I have owned the Advantage Edge for about a year. It is a really nice recreational kayak for the money. The side nets are nice for keeping things in and little storage box up front is nice and fits snug.
As mentioned the seat angle is not good for paddling. I fixed that by putting a couple pieces of pool noodle behind the seat for the proper angle...works great! It is not a fast kayak but that's the trade off for the width of the kayak.
It is a easy kayak to get in and out of. And makes a day on the water enjoyable.
I rented this boat in Scappoose, OR and had a great time. The length says 12'9", but with the overhang, the waterline is more like 12'. The seat was comfortable and the net bags by the seat were very useful. The cockpit is quite long, but I have seen videos of people in class 2 with these. If you can ferry glide, they would work fine in class 2.
I recently rented a Potomac 12, and this paddled much more like a touring kayak than the Pelican. It doesn't track like a dedicated sea kayak, but did have a nice glide, keeping straight with just a touch of the paddle. Both lazy pace and easy cruising speed were very easy to maintain. For fun, I pushed it to my limit, and it was very quick.
The entry and exit provide a quiet ride--no hull slap. The width could be 2 inches less, but that would cut down on the max load. This would be a nice day touring boat. I would want to stretch my legs every two hours, but that would be true in any kayak. It has an unbeatable combination of sub-50 lb. weight, speed, comfort and price. The flattish bottom would not be ideal in severe weather, but it is not designed for that, and the soft chines give a secure feel in average waves.
I am seriously considering adding one of these to my fleet as I want a fast solo rec kayak.
Had a chance to paddle this boat recently. Tracks reasonably well, is light weight and easy to carry, and stable on the water. It comes with a stern bulkhead and hatch, has a netting stowage pocket on either side of the cockpit, and an odd "glove compartment" under the deck just forward of the cockpit that is sized to hold a small dry box that comes with the boat. The cockpit is large enough without being overly huge. It has a somewhat unusual look in that the grab handles are molded-in plastic holes that protrude on the bow and stern.
While it was a fun boat to paddle about, I feel there are a few issues with the boat a prospective owner should be aware of:
- Stowage nets while these are nice they don't really secure anything. If you flip, what's in them will likely come out.
- Dry box - its a nice touch, but there is no way to secure it in the space provided. Any webbing that may be used to secure it could present a potential entanglement hazard.
- Carry handles these are comfortable but could be a safety hazard. If your hand is through the handle and the boat twists whether from wind, current, or anything else, it could potentially injure your hand.
- Hatch covers these are the two piece lid and inner neoprene cover type (I have one on another boat, and am not a fan of the style). The Advant-Edge has a flexible plastic outer lid held in place with two bungee loops. Don't count on the hatch being watertight - I continually found water in the stern compartment, whether from a leaky bulkhead or the hatch I could not tell
- Bow flotation typically a foam pillar on this level boat, there is none in the Advant-Edge. One needs to be careful when strapping the boat to a rack.
- Seat while the padded, molded-in seat was comfortable to sit in, I found the angle of the back did not encourage good paddling posture and there was no way to adjust it adequately.
So there you have it handles nicely on the water, easy to cart around, stable, but has what I feel are some issues. Depending on your price point, it would make a nice boat to toss into the pond on a warm summer day.Update to 2007, after 2 years of usage. I notified the company about the foot rests, and they promptly mailed me at no cost replacements, since the originals had problems.
I still find the fixed seat not able to support my back after an hour or less. They sell a high back seat, but I am not sure it fits this model.
I do like this kayak I have tried several and used several over the years. I bought this because I found it on sale and got a good deal on it. the kayak was fast and maneuverable. Unlike some other reviewers of this kayak I made a point of adjusting the footpegs while I was still at the boat launch so the ride was smooth and comfortable. I found the seat to be comfortable as well.
I like the net bags on either side of the seat and I also like the storage space behind the seat and the storage hatch in the back. What I didn't like was the glove box in the front it was in the way of my size 12 shoe even though the boat was advertised as having enough room for boots. Emotion includes a dry box that is supposed to float and be waterproof. My box floated but was not watertight.
Finally I like the carry handles on each end being molded into the kayak because it makes tiedown of the boat very easy. I would not hesitate to recommend this as a kayak to someone looking for a good all around boat.
I have a hard time rating this, as this is the second kayak I have ever used. So I'm just writing from experience now. I've used this kayak now 4 times, all in a pond or quarry. It moves fairly easy through the water and I feel I'm getting decent speed from it.
It seems to stay on course somewhat decent (tracking?). When there are mini waves/chop however it wants to go with it. This could be normal, I'm fairly new to this.
Getting in and out is not too bad. Like the previous reviewer, I had the foot pegs set way to low, which made for a very uncomfortable ride!
Overall at this point, I'm happy with the purchase price of $300 on this kayak. I wish it was a tad bit wider to accommodate my physique and have a bit more room on the side pockets. This would also help with a place to mount a rod holder for fishing.
I feel with a bit more use and some guidance from others on technique this kayak could be very good.
BTW I love the built in handles!!!