Old Town Fishing Kayaks: The Full Sportsman Lineup Compared (2026)

Watch any boat ramp at dawn and you'll spot them: the kayaks that sit planted, like they're bolted to the water instead of floating on it. More often than not, that's an Old Town. The company has been building boats in Maine since 1898, and somewhere in those 125+ years it nailed the one thing kayak anglers actually pay for — stability steady enough to stand on.

Here's the catch, though: "an Old Town" isn't one kayak. It's a whole ladder of them, from a $1,049 paddle hull to a $4,499 GPS-anchoring machine, all riding the same pontoon-style DoubleU hull. So the real question isn't whether to buy Old Town — it's which rung to step onto. This guide decodes the Sportsman lineup so you buy the right one the first time, not the priciest one a showroom can talk you into.

TL;DR — the Old Town Sportsman lineup

Find the rung that fits your fishing:

Why Old Town? (And why anglers stay)

Old Town has built boats in Maine since 1898, and it's now part of Johnson Outdoors — the same group that owns Minn Kota. That family tie isn't trivia: it's exactly why the motorized AutoPilot drops a Minn Kota trolling motor and GPS Spot-Lock into the hull so cleanly, instead of bolting on someone else's parts.

But the real reason anglers buy one Old Town and then never switch brands is the DoubleU pontoon hull — two parallel sponsons that make the deck feel like a dock. It's the kind of stability that lets you stand to sight-fish, twist to fight a fish, or just reach for the net without your stomach dropping. You pay for it. Most people who do say they'd pay it again.

How the lineup breaks down — three questions

You don't really choose a model. You answer three questions, and the model falls out the bottom.

1. How do you want to move? Paddle (cheapest, simplest), PDL (pedal, hands-free forward/reverse), or AutoPilot (motorized, with Minn Kota Spot-Lock that anchors you on GPS).
2. How much boat do you need? The 106 (10'6") is compact and the easiest to transport; the 120 (12') adds capacity, tracking and standing stability; there's a 136 for the biggest loads.
3. Where do you fish? The Salty versions add corrosion-resistant hardware for the coast and inshore salt.

Stuck on the first question? Our best pedal fishing kayaks guide breaks down PDL (a propeller drive) in depth, and the propulsion section of our best fishing kayaks guide compares paddle, pedal and motor head to head.

The models in detail

Sportsman 106 (paddle) — best value entry

The smartest way to own that famous hull for the least money. At ~$1,049 the paddle 106 shares the exact DoubleU hull, accessory tracks, cushioned floor and custom tackle box as its pricier siblings — it just skips the pedal drive. Light enough to car-top solo. If you want Old Town stability and don't need hands-free, stop here and save a thousand dollars.

Sportsman PDL 106 (pedal) — best overall

Our overall Old Town pick, and a category benchmark. The forward/reverse PDL propeller drive gives true hands-free fishing — pedal up to the spot, then hold it against the wind while both hands work the rod — and it kicks up when you hit the shallows. At 10'6" it stays genuinely transportable despite the drive weight. ~$2,199, and the kayak Old Town owners recommend to their friends.

Sportsman PDL 120 (pedal) — best bigger pedal

The 12-foot PDL trades a little portability for a lot of room. A 450 lb capacity and a more planted standing platform make it the pick for larger anglers, big open water, and dawn-to-dark days — same forward/reverse drive, more deck under your feet. ~$2,899.

Sportsman 120 (paddle) — best bigger paddle

Want the bigger hull's room and straight-line tracking but prefer paddle simplicity (and a friendlier price than the pedal version)? The paddle 120 is that kayak, around $1,299 — more boat for the angler who'd rather not own a drive.

Sportsman AutoPilot 120 (motorized) — best motorized

The top of the ladder, and unlike anything else on this list. A fully integrated, GPS-enabled Minn Kota trolling motor drives and steers from a Bluetooth i-Pilot remote, and Spot-Lock holds your position automatically — tap a button and the kayak anchors itself over structure while you fish with both hands. A 558 lb capacity hauls serious gear. It needs a battery (not included) and runs ~$4,499, but nothing else fishes quite like it. The full motorized picture is in our motorized fishing kayaks guide.

Sportsman Salty PDL 120 (saltwater pedal) — best for the coast

A PDL 120 dressed for salt water, with corrosion-resistant components for inshore and coastal anglers who don't want to fight rust. ~$3,199.

Old Town vs the competition

Old Town sits firmly at the premium end — and that's the honest knock against it. Want the same use cases for less? Pelican's Catch lineup covers similar ground at roughly half the price, with lighter-duty hulls and lower capacities to match. Prefer a premium fin drive over Old Town's propeller PDL? Hobie's MirageDrive kayaks are the cross-shop — we put both side by side in our best pedal fishing kayaks guide.

Bottom line

For most anglers, the Old Town Sportsman PDL 106 is the best Old Town fishing kayak in 2026 — the brand's hallmark stability plus hands-free pedaling, in a size you can still get to the water alone. Spend less with the paddle Sportsman 106, size up to the PDL 120 for big water, or go all-in on the GPS-anchoring AutoPilot 120. Pick your rung by how you fish — then don't forget a paddle and a PFD.