Love this thing. It's easy to handle, by myself, and so much fun. I like the package features (oar and cockpit cover); when it arrived, i just hopped in and started paddling! It's roomy, feels secure and sturdy, and not too "tippy." My husband wants one now, as it's a lot more comfortable than his canoe.
We expected to love this kayak given all the positive reviews but it just did not perform as expected. It doesn't track very well and doesn't feel very stable. It sort of bobbles along. We are used to an Old Town Loon 111 which is a foot longer but a much better handling kayak.
I bought this stand alone in aqua blue at a LLB outlet without all the extras included in a package for very reasonable money. I have since easily and cheaply outfitted it myself for fishing by adding a paddle, paddle grips, paddle tether, trolley system anchor, stick on ruler, and adjustable rod holder on back deck. It tracks quite well and I can load it fairly easily myself on top of my Corolla by putting a blanket over back window and trunk, sliding yak up onto a rack, flipping it over for better aerodynamics, and strapping it down. Rear hatch cover is quite difficult to reinstall but, I never take it off opting to just throw items in rear by folding seat down. Seat is quite comfy with adjustments for height and lean plus decent thigh support. Also nice that seat is made to be easily folded down with built in bungee cord to hold it in that position while transporting. The hull is made of a very rugged material so can take some abuse on/off the water. I have paddled/fished for 6 hours with no strain.
I bought 2 of the manatee deluxe packages for my wife and I. We researched kayaks for sometime and found these to be an excellent buy especially when they had the 20% off sale. We have used them several times and the are great. They are easy to load, manuver and great fun. Found they are very comfortable even after 4 hours in them. We found the salesman at the store very helpful, he took the time to make sure we were well taken care of. I can't say enough good things abouy him. You don't get this kind of help at the big box stores. I would highly recommend this package for the recreational kayaker. I hope to get many years of fun out of these.
