Ascend D10 sit in

I recently bought a d10 from bass pro. Overall I am absolutely thrilled, the boat tracks very well and glides through the water nicely with decent speed. I personally love the open cockpit and the amount of storage this boat has, however I paddle ALOT of deep and large lakes, and didn't think of how quickly I would take on water. The boat does pretty well in waves but I need to find a decent bilge system to feel confident in the large waves of the weekend warriors.

Bought this kayak 5 years ago and have not been disappointed since. Got it to use while my sit on top was being repaired. I was very suprised for the pricepoint how great this kayak is. Tracks well and my favorite feature is the seat is actually a beach chair! I use it all the time when we go ashore to picnic. I've had friends of all sizes tell my they were all comfortable in it. A couple have even purchased their own after using mine. I feel this is a great kayak for first timers or well seasoned paddlers.

I have owned a red/black Ascend D10 for about 4 years. It has been paddled down the Brazos River from Lake Whitney dam twice and has completed 50 miles of the Buffalo National River. It makes a decent weekend touring kayak if I pack fairly light.

The seat is comfortable at first. After hours of sitting in it, I do begin to feel uncomfortable pressure points. It is manageable, however. The seat back is adjustable and I have not had it fail yet. I can see how it could if treated with anything other than finesse, but it should be easy to repair with standard 1" webbing hardware.

Most of the storage space is behind the seat. Even with no gear in the back the kayak floats slightly stern deep. The seat is NOT adjustable forward/backward so trimming can be difficult without storing gear (weight) on the bow deck (raising your center of gravity) or between your feet in the bow which feels cramped to me anyway.

For rigidity the kayak is molded with a full length keel. I have learned to really not appreciate this "feature". I understand it's needed to keep the hull from flexing, but it catches on rocks or other obstructions causing unwanted turns in currents. The keel just sticks down too deep for my liking, but the overall draft is not terrible.

Because of the open design and low freeboard (when loaded with camping gear), the D10 is somewhat of a wet float in anything but calm flat water. I weigh 220 lbs. and typically carry about 20 lbs. worth of gear for camping out. I would not want to take it up to its advertised 300 lbs limit without being able to perfectly distribute the weight.

This may sound like a lot of negatives, but I actually think it has a great cost to benefit ratio. It is extremely durable and I have scraped many boulders and rocks with it. It is in great shape and I have no worries about its resilience. How many kayaks will take you touring down river for $450.00?

In hind sight, I think the A10 may be a better value. I do not think the rear "cover" or foot pegs are worth the extra money.

This is a great sit on top model. It is fairly heavy (about double a sit in at 66lbs). It is fairly slow but I do mostly down river stuff so it works well. It is a real good gear hauler with a max capacity of 350lbs.

I recently purchased the Ascend D10 from Tracker Marine for $400. For the price it's a great kayak. It tracks straight, it can move at good speed, and has plenty of room for gear. It's 29" wide but very stable. It does not feel unstable or "tippy" while paddling but I'm able to turn in a tight circle. The draft is very shallow. I was able to pass over submerged logs that were only 4 inches or so submerged without issue. I like the light weight (50lbs or so )and short length(9.5ft). It makes it easy to manage on shore and get to remote areas on the water. This kayak is great for getting into the small coves and tight areas that larger boats cant access. I'm sure there are more expensive sit in kayaks that will do a great job but the entry level price tag this kayak along with it's solid performance keeps me happy.

Just got the Ascend d10 2015/16 model.very disappointing. I own the 2010 model and love it. The 2016, has a nice seat, and can handle shallower water better... that's why I gave it a 5. Unlike the 2010 it does not handle high winds water comes up over the bow with 10 mph winds. Will keep it so as not to hurt hubbys feelings but would not be disappointed if the boat is stolen.

As for Ascend and their customer service... awful, just awful. Trying to get information about my 6 yr old boat, basically was told I'm SOL... bass pro will never get my buss. Again neither will Ascend. Would not of bought the 2016 model, hubbys surprise. If I could find another 2010 model I would snap it up in a sec. Otherwise, find another brand w/ better C.S. Avoid Pelican as well.

The Bass Pro Ascend D10 is quite an incredible kayak at a very affordable price. My girlfriend and I kayak quite a bit and she just had to get a purple colored Kayak. The only one I could find in her price range was the D10. This kayak has proven to be a performer. It has quite a comfortable "Lawn Chair" style seat and she has yet to get fatigued in it even after long paddles. The yak is pretty light and easily transportable from vehicle to shoreline. In the water, this kayak tracks very well and is quite fast.

The secret luxury to this kayak, at least for us, was the first time we took it kayak camping. Because the cockpit is generously opened up both in front and behind the seat, the amount of gear you can put in this is amazing. No dry storage so dry bags are a must, but my girlfriend had no problems putting all of her gear, and other camper’s gear on her yak without feeling cramped. The only downside that I can see for some yakers would be the inability for this yak to be fitted with a spray skirt. But, we have had it on the water in when it has been in the 40s, and all she does is wear rain gear. She is a little more observant on how she works her paddle to minimize drippage inside the yak, but kayaking is a wet sport. She nor I have had any issues with colder weather paddling with the lack of a spray skirt. That being said, we are not taking it on the ocean either, LOL.

This kayak is a great entry/ intermediate level kayak for the price and I have used several models to include dagger, Old Town, and others. I actually own an Old Town Vapor, and I think the D10 performs a little better with tracking, speed, storage, and stability.

Overall, the Ascend D10 is a great beginner/intermediate kayak. I've never been in a Pungo, Dagger, or Prodigy or any of the higher end popular models, so I can't compare it to those, but the Ascend is a great kayak for $400. Tracks very well, is relatively fast, is stable, and light enough to easily hoist in/out of the bed of a truck. I've been on lakes with it and it tends to turn to the right a bit if you stop paddling, but it doesn't stop like an anchor as I've seen in plenty of other similar models. I generally use it on slow to moderate flowing streams in Michigan. Usually a lot of bends on the rivers I paddle, and a lot of timber in the water that creates challenges. This kayak turns on a dime and can move quickly on long straight reaches.

Seat is well made and comfortable. It feels like you sit low in the water, but I'm still amazed when it glides over shallow waters that I expected to bottom out on. I'm 5'11 and 185 lbs - I've been over water that is less than 1 feet deep plenty of times without issue.

I researched most top models before purchasing this kayak. For the money, it's excellent. If you have $700 to spend, definitely try out one of the higher-end models mentioned above, but also give this one a trial run. It's great for not only slow moving rivers, but lakes as well.
Highly recommended.