Product Reviews > Kayaks > Heritage Kayaks > FeatherLite 12

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04-29-2013
Submitted by: Steve jordan - Rating: 10 of 10
     I have two 2007 Heritage Angler Featherlite 12.5 and have had many years of fun. My dad owns a Wilderness Tarpon and my kayaks are far more functions than that heavy barge my sister owns a Necky Elisa that is almost inoperable my kayaks can be used by all. Those other kayak spend the rest of the season in the shed and everyone wants the Heritage when it's time for a ride. My father has bought a second kayak because he is unable to lift his Wilderness Tarpon that "tracks well" but takes skill and effort to turn in he bought a blast for 100$ he has more hours on an entry level kayak than his tarpon all these reviews I have read I cannot believe. I have had the chance to ride a perception as well and tippy doesn't begin to describe it's ride and the Necky is in the same class. If you like playing with skegs and taking a unwanted swim I recommend those.

Pound for pound Heritage is the best; so sad to hear that they are out of business I have had several offers from friends and family to buy my used kayaks and my family is looking for more heritage kayaks so any if you unhappy heritage owners should contact me for resale!

07-27-2011
Submitted by: mudpuppy75 - Rating: 1 of 10
     I don't own a Featherlite 12, but my father-in-law does. I've paddled it on two occasions. The first when I was a new paddler. All I did was turn in circles. The second time, I was a much more experienced paddler having paddling many miles in several different boats. I concur with the previous reviews. This boat will not track. There is a design or manufacturing flaw with this boat. Hands down, this is the worst boat I've ever paddled. When we travel to my in-laws home, I'll rent a kayak before I'll paddle this thing.

07-25-2011
Submitted by: GFR - Rating: 1 of 10
     DO NOT PURCHASE A HERITAGE FEATHERLITE 12! Based on the design characteristics and potential manufacturing defects, some Featherlite 12's will not track at all.
Like other posts on this product, after a reasonable cruising speed, the boat will begin to hook to the left requiring aggressive correction strokes to straighten out. DON'T BOTHER CALLING HERITAGE AS THEY WILL NOT HELP YOU. They will insist there is nothing wrong with the boat and refer it back to the dealer. It's not a dealer issue, Heritage should take responsibility, but they won't! IMHO, anyone looking for a fun to paddle recreational kayak should steer clear of this product, look at other brands. Heritage says they see opportunity in the recreational market, but if this is their response to problems they may not be as successful as they like. Read the other posts on this site and others, there is a "common theme" with some Featherlite 12's and Heritage should "fess up."

07-19-2011
Submitted by: maf - Rating: 3 of 10
     I bought one two years ago and I hate it. It does not track at all. It goes well into the wind but other than that I have to drag my paddle to keep it going straight. That means I can't keep a steady speed and easy pace. I have two other kayaks and I love them.

06-20-2011
Submitted by: Doug - Rating: 1 of 10
     Don't even think about buying this kayak without a test paddle. I recently purchased a new FeatherLite 12 which I had to return because it would not track straight and only go in circles due to a warped bottom. Heritage is well aware of this quality issue but unwilling to resolve it or acknowledge it. This is very unfortunate as I have an older FeatherLite which tracks straight and an enjoyable kayak.

09-01-2010
Submitted by: TimoTexas - Rating: 3 of 10
     Just wanted to do a follow up on my last post, The 12 Heritage Featherlite 2009 models seam to have some issues with deformed bottoms (thas why they dont track well). We have an older model of the 12 & the 10 rt & they both do very well on speed & tracking. I have also noticed that the fouth 12 Heritage that I bought is deformed to just not as bad as the other three.

Backcountry has ben working with me & the maufactor to do a FACTORY WARRANTY CLAIM. Like I say we have an older model of the Heritage 12ft featherlite Kayak & it will out run all are other kayaks. The best track Kayaks we have are the Victory Blast but the seats are very hard on your bottom side...LOL.
We also have a few of the 10ft Pelicans & my kids love them.

08-27-2010
Submitted by: Timo - Rating: 3 of 10
     This Kayak is comfortable but does not track well at all. I bought 4 of them from Backcounty & 3 of them are deformed on the bottom. My brother & I have been Kayaking for years and have 10 other Kayaks. I would give it a 10 for comfort for the (soft Seats) but a big Zero on tracking.

07-02-2009
Submitted by: cthoms - Rating: 6 of 10
     Although this is still a good yak for the money, I'd never buy another. It's pretty comfortable and equipped really well, but it doesn't track worth a lick. I've battled it for a couple of years now, adjusting my seat and arse, but still cannot figure it out... seems like it wants to be in NASCAR because it always wants to go left.

03-17-2009
Submitted by: Hip - Rating: 1 of 10
     I agree with the last post. The ONLY kayak I never test paddled. WHAT A MISTAKE!!!!!! I bought it thinking it was a simple rec. yak and it would be fine. It would track straight then for no reason veer off... usually to the left... and nothing short of almost stopping could bring the front back around! It would do it right but not as much as left. It baffled me so I brought it back to the place I bought it and he brought out another and I paddled the other and the guy there paddled mine. It did it for him and the other one did it to me. He was baffled as well. I said this sucks... I don't want this and they took it back.

We traded it for a Necky Zoar Sport for my girl and I ended up with a 09' Wilderness Pungo 140. Now that is what I expect from a kayak! The Heritage Featherlite 12 left a bad taste in my mouth and I think the salesmen was a bit surprised as well. He is a good guy and has been kayaking for YEARS. I've been at it for 3 and knew something wasn't right the first day. I'm glad to get rid of that thing! It was all work and no fun. The design should be trashed.

09-15-2008
Submitted by: n2minis - Rating: 6 of 10
     I got a chance to kayak in thie featherlite 12 today that my friend had. I am not a fan of the boat personally. I thought I would really enjoy the boat since it was longer than most ones i kayak in (I usually do 10 ft.), but it would not track well. Kept turing all kinds of ways and I have been kayaking for a couple of years now. It did have a high seat back, so that was good and the cockpit was good size, not too open, not too closed. The other is that when one sits it in, you are higher up than other sit-in kayaks, which I prefer to sit lower down. Not as stable either as I have found others to be.

10-01-2007
Submitted by: jimtex222 - Rating: 8 of 10
     After paddling a few kayaks I decided on a 12 footer (easy to handle, carry etc...) 30" wide (stable,roomy etc) and the Featherlite 12 fit the bill however despite the name it really isn't light at 51#.

I got the fishing version with (2) flush mounted rod holders installed in back but I don't like the back paddle spray getting my reel wet so I intend on getting an upright front mount soon. The boat tracks excellent into the wind but tries to turn sometimes with a tailwind so I have to paddle hard from one side or another sometimes to stay in line however I'm learning a little body english to guide easier.

In general, the boat is rather fast and stable with lots of room for a 12 footer and I adjusted the seat to support my back comfortable all day. For the price this is an excellent bargain that serves its purpose as an all around kayak that seems to do everything good.

10-01-2007
Submitted by: mmm - Rating: 10 of 10
     For my first kayak I shopped and compared several brands to be used for light fishing and recreation on the Brazos River which is normally a slow flowing river. I was about to buy a Pelican SOT but after reading all the reviews I backed off and went for the Heritage Featherlite 12.

I am 6' & 225 and it is PERFECT for me! Easy to handle, great stability, and tracks nicely. My 3 year old grandson can sit in the dry well behind the cockpit and has a ball in it. Definitely a 10 in my book.

08-21-2007
Submitted by: psychofisher - Rating: 9 of 10
     Gotta love Heritage. They don't make the roughest kayaks on the market (Ocean Kayak does) but they do make user friendly ones.

Bought my Heritage 12 as a blem and after a quick fix got me a full angler version. Been using her for fishing all over Narraganset Bay, RI and found her to be reliable, easy to paddle, extremely stable and capable of carrying a lot of gear. For 450/500 you can't go wrong with Heritage.

Only point subtracted is due the foot pegs, There isn't really room for size 9 and up, after a couple of hours you'd wish you were footless. Other than that an exceptional value for the money.

01-08-2007
Submitted by: Hellsent - Rating: 7 of 10
     I have to agree that the seat isn't very comfortable after spending more than a few hours in it. But overall I think it's a pretty good boat. It tracks well, is very stable and with a spray skirt stays very dry. In Iowa, I paddle and fish mostly flat water but also spend a lot of time on the rivers and creeks. For this purpose I find the boat to perform exceptionally well.

03-15-2006
Submitted by: banzijack - Rating: 10 of 10
     Well worth the $.My first kayak. I love it. plenty of room & fast.

12-26-2005
Submitted by: vic47 - Rating: 9 of 10
     This is my first boat and I love it. Im a big guy and I fit it well. I can paddle all day in this boat. I may try a S.O.T. like a redfish next.

09-07-2005
Submitted by: cyclemattstl - Rating: 8 of 10
     The kayak is perfect for my needs: fishing lakes and shallow rivers. It tracks and moves well. The seat is awfully uncomfortable, but a type IV PFD behind the back makes it ok. The rod holders require a rod with a fairly long butt; I lost a rod with a short butt overboard but fortunately it landed on top of some weeds.

08-03-2005
Submitted by: --- - Rating: 8 of 10
     I am a newbie and purchased this boat because of price...I plan on using it on the rivers and lakes of Northern Lower Michigan. Seems to work OK for my needs, I have only have been out 4 times. The fit and finish is average/ok, other rec boats that I looked at had better seats. For the money I am happy!

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