Ascend A10

I'm new to paddling, and this is my first kayak. I bought it so I could bring my lab-sized dog with me. Great little boat. The dashboard lets you grab your coffee or whatever right away. The seat is super comfortable and never traps water. Wish it had foot pegs, but I solved that by getting a small plastic tub (which I use to carry my sponge, gloves, etc. to the launch site) then turning it upside-down and shoving it in the bow. The drain plug is in a dumb location, but that's a minor quibble.

My only beef is that it isn't faster, probably due to the raft-shaped hull. When I went out paddling with friends, I had to work my tail off to keep up with them. Paddling alone with my dog, it's not an issue.

Overall, I am very pleased with my A-10 kayak.

My comments are similar to others. I'd never had a kayak but I'd fished out of one I borrowed from my son and I did not like the fact that there was little open space to store stuff. So I wanted a kayak that had open area kind of like a canoe does. I looked on line and the cheapest thing I saw that had anything close to acceptable space was around $700. Then one day I was in a Bass Pro Shop and saw some Ascend A-10s. EXACTLY what I was looking for with all the open space. Also VERY affordable. Got one and I think it's one of the best purchases I ever made.

Great value. Great to fish out of. Also have no trouble keeping up with my son when he tries to paddle fast in his kayak that cost him like $1300 six or seven years ago.

I own a recreational kayak, a Future Beach Fusion 124, which is a solid entry level kayak. I love to fish so that's mostly what I do in my kayak. The Fusion was nice but there wasn't much room to haul things. I found the Ascend A10 on the internet and began researching it to see if it might work for me. I found one in the town I live in so I went to the marine store and bought one. By the way, they sold it to me at the regular price and included a $60 paddle for free. Great deal.

The first time I took the A10 out on a fishing trip I was impressed with how well it tracked. The hull design has a lot to do with that. It isn't the fastest kayak on the water but is adequate for what I need. The thing I love is the open storage area. I have the 2013 model so it is completely open behind the seat. It stores a large tackle box, cooler, bag, or just about anything you'd need on a fishing trip.

The kayak is very stable. It rocks a little more than my flat-hulled Fusion 124 but is very stable nonetheless. The seat is a removable steel framed seat with nylon mesh seat and back. Very comfortable for paddling and fishing. Very cool because of the mesh. The only thing it lacks is foot pegs. Not a big deal, since I can add them for around 30 bucks. It's a great platform to customize into whatever configuration you like. I am going to add a small water-proof storage bin and some rod holders. I may add an anchor system as well.

All in all, I love the A10 and for $300 you can't go wrong.