Submitted: 11-15-2000 by kayakdiver
It's really not fair to only be able to give this boat one rating... For fun, stability, user friendliness, and newbie forgiveness, it is a 10. For performance in surf it is an 8, and that's only because I have had the opportunity to try the very few sit-on-tops that surpass it in performance, although at a great cost of MUCH less stability. I have rolled mine more than a half dozen times in up to 10 foot surf (knee-straps required) and came back up quick enough to stay on the wave. It carves surf like butter and has GREAT forward tracking which quickly gives it a LOT of forward speed for cutting waves with. Although it is a rocket on a wave front, the speed and sluggishness of this kayak when NOT on a wave is the only factor that, for me and my nearly 200 pound weight, brings the overall score down to an 8! Even at my size and weight I still have an absolute blast with it. Kids really love this boat and these lighter paddlers find it fast enough and VERY, VERY easy to learn to surf. |