These were our first kayaks. We bought two to use in Florida in the winter and Maine in the summer. They arrived when promised; actually within a week. We went for our first paddle yesterday. They were very easy to paddle for us novices. The Manatee package is a great value--kayak, paddle and cockpit cover.
I am very, very pleased with my Manatee Kayak from LL Bean. I am just a beginner, 54 yrs old & kayak on nice calm mountain lakes. The cockpit is nice & roomy which makes it easy for me to enter & exit, since I have had both knees replaced. If I decide to take my small dog there is plenty of room for her. I have paddled 4 times so far with trips being from 2 hours to 4 hours and the seat was very comfortable. The kayak was packaged very well, cardboard on bottom & wrapped twice in heavy plastic. Freight company that delivered my mine was very helpful & nice; and the freight price was very reasonable compared to other places that I looked at. The paddle that was included with the package seems just fine to me & the cockpit cover is nice to use when I store it this winter. I am very pleased with LL Bean and would buy from them again. I loved the orange color. I ordered another kayak package for my sister-in-law at the same time, no problems & she is very pleased with hers also. Happy Paddling!!!
We are first time kayakers. We shopped around and salesmen were telling us we needed longer kayaks. I'm 5'8", my husband is 6'. After reading the reviews on these kayaks we decided to try these. Today was the first day we were able to take them out. WOW!!! There is plenty of room. They are very stable. I rocked from side to side and still felt very stable. They track excellent. We were going upstream and into the wind and we still did great. I was able to maneuver easily. The paddles are lightweight, I love the cockpit cover. I would highly recommend these.
