I bought this kayak about a month ago. Just to give a little information about myself. I have paddle the Impex force 3 at 17 ft long and 20.5 wide and the skim Dex 16 ft long. I also paddle the stellar SES, Think fit, stellar SEL, and Huki S1-Z, Huki S2-X, and ICF Delphanie. I'm 5'6" and 120 lbs.
I have had a hard time finding a sea kayak for light weight paddlers, but this kayak fits the bill. I'm able to take 20 mph winds/waves on the side and hold my line without much difficulty. Normally, I skip across the top of the water and I have to drive the kayak on an angle to get some where. It also holds its position well with waves and wind in front or behind. I love how well it holds its position in wind and waves.
Kayak is made well and I love how they do the bulkheads, but getting in and out of them is a little more time consuming. It is compared to the solistice GTS as the little sister. It would be more accurate to say fat sister. I wish they would have narrowed the front and back a little and maintain the fish form of the Solistice.
If you are looking for speed, this is not your boat. I can maintain 4-5.2 with a lot of effort. It does not have the glide of the Impex force 3 or Skim Dex which I could maintain speeds of 4.5-5.5 with less effort.
Conclusion - If you are looking for a really nice kayak that has really good control and handles weather really well for a light weight paddler, this is your boat. As of speed, it's a dud.
