Stingray 12

Handling is ok, and the boat is reasonable fast given it's width and length. It would benefit from more deck rigging, but if you just want a simple boat for lakes/easy rivers this boat is sufficient.

The boat tracks very well and had a nice glide for a recreational kayak. I have only had 16' sea kayaks in the past but find the Stingray fast enough to cross big expanses of water fairly quickly. As with most sit-ins, fishing takes some finesse. A rear mounted rod holder and spinning reel with topwater lure produced an 18" seatrout while trolling across an open bay near some oyster bars.

Wind likes to turn the back end around when sideways to a chop but compensating with a longer stroke puts in back on track. My test paddle was without a Seals 7.0 sprayskirt I purchased for the Stingray which I would recommend for the type of chop I found myself in. However, I took on no water in spite of a couple of unexpectedly large waves.

Overall good boat for large paddlers and stable enough for fishing. Minor issue, built in bulkhead limits rod holder placement to a couple inches further than comfortable but the boat is stable enough so reaching back will not upset the boat. Also, built in console behind the seat is neat but obviously cannot be used for tall items when using sprayskirt.

I had looked at a number of kayaks including the Pungo which is also a fine boat. For my needs, and the clearance price, my bright yellow Stingray--especially with the very comfortable seat--was a good selection. Today, weather permitting, I plan on taking it to a lake and seeing how well it does on flat water.

Stable, tracks well, decent speed (all for a 12' rec kayak) It did everything well, including carrying an attractive price tag. It has come down to either the Stingray or Heritage with Stingray getting the nod due to a more comfortable seat. I just found out that Liquid Logic & Heritage are under the same parent company. They've decided that Liquid Logic will sell only Whitewater boats with the rec boats being marketed under Heritage's name. For 2008 the Stingray & Featherlight will share the same seat currently in the Featherlight. So, suddenly, I'm in a rush to get an '07 with the more comfy (in my opinion) seat.

Contributing to that is its weight. At 48 pounds, it puts up quite a fight when I'm trying to lift it up onto my van. After a few successful lifts, I decided I'd rather save my back and got assistance lifting the boat on and off the rack. Once it's down, however, it can be carried on a shoulder without too much pain. I'm not looking forward to actually portaging it over terrain, though.

Don't underestimate the utility of the console behind the seat. I used it for storing my camera gear in a dry bag, and it was quite painless to reach behind the seat without turning around to grab my gear.

As my Stingray is very used (it was a rental boat), the dry hatch isn't as dry as it maybe once was. The cover for the hatch is loose and would not qualify as watertight. There are also lots of gouges in the hull that can't be repaired, but that's life with a poly boat.

The seat is very comfortable and quite adjustable. After 5 hours in it, I felt no need to add any cushioning to the seating system.

Overall, I'm happy with the purchase. It was down to the Stingray and an Emotion Edge, but the Edge was much more sluggish and lacked that handy console. I definitely recommend the Stingray as a beginner flatwater boat.