Old Town Loon 106 Review

The Loon is a legendary kayak, with the price, features, and comfort that have made it a bestseller for over 20 years. Old Town continues to revise and refine the classic Loon design, making it the most advanced, comfortable, and customizable recreational kayak on the market. 

The Loon 106 has an incredible amount of storage and working space in a compact kayak, with a removable work deck, a great-fitting cockpit, and detailed comfort features to keep you cool, comfortable, and supported for hours on the water. 

The Loon 106 has a sharp keel for effortless speed, fantastic tracking, and great performance on flat water. It’s everything you want in a recreational kayak, backed by the proud heritage of Old Town.

Overview of the Old Town Loon 106

Specs

  • Type: 1-person recreational kayak
  • Size: 10’6” x 31”
  • Depth: 17.5 “
  • Weight: 53 pounds
  • Weight capacity: 325 pounds
  • Cockpit size: 53 x 23 inches
  • Materials: Rotomolded three layer polyethylene
  • Seat type: Active comfort system 2.0
  • Colors: Photic, black cherry, sunrise, or lemongrass

Construction and build

Although the Old Town Loon has been in production for over 20 years, by a company that has been building watercraft since the 1800s, you would never know it from the looks and performance of the Loon 106. From its inception, the Loon has revolutionized paddling, and every updated model continues to refine, improve, and innovate this incredible kayak. 

Today, the Old Town Loon 106 is the most advanced recreational kayak in the world. The sharp keel line gives it excellent performance in the water, with carry handles on the bow and stern for easy carrying. 

The bulkhead has a water-resistant Click Seal hatch with a rubber gasket that seals out water but is easy to open with a convenient cam lock. It also has a scupper hole with plug to drain excess water, paddle clip, and versatile storage, with ample deck rigging on the bow and stern. 

What really sets the Old Town Loon 106 apart is the cockpit. It is incredibly comfortable and well-fitting, with an Active Comfort System seat that adjusts in four ways for a perfect fit. The seat allows you to adjust backrest height, backrest angle, lumbar support, and thigh support with a visible, intuitive adjustment mechanism. The lateral stabilizers lock the seat in place, so you feel “one with the boat.” 

The ACS seat has a seating surface that allows for excellent air flow and water drainage, to keep you cool and dry. The Loon 106 also has thigh pads, and a Support Track foot brace system that gives you hours of comfort and control in the kayak. 

The cockpit comes with a removable work deck that gives you space for beverages, dry storage, devices, and allows you to mount your fishing, filming, or other accessories. The work deck also has a USB port that works with your battery or power bank to charge your devices no matter where you are.  

About the brand

Old Town is a legendary American company, going all the way back to 1898 in Old Town, Maine. It is America’s largest and most famous builder of canoes, and, until material shortages after WWII, was the largest canoe company in the world. In the 1960s, the ready availability of fiberglass and plastic revolutionized the canoe industry, and the company began to diversify with new materials and new product offerings. 

In the 1990s, Old Town started making kayaks, using their expertise in recreational watercraft to launch a new line of kayaks with the same quality and care they had brought to canoes. 

Old Town’s original wood and canvas canoes are still in production in Maine, and in fact every boat they built from the 1890s to 1976 has a unique serial number that can still be used to identify the production methods, date of the construction of each part, and the date it was shipped from the factory. 

Old Town Canoe is such an iconic brand that it has been featured on the Discovery Channel’s “Some Assembly Required.” Every Old Town watercraft is built with the same care, quality, and expertise that has contributed to the company’s incredible legacy over the past 120 years.  

Pros

  • Sleek, rugged design performs well in water
  • Ample storage, drainage, paddle clip, carrying handles, and other convenient features
  • Incredibly comfortable cockpit
  • Highly adjustable seat keeps you cool and dry
  • Comes with thigh support
  • Has comfortable, adjustable footrests
  • Comes with removable work deck with dry storage, cup holder, and accessory mounts
  • Work deck also has holders for electronics and devices, and a USB port

Cons

  • Honestly none, it gets very positive reviews

Conclusion

Old Town Loon 106 Recreational Kayak
  • Combining a customizable work deck with a sharp keel line and a triple-layer polyethylene hull, the Old Town Loon 106 Recreational...
  • The Loon 106's Active Comfort System 2.0 seat and easy-grip thigh pads create the most comfortable cockpit available.
  • Packed with features, the Loon 106 includes a Click Seal hatch with bulkhead, bow and stern carry handles, a bow and stern bungee,...

The Old Town Loon 106 manages to perfectly balance the epic history of Old Town Canoes, and the legendary status of the Loon kayak, with updates that seamlessly integrate the latest materials, technologies, and conveniences, for the perfect kayaking experience. 

It performs incredibly well on the water, with excellent speed, tracking, and agility. The cockpit is designed for comfort and convenience, with all the thoughtful details that make it fit and move like part of your body. 

The removable work deck adds incredible versatility to the Loon 106, allowing you to easily access your snacks, beverages, and devices, or mount all the accessories you need for fishing, filming, or entertainment. It’s the most comfortable, advanced kayak in its class and price range, and continues the performance, versatility, and comfort that have made the Loon a bestselling kayak for decades.