We went on a couples paddling trip around an island in Baja Mexico and my wife and I were in the Beluga for the week. The boat is huge! It is very stable, lots of storage space, maneuvers well (well, considering its length!) easy to enter and exit and is a fearless boat that inspires confidence even in rough conditions with wind, rain and big waves. My wife was not a skilled or confident paddler but really enjoyed our trip since the kayak was comfortable and stable.
Since that trip, we happened to find a used Beluga back home and instantly picked it up. We have since done several padding trips with it in Labrador, Newfoundland, northern Ontario/Quebec, Florida and even Texas. It is also great to take the kids in to get them comfortable with kayaking. Beluga is an unstoppable force on the water - once she gets going she just plows through waves and quickly leaves the pack behind.
The size, while great on the water, makes it difficult to transport. I have had it on my Subaru Outback and on my F150 and it is a bugger to get it on and off. My wife is no lightweight at 6' tall but she always groans and struggles with helping load or unload. The boat is also very wide, again it makes it stable but it is not uncommon to bang your knuckles on the sides of the boat while paddling, especially for smaller paddlers (like my kids). The length can make maneuvering around obstacles (like rocks or in caves) a challenge and it needs a wide radius for turning around obviously.
The build quality is top notch, I think my kids will inherit this kayak and maybe their kids too.
