Stingray 14

This is a nice recreational boat! Some of the things I like best:

1. Large, sealed bulkhead at the stern w/ a good-sized opening from the top, with a tight cover for it.
2. The padded seat is nice.
3. The speed capability is very good.
4. Plenty of cockpit room and leg room; at 6'3", I can stretch my legs all the way out (even straight) and still fit within the foot pegs.
5. Console just behind the seat is handy while paddling.

Some of the reviews I saw about this kayak questioned it speediness, while others praised it. As an example on the positive side, the previous owner of my Stingray 14 said that he had no problem keeping up w/ canoes with two paddlers in them. (Other reviewers also say they kept up w/ sea kayaks 16' or longer, for example.) I have used GPS to verify that they are correct. Two 200-pound men paddling in 15- to 16-foot canoes achieve in the range of 3.9 to 4.9 mph with steady to firm paddling, and up to 5.4 to 5.6 at a sprint, and the Stingray (solo, 200-pound man) also works right in those same ranges. This boat does cruise well for its length and for its 28-inch beam.

The 325-pound weight rating would rarely be inadequate, but it seems a touch low for a 14-footer. The front end could use some more bungie cords. Just one more characteristic I should mention. Even on a completely calm small lake with no wind, it still can have a bit of front-end drift (either right or left) once you stop paddling and just let it glide on its own. It seemed somewhat random in how it acted, and it required a few strokes now and then to correct its course. It could be that the hull in the front does not come down to much of a "point" or narrow down to a fin-like shape that would create somewhat of a "keel effect", which may be able to help that. (I wonder if some additional weight in the front would help keep it more solidly situated in the water, and therefore staying its course better. I saw this with an Old Town Otter Twin – with me in the back at 200# and my wife in the front at 140#, we tracked fine. But when I tried the Otter Twin solo even w/ the seat more in the middle, the bow end wanted to roam. Also, even with my wife at 140# in the back and our daughter at 110# in the front, it still wanted to roam some at the bow even when paddling. If the Stingray 14 is having this same type of phenomenon happening, you may want to consider securing some of your cargo at the bow too, not just all in the back.)

This is the longest "recreational" boat that Liquid Logic had in its 2007 catalog. I believe that the Liquid Logic version of the Stingray 14 is no longer available, but I recently did see a new Heritage brand Stingray 14 that looked very similar for sale for $650 (Liquid Logic's version usually showed a "Manufacturer's Retail Price" of closer to $800).