Pisgah

I am an intermediate kayaker and I am using Perception Rhythm 11 as comparison. Pisgah 14 is faster, less stable, but a lot more comfortable than the Rhythm 11. I have yet to take it to larger waves. On flat lakes, Pisgah 14 is the winner. Stability takes a few minutes to get used to. It is a sit-in kayak, so the center of gravity is under the waterline. I love it for its speed, comfort, and plenty of storage space. Tracking is about the same. Paddling style can make up for the lack of rudder (optional).

Had my LL for 2 years now and still love it. Have done class I and II, and during a storm class 3... I have a 3/4 skirt and it keeps me pretty dry. It is very stable, and more important comfortable I am 6 foot and size 10.5 shoe and it fits me well. When I use my knee brace I feel one with the boat and it leans well for me. It is a little heavier than I would like, but money wise $800 used with 2 skirts and paddle I thought it was a good deal.

I've read all the reviews and researched this boat quite a bit as well as demo paddled it and other boat quite a few times before purchasing it. Of all the boat's I paddled this wasn't the fastest, nor was it the most stable, but it was the best combination of the two to suit my taste. Also it didn't hurt that it was several hundred dollars cheaper than similar boats. Also as a side note this boat is made by Heritage now.

So far I've had it out in 3ft waves with 30 knots winds with no problems. It does very well in rough water and maintains its stability. It glides through calm water very easily although as was previously stated it does have a noticeable bow wake at higher speeds. But you're not going to paddle it that fast for very long so it's not a problem.

I'm a larger paddler at 240lbs but in this boat that leaves me a 135lbs cargo capacity for long trips I plan to take with it. The other comparable boat I was looking at would have left me with 70 lbs. The hatches were a bit of a pain at first but after working with them a bit the work nicely.

A word of advice, they go on much easier if you wet the edge first, if you don't your going to fight it on the entire way. The seat is nice and easily adjustable for height. It's a very comfortable seat for long days on the water and the back band backrest is also nice and soft. I can lie on the back deck rather well but the tall sides of the boat hinder a lay back roll a bit. All other rolls can be done rather easily.

The rudder controls yaw very effectively, and the boat tracks very well even with the rudder retracted. Due to my size I brace against the sides of the hull more than the thigh braces which means the buckles of the rudder lines rub against my legs. Also the rudder pedals float freely in their brackets, which means when you take your feet off them they have a tendency to move forward. When this happens I then had to take off the front of my skirt and push them back forward because due to my large feet and legs it's difficult to maneuver them inside the cockpit. I remedied this by cutting a military style bungee cord in half and attaching the hooks to a notch in the pedals and tying the free end to the forward most notches in the brackets. The pedals now stay forward and my rudder returns to the neutral position when there is no pressure.

All in all it's a good stable relatively fast boat that is a pleasure to paddle. The bulkheads of my boat were sealed sufficiently and do not leak. And the deck lines are more than sufficient for attaching deck bags, paddle floats, bilge pumps and the like. It's an all around good touring boat whether you're a beginner or experienced paddler.

i recently purchased my orange lovely, looking for an upgrade over the perception swifty i used to paddle. i've only had the boat in the water twice, the weather has already started to turn where i live and the water is a bit too chilly for swimming (an important consideration in a new boat).

the pisgah tracks very well; very smooth and very quiet. this boat loves staying in motion, so if you stop pay close attention the shallow-v hull gets tippy. but i suspect that since i hadn't paddled in over a year and a half some of the tippiness was due to the operator as much as the boat itself.

there's a wealth of storage space and the hatch covers do a good job of keeping things dry; though once off, care should be taken to assure the covers seal tightly when put back.

my biggest complaint(s) concern the cockpit size. i am a rather large paddler, and at over six feet tall i find the the seat adjusters in the front of the cockpit less than convenient. my legs just fit underneath the mounting brackets and tend to rub uncomfortably. i may have to modify the little suckers down the line if i can't get use to them.

other than that i love the boat and wish winter wasn't so long here so that i can stop looking at the orange beauty longingly, and actually put out for some long adventures.

I bought my Pisgah at the beginnig of the summer, and I so far have loved it. Because most people reading reviews want to find out the negatives, I will start with those. First, I am 6'4" and while on long trips I have trouble with being able to stretch out my legs. Second, I feel the boat sits out of the water rather high which is great except when it is windy out. Third - no drink holder. Fourth, my dry docks leaked initiatlly - but my dealer fixed them for free.

Now the positives: great tracking, lots of room, good speed. I have taken my kayak on a 55 mile weekend trip down the Missouri River without any problems. The boat is also really stable, which was a plus when I first started out. I definitely recommend this boat to anyone interested in an intermediate level kayak.

Bought a '05 Pisgah this winter at the Outpost in Holland, MI. Big mistake. I had to look at it in my garage for months before I got to use it. This is my first kayak after trying some various recreational boats. I decided I wanted something "intermediate" I could grow into rather than buying a "beginner kayak" I'd lose interest in quickly. I bought it untested on the saleman's advice. I love this boat! With the foot braces adjusted properly, it is very stable to paddle. Very good secondary stability too. It tracks and glides nicely. The seat is comfortably firm for my bony butt, and the backband is easily adjustable while sitting in the boat. I like this seat compared to some other kayaks with a overkill seat (ie Extrasport)with a back so high you could never lean back to enough to roll properly. The hardware on this boat is top notch too. Most or the kayaks I saw in this price range had pretty cheesy looking hardware. Overall a very well thought out kayak with enough room for a weekend trip. The only other thing I'd like is a water bottle holder. The beer bottle I cristened her with kept rolling all over the place without one. You can't go wrong with this boat! Nice job Liquidlogic!

Well I finally got a new light touring kayak. I have paddled a lot of boats and the new Pisgah was perfect for me. I wanted a predictable and efficient kayak. I was not as concerned with top speed or extreme sea conditions handling. I use this boat on protected coastal estuaries for day and weekend camping. I do a lot of photography as well.

I love the seat, it is really comfortable. I can sit in it all day no problem. I also like the really tight hatch covers. I have found I need to put 303 on them to make them easier to operate but small price to pay for the extra water tight seal. I also like the location of the seat back adjustment. It is easy to get to while paddling because it is in front of you.

I have paddled about 30 miles in the kayak so far. I have found it easy to paddle and it tracks well. I have gone once about 15 miles on a wide river and the second time out in the coastal area. It was fairly windy and the boat had no problem holding it's coarse. I also had some minor waves that we're no problem. I am looking forward to a full week end trip coming up soon in the kayak so I can see how it handles loaded.

All in a great kayak. I think Liquid Logic hit the nail on the head with this one. Definitely one of the best light touring kayaks out there for beginner/intermediate paddlers.