it continues to rotate as it cools. When the mold is opened, presto, we have a kayak. Rotomolded kayaks are one of the standard production processes in the industry to produce durable and affordable kayaks.
Ascend 128t accessories and outfitting
Perhaps the most unique aspect of the Ascend 128t’s outfitting is the Yak-Power system. The Yak-Power system is a pre-wired setup for electronics running through the 128t. The built-in master controller and power plugs are a big bonus in a fishing kayak. The Yak-Power system saves time, money, energy and drilling holes in your kayak, allowing kayak anglers to keep electronics including Ascend 128t fish finder, GPS and action cameras charged. With the Yak-Power system, you can also easily install Ascend 128t lights for night navigation. Additionally, the system makes it possible to run an Ascend 128t yak power trolling motor (see “Modifications” below for more on this).
The Yak-Power system provides plugs toward the bow, mid-ship and stern of the 128, and can power 12-volt devices. There is a master controller for the power system located next to the Ascend 128 kayak seat. A battery is not included with the power system of the 128t.
Beyond its unique power system, the Ascend 128t is a fully loaded fishing kayak when it comes to outfitting and accessories. Let’s take a walk through everything you will find on the Ascend 128t.
Behind the bow is a small plastic hood that functions as a rod tip protector. Since kayak anglers often lay their rods down in the kayak, the tip protector is designed to prevent damage from rod tips getting snagged on a branch or bumping into a bridge pillar.
The Ascend 128t has both bow and stern tankwells, or recessed storage areas on the deck of the kayak. They provide an accessible place for kayak anglers to keep fishing crates, tackle boxes, dry bags or even a five-gallon bucket.
The tankwells on the Ascend 128t aren’t very deep, especially considering the size and tunnel hull of this kayak. Deeper tankwells make it less likely for gear to accidentally slide into the drink. The tankwells are one of the most significant upgrades from the 128t to the 128X. The Ascend 128X kayak has deeper, elongated tankwells, with almost the entire deck recessed for storage.
The cockpit of the Ascend 128t kayak is an open concept, with an overall flat surface, covered with traction padding. This Ascend 128t deck mat allows kayak anglers to use the floor of the cockpit as a standing platform, which increases your ability to cast, sight fish and move around the deck. The traction padding provides better footing than bare, wet plastic.
Also within the cockpit of the 128t are sliding foot braces. Sliding-style foot braces provide more positions than molded-in footwells. They do however require you to reach down by hand if they need adjustment on the water. Foot braces are an important part of a kayak’s outfitting because they provide a point of contact with your kayak. This gives you more leverage for paddling strokes, and more control over the kayak.
At the center of the cockpit is a large, rectangular hatch accessing the interior of the Ascend 128t. This hatch can be used for storage or to reach the interior of the kayak for repairs and modifications. The hatch has a hinged cover for easy opening and closing.
On the floor of the cockpit you will see four scupper plugs. Why exactly are there holes in the bottom of the kayak? Scuppers allow any water that splashes into a sit-on-top kayak to drain out the bottom. They are useful to keep water from waves or paddle drip from sloshing around the 128t with you all day. Should a large wave swamp the deck of the 128t, within a minute most of the water will drain out these scuppers. The Ascend 128t has six scupper holes in total. Four on the floor of the cockpit, and two in the rear tankwell.
Water can also come up through the scuppers. If you are paddling in calm conditions, and don’t want water to splash up through the floor, you may want to close the scupper holes. You can do this with a set of universal Ascend scupper plugs.
The Ascend 128t kayak seat is a removable, elevated stadium-style seat that is mounted in small grooves molded into the cockpit of the kayak. There are multiple grooves for higher or lower seat positions. This allows the angler to choose the best seat height for their needs and the conditions.
A higher seat position provides more line of sight, and may be more comfortable for a long day of sitting. The lower position, however, will provide more stability, keeping your weight lower in the kayak. The lower position also provides a better posture for increasing the output of your paddle strokes.
Early versions featured an Ascend 128t swivel seat. However, this was phased out by the late 2010s, and replaced with the folding stadium-chair seat.
One area of concern cited by users of the Ascend 128t is the seat’s vulnerability to rusting. A rusted out seat on a fishing kayak with an elevated seat would render the kayak relatively useless until you have an Ascend 128t replacement seat. Rinsing and drying your seat after use will help avoid this issue.
Within easy reach of the Ascend 128t kayak seat are a number of useful accessories that anglers need close at hand. These include a standup assist strap to give you a boost when you are going from the seated to standing position; two accessory mounts for gadgets on either side of the paddler; and four, flush mounted rod holders. Two of these rod holders are in the forward end of the kayak, and two are just behind the seat.
Behind the Ascend 128t kayak seat is a second large rectangular hatch for access to more interior storage space. The Ascend 128t rear hatch cover also operates like a hinged door and has a water-resistant gasket. There is a smaller, third hatch at the stern of the Ascend 128t, this one with a threaded, watertight deck plate.
The Ascend 128t drain plug allows you to empty any water which has entered the interior of the hollow hull. How can water get inside a sit-on-top kayak? Water ingress can occur at seams, screw holes or places where the hull has been cut for exterior components. It’s not uncommon to get a small amount of water inside your kayak, and you should drain it at the end of your trip.
Before you launch, check you have closed and gently hand tightened your drain plug.
Comparing the 128t to the newer 128X, Ascend made some major changes to the stern shaping and design. On the 128t, the hull tapers toward the stern and finishes with a narrow, squared-off back. For the 128X, the hull stays wide all the way through the back, before squaring off abruptly at the stern. On the 128X stern, there is a thick plastic transom that provides a mounting block for an Ascend 128x rudder system or trolling motor.
Wear A Life Jacket
- Everyone, even strong swimmers, needs to wear a life jacket at all times when on the water. It is extremely difficult to put a life jacket on once you fall into the water. Even a light wind can blow any paddlecraft away from you, faster than you can swim.
- Always wear a USCG-approved Level 70 or Type III life jacket designed for paddling.
Ascend 128t mods
Speaking of trolling motors, the Ascend 128t fishing kayak does not include the designated mounting area on the stern that is built into the newer 128x. If you would like to add an Ascend 128t Yak Power trolling motor, this is a modification you will have to construct yourself. Check YouTube for an array of DIY how-to videos from other Ascend 128t users.
The nearly 100-pound weight of the Ascend 128t means you will likely need to use a kayak cart to transport your 128t to and from the water. Another option is to install landing gear. The Groovy Landing Gear wheel system by Boonedox can be installed on the 128t. This clever system saves you the trouble of loading and strapping your kayak to a cart (and then dealing with where to store the cart). Instead, the landing gear uses a bar screwed to the deck of the kayak, with retractable wheels. Envision the landing gear of an aircraft and you have the premise of this convenient system from Boonedox.
With the great stability of the Ascend 128t, users who want an even higher vantage point often make seat modifications to raise the elevated seat. This is typically done by installing a metal bracket within the cockpit, to give the seat frame a higher placement. Again, watch a few YouTube tutorials before you start drilling holes in your kayak.
Raising the seat of your Ascend 128t gives the paddler more comfort by allowing a more upright, knees bent sitting position. It also increases visibility while fishing, and reduces the effort needed to make the transition from sitting to standing.
Before raising the seat in your Ascend 128t, keep in mind this could decrease your overall stability, by raising your center of gravity.
