Phoenix

**Take into consideration that this is my first kayak, and only the second one I've paddled in frequently. **

It is fairly comfortable for a few hours or more on the water. Very Stable and easy to enter--even for a novice like me and my wife--. It has a nice storage compartment in the back and plenty of room in front of your feet for a bag or life vest if you're not wearing it. Beware the back compartment has a nice rubber lid that fits snug but the area is open to water so I suggest using a dry bag for anything you don't want wet. Another nice feature of this over the similarly priced Pleican one is the adjustable foot rests.

One major con to it is how long it is. It could be difficult for someone smaller then me --im about 5'10" and certainly not a body builder. -- to lift it on top of a SUV or similar height vehicle. It only weighs about 45 pounds but its length makes it somewhat awkward to lift onto a roof rack.(I'm using J cradles on top of a jeep compass)

It is made from plastic that is 1/4 inch thick maybe more, I didn't measure. And is fairly priced for beginners. I got mine on sale at Walmart and it came with a decent paddle(I think just Walmart is combining it with the paddle). I think this model may be discontinued by Sun Dolphin though. I could not find it on their site and the closest one too it was the Aruba model--no comment about the Aruba model considering I've never used it.

Overall I really like the kayak and would recommend it to anyone looking to buy one. But it is on the cheaper end of the spectrum. It is nice to your wallet but I could see it not taking as much abuse as something made from a better more expensive material.

Shortly after the purchase, I emailed Eddyline with a question about the drop down skeg. Designer/owner Tom Derrer personally responded. This really impressed me.

Initial stability can be a bit intimidating for a first-time paddler but after paddling for 8 years, I really appreciate the medium initial stability and high secondary stability. I can really lean the boat when making a turn. And it turns on a dime. The long bow keeps me dry on choppy seas. It will weather-cock but as the other reviewer stated, it's easily countered by paddle stroke, edging and/or skeg deployment. The Carbonlite material makes the boat extremely light and is very attractive. I've added a permanently mounted deck compass. The fore and aft bulkhead compartments can hold a lot of gear. The boat is fast, with a max speed of 6.5 MPH on GPS.

Last week I had the misfortune of dropping the boat stern first when I was loading the boat on my truck. It caused cracking aft of the stern on the boat's bottom. I am pleased to learn that Carbonlite is easily repairable and I should have my boat back in 2 days or less from my dealer. Eddyline sells a do-it-yourself kit but with the boat being new, I wanted it professionally done to preserve the new "look."

I do not hesitate to recommend both the Phoenix and other boats in the Eddyline line. My next boat may very well be the Fathom in Pearl Blue.