FeatherLite 14

Most people that have reviewed this boat have been new paddlers and it seems to come off as this is a boat to start off with. This is a great boat to start with, but it isn't limited to just a beginner boat, this is my fourth kayak in the past seven years and I love it. I bought it mainly to replace a "beginner" boat that was my first sit in kayak (others were sot).

This boat is extremely stable in flat water and in moderate waves (1-2 feet), I haven't had a chance to see what it handles like in any faster rivers yet though. It is a little harder to handle in following seas but still manageable due to it's stability. The molded in "skeg" isn't much to look at, but it seems to do the job and with a bit of a lean turn you can maneuver this boat with ease. For a rec classed yak this boat covers water excellent and has good speed and glide to it (heading into 1 foot waves and a 10km/h wind I was able to get 9km/h out of it for a short period and 7km/h sustained speed). It is easy to load and unload with one person and has enough carrying capacity for weekend camping trips. Rear hatch is well made and finished and the seal seems to very water tight so far. Foot room could use about another inch if your feet are sized 11 or 12 like mine but you can still get very comfortable in this boat.

The seat is great for comfort but does cause some issues when you're using a sprayskirt as it is much higher than normal seats and it overlaps with the sprayskirt and life vest so you have to consider this when fitting everything (sit in boat, then sprayskirt then life vest over you and the seat seems to work and is still tight enough to be safe). I'm 5'11 and 200lbs and feel like a much bigger person could sit comfortably in the cockpit of this boat without much problem. I would recommend this boat for any one looking for a do-it-all kayak that still gives you the advantage of being able to cover a lot of water in a day....

I've owned my Heritage Featherlite 14 for one season and have found it to be a very nice boat. This year alone I took it out at least 60 times with a few overnight trips. I can say that the boat tracks very well with the molded skeg, has more than enough room in the cockpit (But then again I'm only 5'9"), plenty of room for storage and good standard accesories. The only complaint I have is with the seat which I think they went kind of cheap on. In comparison, the seat on my Loon 120 is vastly superior especially on long trips. The storage capacity is excellent also. On an multi-day on the Wapsipinicon River I easily packed along my Coleman camp stove and 2 propane cylinders, air mattress and pump, pillow, 3 days worth of clothing, life jacket sleeping bag, 1 pot, 1 pan, paper plates, eating utensils, an extra paddle, fishing rod, tackle box, digital camera and a small cooler. Amazingly I was still able to float in 8 inches of water and I weigh 175 lbs. The unloaded weight of the kayak is 54lbs so loading it off and onto the top of my vehicle is easy. One thing I would recommend is to purchase a Deluxe Deck Bag, spray skirt and a folding anchor. Overall a very good boat and an excellent choice for beginners.

Haven't seen this model listed yet and would like to hear from others who own this kayak. Just had its maiden voyage on Lake Superior last week in two foot swells. Had a blast. Stable enough but lower deck seamed to create a little higher center of gravity. With my bad back I need a larger cockpit so I can lift my knees which was one of the reason I bought this kayak over a touring boat. So far so good, tracks well and speed is alright though it seems to plow instead of glide but it is a rec kayak.