Equinox 12.0

I wish I had read these reviews before buying our equinox 12.0T. Maiden voyage we figured out the stupid low spot in the rear lets water in like crazy. What I keep wondering is why in the world that low spot is there. What purpose could it possible serve, and how could the designers be so stupid to put it there. Most of the reviews are a few years old, but I wonder if anyone has been successful at filling in the low section to prevent water flowing in. It works fine with me in the front and my wife in the back, but that feels weird.

We just bought the eq 12.0f angler kayak. I love it, didn't leak, we read the manual and follow weight recommendation so it rode high in the water, only water I had in it was water from my poor paddling, beginner here. comfortable, easy to use. My husband fished awhile and had a great time. I would recommend this product

I thought I'd add my opinion and observations to the mix. I too have bought the kayak in question, again from Costco. My local store had it's usual end of year sell off and I picked up the package for £180. Now I think I may be less critical given the low price I paid but here are my observations:

1. Yes, the hand hold on the stern/transom does appear to be unnecessarily low and this is obviously going to cause flooding issues in a following wind or following sea. I'm going to take my kids out on a small lake in calm weather. If I get wet then, I'll be a bit pissed (some might even accuse me of wetting myself) but I'll cope with it.
2. Having read Pete's review [2014-06-10] I thought I'd test the water tightness of my kayak. I filled the yak with water to the point it overflowed the gunwales. Left it stood for 7 hours then emptied it, dried the surfaces and opened the hatches. Yes, indeed, I found little puddles of water...
3. On the plus side I noticed the drain plugs in the forward position seemed to work nicely.
4. The water ingress in the lockers could have only been through 2 routes; under the large o-ring seal between the deck and the locker, or under the stainless, self-tapping screw heads and down their threads. I unscrewed the self-tappers and removed the hatches.
5. I noticed that as well as water in the lockers, the airspace within the hull itself also had water sloshing about inside. Not much but it was there. Given I'd filled the hull to the gunwales, I could see the only points of ingress were the locker seals, as above, and the hand hold screwed into the stern/transom. No other deck fittings were submerged.
6. Again, the stainless self-tapping screws could be one source of ingress. Another could be the large, stainless machine screw that mounts the stern hand hold.
7. I'm going to surmise that none of the deck fittings have any kind of sealant under the heads or on the threads, just screwed straight into the moulded hull. As someone who has owned sailing boats I know that any deck fitting exposed to the elements and screwed down is supposed to have a pliable marine sealant on the threads and under the head of the fixings, as well as on the contact surfaces between fittings and hull. Silicone alone isn't up to it as it solidifies over time and the seal then breaks, especially on a less than rigid surface. The kind of sealant I use is an ugly, mucky gunk called Arbomast BR, a butyl based gunk. Sticks like sh!t to a blanket but makes a great seal.

Now I haven't put my new yak back together yet and haven't tested it on the water (only got it last night and I have a broken collarbone so can't paddle - partly why I'm filling time doing a review) but I am hoping that once I've correctly sealed all the deck fittings with an appropriate gunk the hull will at least be watertight. As for the flooding caused by the low waterline around the stern handhold - meh: It's a kayak. I kinda expect to get a bit wet. If it becomes annoying I think a thin piece of aluminium plate could be riveted into the void and again some judicious use of Arbomast could come in handy.

So, in summary, it's a very cheap example of a kayak with a lack of attention to some basic details, but, notwithstanding the low waterline and issues others have reported with flooding, as long as the hull remains watertight and it's buoyant - even for the £350 asking price normally I don't think it's a bad deal. For £180 I'm going to struggle to complain I think.
I'll follow-up once I get it out on the water..!

I guess you can say we are all in the same boat. My kayak takes on a lot of water and was trying to find a solution. I noticed if the heavier person sits in the front, less water will end up in the boat. My kayak has also been taking on a lot of water inside. Stay close to shore!!!

Here is an update to my earlier review. As I suspected the two storage compartments are neither watertight and the clear plastic, molded plug leaks, allowing water to enter the hull. I sealed the plugs with high grade silicone. no more leaks. So, my wife and I went for another trip. With the scupper holes securely inserted, with paddled upwind. No problems whatsoever. BUT then, coming home with the wind, water entered my seat area to about 4". How does it get there. The cut-out in the back where the carry handle is fastened is way too low on an already low deck height. The only solution is me riding in the front trying to keep the stern as high as possible. I say it again, a bad design all around, but I guess at the price you cannot complain. The next step is to build up (plug) that opening in the back which will raise the overall deck height at the stern.
Stay tuned...

So I bought this Kayak back in June of '13 at Costco and at first thought I was screwing something up. I only have drainage holes in the forward foot well none in the rear at all. I contacted the company to find out if it was something I was doing wrong and also questioned why there weren't more drainage holes. I have been passed around or ignored for nearly a year. I recently found out Costco will take it back, so that's what I'm going to do. Thank God for Costco standing by their products, because Equinox sure doesn't

Just purchased this kayak from Costco recently and have had it out on the water twice. No problems or issues at all. The kayak does have scupper holes in both the front and the rear, had no issues with taking on water. Maybe Equinox fixed this issue from previous versions. This is a "sit on" kayak, perfect for harbors, lakes, etc. It sounds like some of the previous raters may have had this out in rougher waters where you would expect to take on water. My only complaint is the small size of the storage hatches, I could barely get my cell phone in there. Other than that this kayak does the job perfectly!

As everyone said the kayak got lots of water, after 20 min you will be seated in 5 inches of water...
I solve the problem drilling two holes behind the seat area, the holes are even marked on the kayak bottom. seal the hole walls with Polyethylene.
Heavy, yes, but also more stability than most kayaks. Not good if you are crazy about speed or performance

Costco should be ashamed of themselves for selling this piece of junk. It looks great and similar to many great kayaks, however; that's where the similarities end. I took this out on the bay and barely made it back alive. I was bailing water out the entire trip. I tried to drain water out of the hull through the valve and still have water inside. I sent Equinox an email and never received a response. I ended up buying a used Ocean Kayak Malibu II XL for the same price and love it. I take it out every weekend and it has become my new work out. I've tried to sell the Equinox on craigslist and practically can't give it away.

Purchased this at Costco in March. Used it twice and then returned it. The company has eliminated the rear scupper holes on the 2013 model. That leaves only the two up front, meaning there is no way for water that gets in the back to drain out. Before long you're sitting in a puddle that continues to grow, proving the waterproof hatch is not waterproof. All the added weight of the water makes the kayak very difficult to control, let alone the worry about having to swim for shore.

I contacted the company and they stated that they took the scupper holes out in the rear due to too many people complaining that the scupper holes let in too much water and swamping the kayak that way. Not sure about those complaints or the experience of those complaining, but either way this kayak is a lousy design. Save your money and buy one designed by someone that knows what they are doing!