Diamante

I own a new, 2001, Diamante (I know they are called Susquhanas now) I traded up from a Montauk for more foot and leg room and stability. I got all that, plus the boat is faster than the Montauk except when headed directly into a strong wind. I'm out on the Chesapeake Bay a lot and have found no matter which way the wind and waves come the boat hanldes like a champ and the skeg rarely needs to be used. I especially like the back band and seat. Both make for comfortable hours in the boat.

I purchased a diamante in the fall of 2000. I was impressed with its handling capabilities, as I wanted to use it for fishing the flat shallow water in Florida. After several local trips I had to modify the back rest as it was totally ineffective. it would twist up and under leaving my back against the coping. I added a hinge to the seat base to backrest and this solved the problem. On a trip in Florida the seat bracket broke through the top of the kayak leaving one side of the seat unsecure. The kayak was still usable but had a gaping hole in the fiberglass next to the cockpit. The seat bracket was attached directly through the wall of the boat with no extra support or bracing. Since the fiberglass is no more than a 1/16" thick it quickly gave way with repeated use. The seat itself also cracked giving me a nice pinch on the backside of my thigh. Since I was lucky enough to purchase through a reputable dealer, I was able to get credit for my full purchase price and upgrade to a Necky Looksha. The quality difference is obvious now that I have experience in what to look for in construction techniques. For what it is worth, the retailer expressed concern that Impex/Formula (the manufacturer of the diamante) would not honor a manufactures guarantee and they were going to be "stuck" with the returned, defective kayak. My advice: stay away, huge disappointment, 8-(

My first sea kayak is a dream. Handles nicely (I've only been in 2' lake waters) in both head winds and following seas. The fore and aft compartments are watertight with a new gasket design. Looking forward to more demanding water.