I bought the Chelan in early spring. I love it. I already had a Gannet by Necky. I am sold on the diamond hull. I find it so easy to turn because of the hard chine hull. Talk about comfort. My husband has a Napali sit on top and complains about the UNOWANT being sore while I am soaring. I just give my seat a little pump and smile. I love the rudder. it lets me make such smooth racking moves.
I like X deck rigging, I find i can easily organize my safety gear and snack bag under the bungies. My Gannet ios rigged in a similar fashion.
So far I have not had any problems keeping water out of the hatches. If I do I was thinking of adding a rubber seal around the perimeter of the hatch hole and seperating walls.
I have taken it on lakes and rivers. I was easily able to keep up with the rest of our paddling club. I find it cuts in the waves and does well against the currents. I took in the Niagara River last week, ( yes above the Falls, not that close, but close enough to see the New Casino ) and it was great. You could however feel the force and the strenght of that mass of water, mind you this was on a calm day.
My only regret is that it was not marketed this year. It is a great ladies boat. All in all I have been impressed with this boat. I plan to use it for surf, lakes and local rivers. Its length, weight(55 lbs), and spirited performance make it a nice day to day kayak. I can recommend this boat to anyone wanting a fun, comfortable light touring boat. I will follow up with a report on its performance in the ocean.