Little big bear: Kodiak's V178SC offers the performance and ride of a much bigger boat at a fraction of the cost.

Publication: Bass & Walleye Boats

Publication Date: 01-MAR-06

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COPYRIGHT 2006 Ehlert Publishing Group

At first blush, the tan and scarlet craft looked like just another "tin" boat tugging at its dock tether, a little out of place as it bobbed in the wakes of the flashier fiberglass fishing and pleasure craft that came and went through the busy Gulf-front marina.

While I awaited my test partner to arrive, I grabbed the spec sheet for the new Polar Kraft and sat down at a table next to the slip to give it a quick read. I noted the boat was a Kodiak model, a line designed by the Indiana-based boat manufacturer specifically for my kind of fishing: chasing walleye, bass and the occasional pike and muskie in areas that require you to cross--if not fish in--open waters on large Midwest impoundments.

Having tested several Polar Kraft models in the past--and knowing that my home-state walleye pro, PWT champ Mark Brumbaugh, had just jumped ship from a major player in the fishing boat business to pilot a Polar Kraft during the 2005 tournament season--I was curious to see what the 17-foot Kodiak could do.

Once my buddy arrived, I stepped aboard and tucked myself behind the boat's single-side console,...

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