Product Reviews > Kayaks > Old Town Canoe > Heron

Reviews for Heron Kayak by Old Town Canoe

Rated: 7/10 Based On: 1 Reviews

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03-30-2001
Submitted by: Randy Byers - Rating: 7 of 10

This is my first kayak and primarily bought it due to price and the local dealer. At around $1000, I felt it was good value, fit my budget and I liked the way it tracked during long trips, I was greatly impressed with the tracking and the stability! The craft is very stable, ideal for beginners for either lakes or coastal areas, handled 2-foot white caps quite well but it feels "heavy" while paddling...quite a workout as far as I am concerned. A tail wind can really do a number on it, had to fight to maintain course, but into the wind, wow, like a bullet, really slices the white caps and swells! The cockpit is roomy but I am not real impressed with the room for the feet. One has to cock their feet to the side to have room enough for knees and placing feet on the pegs, perhaps most kayaks are like that but fact remains, I wish I could get my feet more verticle rather than canted to the sides. Seat and backrest are basic at best, they both need tons of padding. One's knee! s have to tuck up under the deck cowling and that requires some padding as well. Quality control on the manufacturing is questionable. No way that kayak weighs the 60 or so pounds that they claim, has to be heavier when compared to my canoe which is in that same weight catagory. Some flaws in the material and the cockpit cowling had apparently been cracked and then patched again at the factory before it was shipped as I was at the dealer the day they took it off the truck. Highly recommend the kayak for a beginner for lake and moderate coastal paddling. Priced right but knowing what I know now, if extra cost wasn't such an issue, I would have gladly spent the extra money and bought a better kayak from the start.

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