20 Best Boats For Rough Water (2023 Update)

Eco Fishing Shop provided excellent advice, the best price and delivery options. It was worth the wait and kayak arrived in estimated time and in good condition. The Sportsman 106 has plenty of space and storage for what I want. The chair is comfortable but I still may considers adding risers. This is my first PDL system so still getting used to it vs paddle power. I do find the PDL easy to engage and use especially while fishing. Some kind of carrying cart is beneficial for loading and unloading. This kayak is extremely stable and easy to get in and out of. I own three other kayaks for different water experiences. I’m 70 yrs young and figure this 106 PDL will be my go to for the lake I live on. It provides good exercise and fishing capabilities. I do recommend Eco Fishing Shop and Old Town for product and sales!John Z.

As an owner of a 2020 predator PDL, I was familiar with the PDL drive and loved the versatility of forward and reverse motion of the kayak. I wanted something smaller to just throw in the back of my pickup and go. The PDL 106 fit the bill for me perfectly. The shorter length coupled with the weight savings from the longer PDL make it much easier to load and unload. At 6’3” 250lbs I was worried that The 106 might take on a lot of water and considering they only include 2 scupper plugs I was a little worried. Turns out I didn’t need any scuppers and only had water standing on the deck when I stood to fish. So far very pleased with my purchase!Tim S.

I have to confess, I'm not a fisherman. But this boat will surely meet my requirements. I'm an active 80-year-old who likes to spend a lot of time outdoors, but COPD now limits my exertion level. I have biked and kayaked most of my adult life and now with e-bikes and e-kayaks I still can with a little assist from the battery. Eco Fishing Shop was very helpful with the purchase and shipping, answered all my questions. Kayak arrived undamaged last week as planned and is now set up to explore hundreds of remote lakes and ponds after ice-out in the spring. There is an extra space on the trailer for when my wife discovers how much fun this adventure is going to be and wants an MK106 of her own.David V.

Bought a couple of Intex Challenger K2 kayaks last year to dip my toe in the water on kayaking in general. Am totally hooked, so this year I decided to upgrade. I bought the Advanced Elements DS-XLT from AirKayaks and am very happy with the craft and my purchase experience. I wrote a very detailed review but for some reason AirKayaks hasn't posted it. They said it was flagged by their auto-review process and they never followed up even though I have reached out a couple of times. Which is too bad, bc I like to do detailed reviews! Short summary is that I love it and recommend it, and you can only get it from AirKayaks. I love all their reviews, guides, etc. The only con is weight…fully loaded (boat, paddle, pump) the bag weighs a good amount, and when the boat comes in from the water the inner lining can be pretty wet and it adds a few pounds. I wanted a second kayak so I bought the Deschutes 110. Knew it wouldn't perform like the AE but it's much, much lighter and much easier to dry, so I thought it would be a good second option, and I figured it would be an upgrade over the Intex. It's better than the AE in terms of ease of setup and ease of drying and storing by a good margin, but the AE is much better on the water. But compared to the Intex, believe it or not, I'd recommend the Intex. The Deschutes is absolutely not worth the price difference compared to the Intex. It's 6X more expensive, but it's not 6X better. -It's comparable tracking-wise and speed-wise. -It's MUCH easier to dry. The Intex is surprisingly labor intensive to dry and pack up. -It's stiffer and more comfortable. The seat is quite nice. -I like the foot bar. I don't think it's designed to be a foot bar, but I'm just the right height for it to be a foot bar. -It doesn't look like a toy. Sorry Intex, but your boat looks like a toy. Where I am EXTREMELY disappointed is it's durability. I took it out once on flat water, a location I have paddled a dozen times in my Intex and a half dozen times in my AE, and never had a problem. So after that first and only paddle on the CT River, I deflated the craft, brought it home, inflated it and left it to dry overnight, and when I returned in the morning one side had deflated. So I inspected and I found a very small hole…call it the size of a pencil tip. Bigger than a needle, but small enough that I didn't notice any deflation while I was paddling. I do not remember any impacts while I was paddling, and the leak was very, very slow, so I don't know if it was there when I purchased or if I hit something while paddling bc it stayed inflated while I was on the water. In either case, I'm now unhappy with the purchase. While I did patch it with the included patching kit, I am very worried that it's easy to puncture. To be clear, I'm not worried the patch will leak…I put a big piece of material on and a LOT of glue. I'm worried in general that it's easy to puncture. It popped after one trip! One! Frankly, based on how much patching material came with the craft, I am worried that Aquaglide knows it's durability challenges as well! There's a ton of material in there. I pinged AirKayaks to ask about a possible return and we went back and forth a little; they asked for a picture and asked a couple questions, but they stopped answering so I think I am stuck. I will say again that I don't know if it happened while I was paddling. It's 100% possible. But because I didn't feel any impact and I didn't seem to run into anything, I'm worried that it doesn't take a significant bump to pop it. Feels like if I run into or graze anything it's a patch job. So I am very concerned about any future excursions. Where can I even paddle where there isn't some danger of something under the surface? I actually bought the craft for my family to use while I use my AE; I don't think I am comfortable putting them in the craft. I don't want it to puncture while they are on the water. Too scary. So basically a tough $600+ lesson.Mike F.

PROS: 1) Easy to transport. I put the kayak, skeg, seat, wave deflector insert, repair kit, collapsible paddle, foot pump, paddle leash, small bilge pump and paddling gloves in the included backpack style carry bag. Add a pdf and small dry bag and you're set to go. It fits in almost any car trunk and weighs about 30 lbs fully packed. 2) Easy to assemble. Pump up 3 tubes, attach the seat and skeg, insert the wave deflector and it's ready to go. 3) Easy to paddle. Light and maneuverable, it's fast for an inflatable of it's short length. Good in calm, flat waters. 4) Easy to maintain. No inflatable floor means you don't have to remove the floor to completely dry the kayak before storing. Drys quickly and is easy to store. CONS: You will get wet if in anything other than fairly calm water. I have paddled this boat in a variety of waters ranging from Lake Ontario, several of the Finger Lakes, the Genessee River, and various canals and creeks. Some friends gifted me a small bilge pump after watching me paddle with the kayak half filled with water. Good exercise, but not recommended. The low freeboard allows waves to come over the front and side of the boat if there is a serious chop or wake from inconsiderate power boaters. Do not try to launch this boat in surf or serious whitewater – it will swamp. Once swamped it is difficult to empty – there is only one drainage hole in the rear of the boat. Nevertheless, I am extremely happy with this kayak, and if you use it understanding its limitations, you will be too.Kirk

I bought this kayak on Saturday to paddle around the lakes and gentle rivers in my area. I really excited about the purchase and looking forward to my time on the water. I took it on its inaugural trip, and it was unpleasant at best and potentially dangerous at works. Immediately I noticed it didn't track and every paddle stroke made the tip of the kayak veer. After I made it across the slow lake, I couldn't figure out why the return across the lake took forever as I was going with wind to my back. When I got out, I noticed that the kayak lost at least 1/3rd of its air in all chambers. Clearly air leaked out of the seams. Luckily I was in a lake and could have gotten myself to shore and not on a moving body of water. Don't buy this!Miems2021

Great customer service! They responded back quickly as I am sure there may be so many customers with questions and the overwhelming of these kayaks becoming so popular. The wait was well worth it as it gave me time to decide what accessories I wanted to get. I only had the AP 120 out once for six hours that only felt as if it was one hour ( had to get grandchildren from school) I would had been out for ten hours. Now I am waiting for a trailer to come because I am fifty one years old and with all the accessories I have it is too heavy to load. Awesome job to Old Town for such a fine kayak.Ronald H.

Had it on the water for the first time this weekend. Really enjoyed it! I am not used to having so much room on the deck. It took a little getting used to the iPilot remote but now I feel like I have it mastered. The spot lock was incredible! I sat in position whiile I changed the leader on the fly rod and did not have to worry about getting blown across the lake. It was very relaxing! It is heavy but I actually move it around better han the Big Tuna I had previously. Not a problem at all. Absolutely love it!!Scott

I have a paddle version of the AP 120 that’s $3000 less. This is for my wife. What can I say? It’s a $4000 boat. It’s orange and has an electric motor. It’s heavy. It is a $4000 kayak. The $1000 wasn’t good enough. The $2000 kayak wasn’t good enough. I wasn’t going to spend $3000 on one that wasn’t going to meet the expectations my wife had placed on the purchase. I paid $4000 for a kayak. It’s a $4000 boat.Paid4kforkayak

I love my pungo 120. Mine is from before skid plates. I have had to repair the rear fin. Love floating all day. Best ride and very stable. I can ride comfortably all day. Love mine so getting another.Ellen Schlie

Called and happened to reach the owner Bob, who patiently answered all my questions. Picked up my kayak that afternoon and met him by chance at a store where I stopped on my way home. Surprised by a stranger asking about it on the roof of my car; it was Bob thanking me for purchasing from him! Down-to-earth, honest guy. Travis, salesperson at the store, also answered my questions in a friendly, engaged and knowledgeable way. All around wonderful buying experience from a local store. Well worth the 2+ hour drive to and from my home. Highly recommend.Trent S.

We’ve had a few different kayaks and the Pungo 120 is, by far, the most comfortable. It’s easy to maneuver, tracks well, and we love the deck feature. The easily adjustable foot pegs have been an unexpected bonus as is the cockpit padding for your legs. Our only complaint, our rear hatches aren’t sealed properly. I thought it may have just been mine, but my husband's is the same. We’re on week two of a six week cross-country trip, so dealing with warranty stipulations is a hassle. Kind of disappointing with new (not cheap) kayaks.Cookie Davis

Service was great at Appomattox River Company. Odered on wed and Kayak was delivered the following Monday in perfect shape.. Took it it out the next weekend and was very happy with the comfort and stability. It was a liitle slower than my old fishing kayak but I expected that since it is heavier and wider. For the price and quality compared to many of the other fishing kayaks I looked at I feel it was a great value.Gary H.

Great fishing platform with plenty of room for gear and mods. Very stable allowing you to cast and set hook while standing if that is what you want. If that's not important to you get something narrower. Hull is 35" across and paddles like a barge. ok when alone but if paddling with group you will work to keep up.boat review

My Outlaw 11.5 Fishing kayak is a great purchase and a great price. Its not a fast paddle but a very stable fishing kayak that tracks well. Plenty of room to mod out and still stand and set the hook. I've only been on small lakes and ponds so far but should be fine on large lakes and streams with small rapids.Coachc

My order arrived just as quickly as promised -4 Days!! It arrived extremely well protected and it was obvious that the staff that shipped it not only knew what they were doing, they cared about what they were doing. This is a beautifully designed and constructed boat and it’s performance on the water reflects this. Way to go Cedar Creek and Old Town!!Ellen

UNBELIEVABLE. This may be the greatest thing ever. I owned bass boats for years but fell in love with Kayak fishing. This is the best of both worlds. The ability to fish a bank and hold your heading and spot lock is amazing. Catch a fish, hit spot lock, measure it and don’t have to worry about wind pushing you off your spot. Release the fish and start right back where you left off. Stability is amazing. I think I’m in love. Worth every penny!TraceyJohnson

Awesome kayak!!! This thing is unbelievable. I will keep this forever. I had an Old Town PDL before buying the Autopilot. No comparison. If you can afford it, buy it. You won't be sorry. Buying from Eco Fishing was perfect. Great price, shipping and boat showed up early and in perfect condition.Paul J.

My first ever kayaks. Simon and Andy in Edmonton helped me gear up my Sportsman 132 and my wife's Sportsman 120. These are so stable, so easy to manage. Old Town makes an amazing PDL kayak. I think the best of any out there. I was lucky to research them and found these. AQOutdoors is the only place to buy a kayak. They helped me set up my kayaks for fishing with Yackatack and Wilderness rigging. 2nd trip out, my wife is fishing because she feels so stable in her kayak. Awesome. Why did I wait so long to do this? It is such fun. Every person we pedal (not paddle) by they say I want one like that. AQOutdoors…well how did I find them. Luckily I Googled pedal kayaks and their site came up. They are the pro's when it comes to kayaks. Even the white water crazy stuff the young paddlers go for. Not me , I'll stick to cruising along fishing . Awesome.Ernie

Smooth order and delivery process – right at about 2 weeks but I did pick up at shipping terminal. the kayak is my first pedal kayak and my 3rd overall. I used an Ocean Kayak Big Game II and a Native Slayer 14.5 before this one. The pedal drive on this boat is amazing. The first time I took it out I did about 6 miles on the Ohio River. I was worried about how I would take to the pedaling recumbent motion. I will admit that I wasn't in the best shape and I did have to stop and take my legs of the pedals every so often, made several seat adjustments – which are super easy on this boat by the way. By about halfway through my trip, I was feeling more comfortable and leisurely pace was no problem and it was even feeling comfortable resting feet on the pedals – which is a good sign I had reached a good seat adjustment. The seat is higher than any other boats I've used and I think it helps make the pedaling more comfortable in terms of motion range. Other things – the seat is very comfortable, rudder works well, boat can move quickly if you pedal it with a good pace. Very happy with it so farKevin

I was in the market for an Old Town BigWater 132 pdl. Most of the sellers online were stating that it would possibly be the end of March for availability. I talked to a customer service representative at Eco Fishing Shop and he told me that hopefully they would have some by late January or February. I ordered mine on the 4th of January, It shipped on the 22nd of January. I received it yesterday on the 16th of February. An amazing job was done wrapping it and preparing it for shipping. The company that delivered it was called FragilPak and they were also top notch. The gentleman who delivered it helped me carry it inside the garage and he let me look it over to inspect for damage. The kayak is in perfect condition. I highly recommend Eco Fishing. The new kayak is awesome and I can't wait to try it out. I already own a TopWater 106 pdl so I have confidence that the new one will be just as good. Thank you Old Town, Eco Fishing and FragilPak.Daniel J.

Glad to finally have one of these inexpensive little boats in my possession. Perfect for in car trunk, allows me to fish deeper waters easily without lugging a canoe or kayak through a small trail, and doesnt involve waders and fins that a float-tube requires. The inflation serves as a good warmup before paddling around a lake. The quality of the material is what you'd expect for a 200 dollar fishing raft. A few notches up from your standard pool-toy material. The only complaints about the product would be the same that others have said, the paddles are sorta weak for how hefty they are, and the way it was folded in the package at the factory caused some creases in the vinyl that seem to have stayed even after two inflations. My hope is that these dont turn into stress point holes in the future, but if it does the low pressure needed to inflate this boat allows for easy sturdy repairs.janoca2

The included pump is more efficient than it appears. 9yr old and 6yr olds managed to do some inflating, which didn't take too long. The valve inserts allow the dinghy to be deflated pretty quickly for shoving into the boot of the car. So far it has given great pleasure this hot summer. I guess we are very fortunate to live by some lovely sandy beaches which make continuous use of the dinghy rather easy. We have added a sturdy rope to the bow end which is used for towing the girls along in the sea. No rowing in earnest has yet been attempted! We also take the garden spade to the beach (it builds bigger sand castles and deeper moats!) to drive into the sand, with rope attached to stop the dinghy blowing out to sea. It's easily done folks. A great buy and good value for money.joyspier

This boat set is tremendous value, and we find the quality of the boat and accessories is amazing for the cost. We have used the boat 3 times, and it takes us no time now to have it inflated and in the water. Some other reviewers railed against the included air pump, but I cannot understand why as it inflates the boat quickly and efficiently. In fact, friends of ours who went on an annual floatdown had brought a fancy bike pump with them, but found our inexpensive little pump to be far more efficient at inflating their boat. The oars are similarly sturdy, and have worked well as I have had to paddle the boat extensively on our 3 trips. Overall, we are super satisfied with this boat, and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a comfortable 2 adult plus one child or water loving dog ride!espositive

Super Boot, leider etwas laut hatte bereits diverse Reklamationen und leider ist das Steuerservo nach 10 Fahrten ausgestiegenUnknown author

the proprllar broke both times i used it second time i used it the rudders engine and propellar broke/fell off, if the company would make this durable it would be great its alot of fun until it breaks.buildups2013

Plenty of volume in the tubes to take plenty of weight. Alloy floor makes it heavy to carry out of the water but on the water it works very well. Needs a 5HP motor at lest to get it moving fast. As it is glued together it will be interesting to see how long it lasts before separation occurs.oldsalt57

I've had a Saturn Boat aleko Boat Bruce boat is the worst of them all they do not stand behind their product I've had nothing but problems with it I recommend going somewhere else they will take your money and not fix the problem. I've been going round and round with them and now they will not respond to my emails to fix the problem so I'm stuck with a junk boat that I cannot use. The boat falls apart handles were coming off they said they've never had that problem but they sent me out a new boat the handles were different told me use the floor for my old boat but the floors didn't fit the new boat so now I have two boats I cannot use and they won't fix the problem they are criminalshieoweu0

These rafts are the same as the tents, when it comes to mess to size. I bought one of these the venal seems to stretch a bit? Not a serious enough quality for river trips. I now have bought an Intex 4 raft, now that's a real inflatable boat w/ floor pump, oars and all ! If you just want to put around on the pond or lake maybe this would be o.k. But not for the real rivers. The Intex four is like night & day compared to this company's,s boat. For only another $40.JoseyW

The capacity of 4 people will be tight… 2 adults would be do-able but with very little cargo space…Boat says it will take a 4Hp Engine… high Quality and nice design… I can tell with great care I will get many years out of this …vintage-drums-collector82

Our 40 pound Beagle/Shepherd mix loves it! Perfect size for him. Breeze to inflate with a small inexpensive electric pump we had. I placed a rectangular box on the bottom and covered with a beach towel to prevent punctures. I plan on cutting a small body/boogie board to size with a serrated bread knife to protect the bottom and give it a bit more stability. I can’t speak to durability, but you need to be conscious of the dogs toenails and protect the boat accordingly. Overall, definitely worth the purchase price for a fun little boat for our spoiled pup who doesn’t like to get wet. He was very comfortable in it and had room for his stuffed bunny to be his second mate ;-)Edit to add;I took the styrofoam boogie board out of its sleeve and cut it to the size of the bottom of the boat with a serrated bread knife. I put the cover back on and it provides stability as well as puncture protection from the dogs toe nails for the bottom of the boat. See last two pictures I added. I drape a towel over the edge for him to rest his head and to keep his toes nails off the side of the boat. Very happy with this purchase!samkork

I purchased the 2-person raft in 2017 for about $25. It never fully filled with air and always folded a bit in the middle. It did come with paddles. It would not fit 2 grown adults. I'm a petite person and could sit in it with a child but not with another adult. It was not a reliable raft and you wouldn't want to take it out too far or for too long on a bigger lake, etc.After that first summer of trying to use it, we didn't use it anymore since it was not very usable for real "rafting" purposes. My tween kids put it in the pool instead and had fun with it until it finally refused to hold air at all anymore. As a result, I thought it would be nice to replace it for pool fun (knowing it wasn't good for more than that).So I came on to Amazon to rebuy it. Imagine my disappointment (and disgust, really) to see that the price was double what I originally bought it for. This raft is NOT worth more than 20 bucks or so. I will not be re-purchasing it. The kids can keep using inflatable tubes with the old paddles. Lol.EDIT: I saw this same raft at Big 5 Sporting goods store for 19.99. That's the price is should be at. If you want this raft or similar, look at your local stores instead of buying it here.Bookbosomed

For my purposes this worked ok – I wanted something a little roomier than a tube that I could somewhat steer instead of using my hands. It got me over rocky, shallow water and even through some little baby rapids, so that gets it a thumbs up. But it takes a ridiculous amount of time to inflate and deflate, even with an electric pump – which you have to stand there and jam into the valve the whole time, it's hardly any faster or less annoying than using the little hand pump -so that lowers the score considerably. The oars are kind of silly, wish they could be converted to a single kayak paddle, it would be easy to include another threaded adapter. And the idea that a 200 lb person could occupy this thing, let alone two humans, is a joke! This is a solo craft for people of average to slight build. But fun, not bad for the $.cgreen37

Good durable boat fun but strictly for leisure. Used it for some fishing trips but prefer the dinghy much better it is just too narrow. Now it is cool for just kicking back and also convenient and rolls up small. Not really ideal for a fishing rig but if this all you have it is better than nothing. If you are looking for a boat to relax go for it if you are looking for more aggressive outdoor activities there are better options at the same price on the market.shapie93

had a 2hp honda to start was dismal slow then put a 7.5 hp honda will plane if i extend the tiller and sit in the middle i plan on putting a 15 hp motor on it to be able to get closer to 20 mph only do about 15 with the 7.5 hp but overall its a nice boat larger tubes then the saturn but its heavier also need to run some extra layer on the bottom needs rub stripes down the middle and on the tubes and needs hand holds on the inside i do recommend you buy it over the saturn if you can stand the extra weight also the nose of the boat is turned up so it wont dig into the waves like a saturn willyeshua_27

This raft is best suited for towing or just laying in and floating around aimlessly on (1 adult or 2 kids). It is fairly deep so it is comfy to lay in and also stable for packing. The paddles are awful, you may as well throw those away right when you get them. Seriously, if you need to actually maneuver it you will want to use a different paddle/ore.the_swayz

Very thin material…didn't even bother using it, even though I could never squeeze it back into the box to get a refundJohn

This should only be considered a three-person raft if they are children. This would only hold two adults, realistically.Sherry

First off; the team at Eco Fishing was great. I got a good price and good service. The advice on rod holder, fish finder, and mounting gear was very good but I found once I unwrapped the boat and accessories, that the configuration was a little clunky with my round base mount Striker. Also, I did not realize that the transducer mount still might result in screws into the plastic hull. Currently working with the Eco team on a different solution and they are equally helpful. I may end up with some extra parts that I didn't need, but that's all part of the learning experience, and still good value. I definitely recommend this company and I am likely to buy another kayak from them as well as accessories in the near future.Stew S.

Love this kayak!!! I had previously owned and used other kayaks to fish out of that did not touch the stability of this model. Being able to stand up and cast without a crazy balancing act is awesome. The PDL drive is very useful when getting on a spot and needing to reverse pedal so not to drift into the area you want to fish. Your not going to break any speed records but it does move out at a good clip and im not a fit skinny kid. The dry storage is absolutely awesome and is abundant. Unlike several kayaks I looked at, this model not only has a built in mounting bracket for your fish finder puck, but it is recessed far enough to keep it protected underneath from getting scratched up. A family member bought the salty model and was seriously disappointed by the storage and the mounting bracket.CaptnJT

I love this yak! I mainly use it in the rivers and lakes of central Florida but have launched it from the beach on the Atlantic side. The boat is really stable but there are a few things I would change.

1.) The boat would be perfect if the deck space were 6-10” wider. Hobie kills the Old Town on deck space.
2.) The hatches are useless. I have the 136 wired up with all YakPower lights and wiring. The YakPower battery box does not fit in the middle hatch and a stand alone battery barely fits. Thus, the YakPower battery box takes up precious space in the stern cargo area.
3.) The bottom hull design has a lot of recessed areas. Whenever water makes its way in the hull, it is damn near impossible to get it out.
4.) The deck has a slight tilt to the stern of the boat. This forces the water that comes in the scupper holes to collect at my feet right below the seat. Also, what is up with all these scupper holes!?!?
5.) It would be cool if Old Town had more accessories like Hobie. I know they aren’t tying to be like Hobie but this yak has some serious potential.

The boat is awesome and knowing what I know now, I would still make this purchase. I sold my bass boat for this thing and I don’t regret it. The bass boat was too much and a paddle yak was not enough. This thing is awesome!Will Busick

I bought this kayak online for pick-up at Dick's, Hayden Island, Portland, OR and when they brought it out to load on my truck, it had a huge dent and long scrape on the bottom. They got the second one: same thing. They called their Lake Oswego store, which had two, so I drove 30 minutes to that store and the saleskid said theirs would be fine, because he just took it out of the box. You guessed it: not fine. Same big dent in the bottom. The display one was even worse, with two large dents and multiple scrapes. Obviously these were damaged in shipping, but a) why would they display a damaged boat, and b) if they're so great, why were they damaged even in packaging? I decided to look for a different boat, and had to take the "lifetime" claim as an aspirational, rather than factual, claim.DonnaHarley22

Know what you’re getting into for the price. It’s not really an angler kayak. It just has the rod holders and gear tracks. If you’re looking to casually fish around small bodies of water then by all means, this is the kayak for you. It also works for just kayaking around but not the best fishing vessel. Sitting for hours at a time will do a number on your legs and rear too because of the seat shape. It doesn’t handle wind well and doesn’t track great either. Some say no 10 ft kayak tracks well though. I’ve had this kayak for some time now and I’ve taken it on lakes, ponds, marinas, and rowed bait out from the beach (an interesting experience involving a few flips near the shore). The best experience I’ve had was in ponds and that’s where this kayak will shine for a casual angler. (Important notes: stability is ok/ can’t stand. It also seems throughout the trip my seat warps the plastic a bit and I’m 5’10 – 200lbs. Space is ok and I have an athletic build. Tank well space is ok)Winj

I bought 2 of these in lemongrass green and the beige recon fusion. The next morning the hull of the lemon grass had a concave about the size of a grapefruit right below the paddle holder cut out. Just sitting my garage overnight. I got the divot out, but noticed the hull to be very soft in this area on both side. Compared to the beige one is night and day. I am about 160# and putting most of my weight on the beige hull, I can barely push it in. On the green one I can push it in with my pinky. I took it back to Dick's the next day and exchanged it for a blue one. Same thing is occurring. The blue hull is very soft in a couple places and easy to push in with one finger. I wanted 2 beige kayaks but all the stores around me only had the one. I know plastics and know for certain that white and light colored plastics uses a lot more titanium (Ti02). You cannot get the darker colors with too much white pigment in the plastic. My guess is the Ti02 in the beige color makes the hull more sturdy. I am going to keep the blue kayak because no one has any more beige. Really wish I could get another beige one though. Took them both out on the water and caught some nice fish in them both, but the soft hull in the blue one is still very concerning.KBfish

I don’t fish I just got this as a beginner kayak and tested it on calm river waters. I weigh 100 lbs and even then balancing it was difficult and it seemed to lean to the right. The kayak cannot stay straight and I could barley get a good clip when it came to speed. It filled with water and it seemed like it was working against me in the three hours I used it. It will get you on the water from point a to point b but that’s about it.Ranina Ventura

The reviewers who mentioned that it doesn't track are exactly right. We have a Heritage Angler 10 (made by the same parent company) that is a night and day difference. The Sun Dolphin Journey does not track whatsoever, and when you stop paddling you just start to spin. It also does not have a very hydrodynamic hull, so you're pushing water out of your way rather than cutting through it. There are no side handles so strapping it down isn't easy. No seat pad, so you need to buy that separately, and the seat reclines too far for me. The rear container is removable, which is cool, but it isn't watertight. We did not capsize but still had half an inch of water in it after a 2.5hr trip. The scuppers are plugged from the factory now, so you won't get water in that way, but now there's no way to drain it. People have concerns with stability, and they are well-founded. We tested this in our pool against the other kayak and this one capsizes at a much lower angle than the other. It's a couple inches narrower, so that may contribute to it, but it seems like too low of an angle for it to flip like that, especially compared to our other 10' fishing kayak. Props on the little dry storage right in front of the seat. That's nice, as is the water bottle holder in front of where the rod holder goes. All in all we are extremely disappointed in this. Spend a little more and avoid this one at all costs. We will be replacing it ASAP.BayouPaddler

The Sun Dolphin Journey 10 SS Kayak is horribly unstable and unbearable to use, it’s a major piece of junk. This is an honest review and not sugar coated. I am 6ft tall rather skinny and 185lbs and have used a few other kayaks with no issues. The Sun Dolphin hull design is horrible for tracking, mine was tracking horribly to the right to where I had to paddle 3 hard paddles on the right (to push it left) and only one little paddle on the left. The tracking issue is with the hull design and it will be horrible at tracking for every single Sun Dolphin Kayak that is made with the same design even the Destin and other similar models. I have seen vids of others stating their Journey tracked horribly to the side also. I extended the foot adjusters all the way out and my legs and kneecaps were sticking up so bad the paddle hit them the whole time. It absolutely is not made for anyone that is taller than 5ft 6in tall. The leg pads were no help as they were too far out and couldn’t be used to rest my legs on. The paddle is aweful, lots of water splashes around, the grooves hold water. The rod holder in the middle is junk, it clinks and pulls in and out easily each time you get your fishing pole out of it, to where when you pole comes out it falls back in the slot and makes a loud clack, every time you take the pole out. I had to put silicone caulk under all of the screws and accessories as they were not waterproofed. It doesn’t have handles in the middle of the kayak so that one person can load and unload it without dragging it on the ground, it was a challenge moving it around as one person, you need 2 people to move it around anywhere. It was super slow in the water and I struggled to keep up with my friends $250 Lifetime Tamarack Angler. Being that I had a horrible experience with the Sun Dolphin Journey 10 SS and would never recommend one to anyone. In fact I would highly discourage it. That brings me to try my friends Lifetime Tamarack Angler and it was night and day difference. The Tamarack was better made, my legs fit flat, it was super stable, I actually tried to flip it and couldn’t. I felt like I could paddle miles comfortably with the tamarack angler. The tamarack had all of the features that the Sun Dolphin did except the Sun Dolphin didn’t have the 2 handles in the middle so 1 person can carry the Kayak. Also the Tamarack anglers rod holder was much better than the junky holder that came on the Sun Dolphin. So over all the Sun Dolphin is a big piece of junk and I would recommend buying the Lifetime Tamarack Angler instead. They are similarly priced. I brought back this piece of junk Sun Dolphin Journey 10SS and ordered the Lifetime Tamarack Angler in which I am very pleased with.Camoguy

After fishing several sit-on-top kayaks for 20 years, I decided to test sail a Hobie 12 Pro-Angler. I was sold after one minute of pedalling! It is fast. It has a rudder. It has a verrrrry comfortable seat. An all day seat. Not like most kayaks seats that make you butt miserable after a few hours. It has storage. It has rod holders. You can fish while moving, not like the paddle kayaks. Keep your rod in your hand, not your paddle. If you are really into fishing, get the Hobie crate for the back, or make your own. It holds extra gear and four fish poles upright. I mounted a Lowrance fish finder and a Power Pole anchor. And Amarine stainless steel rod holders on either side of the seat onto the rear legs. They are $18 bucks and great quality. Check Amazon. Great for trolling. Place the rods in the holders, get a drink in your hand, and start pedalling. No way would I go back to paddling. Oh – shallow water? No problem. Push one leg forward and lock the flippers up against the hull and drift over the shallows. Same as a paddle kayak. Are they expensive? Yes and no. Compared to a paddle kayak, yes. Compared to a fishing boat, no. You will not be sorry.hewes16

If your looking for a kayak or just anything related to outdoor activities the team at Eco fishing shop have you cover. A+++ customer service and best price anywhere with free shipping can’t beat that if your ordering a kayak because other business will charge you around 4-6 hundred. overall great serviceSoua L.

Great experience overall, the Kayak came in basically perfect condition (there's one very small nick, near one of the rails which is relatively unnoticeable). Shipping was easy as well, PaddleVA set up freight with Old Dominion (OD), they gave me a call to schedule a drop of time and was seamless. Even the driver was very pleasant and gave me a hand with unloading it to my drive-way. The kayak came wrapped like a tank, (the driver actually made a comment how he was even surprised by how well wrapped and protected the kayak was. Overall a 6/5 experience (caught a nice pickerel on it's maiden voyage as well)ROBERT M.

This is my second ocean kayak and I'm not disappointed. Great stable hull that tracks well and isn't too sluggish even with the XL's size. Got this to get family out on water more this summer and so far it's been great. Enough room for myseld and two kids (+small dog) and not feeling cramped. I'm not a fan of Ocean Kayak's "gaspachi" hatches but it's easy enough to install a locking "solid" hatch instead although finding an 8" hatch to fit the oval hatch area is challenging.Ben K.

We purchased the Ocean Kayak Malibu XL Angler and couldn’t be more pleased. It arrived within the expected timeframe without damage. We ordered this tandem kayak so we could take our young kids and also use it for fishing. It’s heavier and longer than a lot of kayaks, but we know it would be going in. We took it for its maiden voyage this past weekend and all loved it. We hadn’t previously purchased through Moosejaw before, but we’re pleased with the customer service (they reached out shortly after we received the Kayak to check on how delivery went). On top of that, we received rewards for buying through Moosejaw that paid for one of the paddles. Very cool!ryan

We purchased this kayak 4 years ago and have gotten many different uses out of it. Oahu can have some rough days on the water and we've put it to the test. It's easy to climb in and out of if you want to jump out for a swim. From taking our dog out, exercise, and fishing. I installed 2 internal fishing rod holders, which later became the mount for our rod rack. We eventually became clever enough to put a trolling motor on it with great success. We drag trolling lures or enjoy bottom fishing. I would highly recommend doing your research before doing what we did so you do not damage or compromise the hull. Overall it's a great kayak. My wife and I have no problems loading or unloading it in the truck. Everything has held up over the years. The only thing I would recommend is investing in better seats if you plan on fishing. The saddle style seats have little to no cushion or back support.Steve