Capable and fast, but leaves room for improvement. We bought ours off of ebay at a fair price. Our only point of comparison, as far as tandems go, is an Acadia II which we have used in the ocean a on a few occasions. Both boats have good initial stability and track well. The Sundance II is a noticeably faster boat and very easy to get moving. The boat responds well to the Yakima rudder and maneuvers well (considering the size) without the rudder.
As far as comfort is concerned, we had no problem with the seats or the legroom. However, the pipes that run down each side of the cockpit, to allow the front seat to be adjustable, leave almost no space to access the rudder peddles (this is a major design flaw). Also, given the ample room in the stern, I see no reason why they didn’t build in a bulkhead and a hatch.
I did notice the boat bending a bit in the middle while on the roof rack. I think this is a symptom of the material and the length of the open cockpit. What is a benefit on the water is not always a benefit out of the water.
This is a comfortable and fun recreational boat that can be used to cover a lot of water. While it feels very stable, given the large open cockpit, this is a fair-weather boat.
Well, where do I start? We bought our Sundance II before I saw any reviews on it. It was a Demo model at one of the local shops. We got it for more than half off the suggested retail price. We were looking for a kayak my wife and daughter could join me in. I have a 12ft Dagger Blackwater that I enjoy solo. Anyway, when I got the tandem Kayak home, I read some of the reviews. I was then worried, having never paddled it. I read about footpegs, I read about poorly designed seats, I read about warpage during storage and/or hauling. And yes, I read about the "hefty" issue of weight. Well, the verdict is still out on the warpage issue, since I just got it, but all my worries were put to rest about the other issues. (More on the weight issue later).
This kayak was as stable as I could have ever hoped for. My wife sat up front, my 5 year old daughter sat on a cushion behind her (we had to order the kids jump seat), and I paddled from the rear seat. The rear footpegs are in an odd place. But, they are usable. I only wear a size 10 shoe, so they may be a problem for someone with a larger foot. I can't see ever needing to move the rear seat, so the fact that it's not adjustable (front and back) is not an issue. The front seat does take some "finagling" to adjust. It's not as deep of a kayak as I would have liked, but I can live with it, for what we need it for.
Now, this thing does have some weight to it. I believe it comes in at around 72lbs., depending on how it is rigged. I'm a middle aged guy in decent shape, my wife is also middle aged and in decent shape. We don't have any problems loading or unloading this boat. However, if we had to carry it much more than 50 or 60 yards to get to the water, we would have to get one of those little two wheeled "thingies". All in all, when you take into consideration the low price we payed, we are very happy with this kayak, at this time. More later...