Old Town Sportsman 120 Rudder

Hello everybody hope all is well. I have a question I am hoping someone may be able to help with. I bought a 2023 Old Town Sportsman 120 but currently there is no rudder. There is a spot for one though but I am having troubles finding one online. Anyone by chance know where I might be able to purchase a good rudder for the kayak? Thank you for all your help in this matter. I also am in need of a good paddle suggestion that’s friendly on the pocket book if anyone might have an idea.

Is this a PDL version?  If not then you can either contact OT or probably any aftermarket kayak rudder kit would be adaptable. If it's a PDL then any old paddle will do.  I purchased a cheap Carlilse for about $60.  It works just fine.  If it's not a PDL and the paddle will get a lot of use, you may look at upgrading to a lighter make/model of paddle.  I don't have any great suggestions for that. 

It’s not the pdl version unfortunately that was still a bit out of my budget. Hopefully in a year or 2 I can upgrade to the pdl or autopilot version.

You ain’t going to want to hear this but… get a quality paddle, likely going to run in the 1.5 Benjamin range, I paddled a big tune with cheap azz paddles and then borrowed a quality Werner paddle from Next Adventure for the ORC….. ya my wife was pissed at Langston for that loaner cuz I had to buy one 😂 WAY BETTER!!

https://oldtownwatercraft.johnsonoutdoors.com/us/shop/accessories-parts/partsrepairsother/topwater-120-rudder-kit#learn-more-anchor

old town offers one on their site.  not cheap.  Says topwater, but one review talks about it on a sportsman model. I found a couple other through google but I have no experience with any of the sources.

Thank you for all the responses to my posting. I’d love a nice paddle but unfortunately funds are not there for that I’m going to have to settle with a cheaper temporary one. Yea  I called old town they said they sell one it’s listed as top water 130 but it’s interchangeable with the sportsman but it’s put me in the same boat as the paddle funds currently are not there. I was hoping for a cheaper alternative to get me by but there doesn’t seem to be any that fit the old town without modifying the boat which I don’t wanna do for something that I am hoping is temporary. I have a trolling motor that I got with it but I’ve been told not to use the lead battery’s they are a waste of money and I should get a lithium batter with 80+ AH but that’s looking like a 400 or more dollar investment lol.

I'm a bit confused about what you're looking for but I have the OEM plastic rudder that came off my PDL120 when I switched it out for an aluminum one. You're welcome to it if that's what you're looking for.

you come to realize that the kayak itself can be just the start of spending money on getting your rig set-up.  I think I may have just as much invested in roof rack, cart, fish finder, downriver, rod holders, leashes, etc. 
I tell people I've taken something really simple, a fishing kayak, and turned it into something complex, my kayak fishing machine.

you come to realize that the kayak itself can be just the start of spending money on getting your rig set-up.  I think I may have just as much invested in roof rack, cart, fish finder, downriver, rod holders, leashes, etc. 
I tell people I've taken something really simple, a fishing kayak, and turned it into something complex, my kayak fishing machine.

I get questions on the water all the time…”how much did you pay for that?” I stopped telling people the ‘all-in’ price and just say $3000 for the kayak. Probably have another 2-3k+ in accessories, gear, attachments, etc.

Thank you for all the responses to my posting. I’d love a nice paddle but unfortunately funds are not there for that I’m going to have to settle with a cheaper temporary one. Yea  I called old town they said they sell one it’s listed as top water 130 but it’s interchangeable with the sportsman but it’s put me in the same boat as the paddle funds currently are not there. I was hoping for a cheaper alternative to get me by but there doesn’t seem to be any that fit the old town without modifying the boat which I don’t wanna do for something that I am hoping is temporary. I have a trolling motor that I got with it but I’ve been told not to use the lead battery’s they are a waste of money and I should get a lithium batter with 80+ AH but that’s looking like a 400 or more dollar investment lol.

If you're handy and creative, you could probably build a rudder pretty easily, but you'll still end up spending money on parts.  Lead Acid batteries do have their downside, but they're economical, so don't let that stop you from getting out on the water.  Biggest draw back I find to LA (beside weight) is that you don't want to draw down the charge below 70% if you can avoid it as it will shorten the life of the battery and you'll need to charge it back up again ASAP as leaving in a discharge state will also shorten the life, BUT you can still get out and fish for a lot of hours on them.  I have a Grp 24 that I got for $60, have had it for well over 5 years, that I use for my electric trolling motor on my aluminum boat....still going strong.  So, $12 a year or so....pretty affordable. 

Sweet thank you. I ended up buying a 75ah marine battery yesterday got a good deal from the Memorial Day sale. It’s 45 pounds but should give me hopefully several hours of fishin. I think I’m going to hold off on the rudder situation for now I’ll keep my eye out for a good deal on one. Finally got the boat ready for some Kokanee fishin lookin forward to hittin up Detroit lake. Got a nice yak attack box as well for storage pretty stoked about the set up. May try to find an inexpensive fish finder to help with speed and depth to target the fish better .