Scrambler 11

Best all around do anything water buddy.

Easy to get in/on. Sturdy, yet light enough I can load it myself. Used mine on rivers and ocean, but not in big waves. My biggest complaint is the hatch in the center is useless. It's too small for anything, it has zero functionality. I used a dry bag cooler latched on for keys, phone, snacks. There is some "slap" other users mentioned. Overall this yak is versatile and easy to use.

I have had my OK scrambler for over 25 years. It has held up well. Works great getting through the surf. In calm water it is a relatively dry ride even for a 215 # paddler with scupper plugs in seat. I typically carry cooler in back and dolly strapped to front. It quickly moves to secondary stability if you reach around to cooler. Takes a little getting use to. Keep this yak stored out of the elements and a quick rinse after salt water use, and it will look great and last forever.

This is my first kayak. I have used it twice, once in a small cove and once near a breach way. The boat is light and easy to carry, which is one of the only pluses. It does maneuver and track well in calm water, but becomes very sluggish against the current or with waves. The bow sits up high and you can hear the waves slapping against it...definitely slows you down. The seat that comes with it is less than comfortable, but I have been ok for short treks (2-3 hours). On the plus side, it's easy to get in and out of and is stable. Will definitely look for something longer and sleeker, but this is ok for beginners or in really calm water.

Beginner level - love the Ocean Scrambler. Stable, easy entry/exit, with the padded seat/back rest very comfortable. I added a towel in the back rest for extra padding. The molded foot rests allow for height variations. Best for lakes and calm rivers. I have used the Scrambler in the ocean and had dolphins jumping nearby. Would highly recommend.

I purchased 2 in August of 2013. I bought them to fish out of and surf in the ocean. I owned the Frenzy before this. The Scrambler tracks well. It paddles easy. It is light weight. The ride is a bit slow and wet but compared to the Frenzy it is a rocket ship. I really like fishing out of it in the bay and the ocean. I had flush mounted rod holders installed behind the seat.

I bought my Ocean Scrambler 11 kayak Sit on top 6 years ago. It has traveled with me from Florida to Vermont and back. I use the kayak in the flats, marsh and estuaries of North East and SW Florida. Very stable and durable. Is a bit heavy, but still lifts easy overhead. Plenty of storage. A great kayak for the beginner.

I purchased a Scrambler about five years ago. I'm 5'10" 212 lbs. and I fit in it just fine. I find the bow slap is irritating. It is a stable boat but slow and doesn't track very well. Although I'm not looking for great speed, the fact that it is slow makes for more work paddling to keep up with others. I use this boat for light touring and recreational kayaking.

I put scupper stoppers under the seat to keep dry but I can sometimes feel them through the seat especially after a couple hours of paddling. To me, getting wet is no big deal since you're sitting that close to the water and the occasional wave will get you anyway.

This is the only kayak I've ever used. Definitely if you can, try before you buy. You learn what to look for and what questions to ask after you’ve used one for a while.
I'm looking forward to reading reviews of Ocean's new Tetra 12.

Just added a Scrambler so my daughter and wife could paddle a single - we already have Malibu 2XL - but I've been using it as well. They love it for shorter fun paddles on Lake Champlain. I've used it on some longer excursions, including one of 15 miles in which I spent the first 2 hours fighting a 15 knot headwind w/2'-3' swells. Made it through fine, but was glad I didn't use the scupper plugs due to wave water. I got wet then but after the water calmed my seat stayed dry. But I found the boat easy to keep straight and it rode the waves well - great fun, actually, and I never felt close to being swamped, even when I got hit sideways a few times. It only drifts from straight when drifting slow. Otherwise very fast compared to the Malibu, and obviously, more maneuverable.

My only complaint is that at 5'11" and 220, it's a bit narrow and small for me, but then, I didn't get it for me either, and on shorter trips that really wouldn't be an issue. I like the fact that to get in I can straddle the boat in the shallows and then just sit down, and at just over 40 pounds I can pick it up and carry it over my head for a couple hundred yards if I have to.

I borrowed a Scrambler for a day on a Florida creek and am looking forward to heading back out there in it. When I heard that the only rentals available were sit-ot-tops, I was disappointed, but the Scrambler changed my mind!

I learned to kayak in Keowees and loved the sport, though I considered myself a terrible paddler. When I later rented a Walden sea kayak, I felt like the training wheels were removed and I wasn't so bad after all. The boat responded to every move rather than clunking along and it was easy to paddle steadily for a few hours at a stretch. My sister and I actually had to trade at the end when we were fighting the wind and waves coming back in. In the sea kayak, she could keep up with me paddling the tank she'd rented for her intro to the sport. After that I swore I'd stick with the sleek.

The Scrambler responded fairly well, though of course not as nimble as some. Very stable, I never tipped in spite of collisions with submerged logs. Tracked well from what I could tell. I spent the first half of the trip dodging shallows and obstacles. By paddling hard on the second half, I passed twelve of the fifteen canoes in our group over a five mile stretch. The next day my muscles were sore, especially my back, but it wasn't back pain at all, just that pleasant post-exercise tingle.

On this trip, since I borrowed the Scrambler, I didn't have a back rest, but I really wasn't sitting to use it since I lean forward to paddle. There was plenty of storage room with rigging fore and aft. I found the scupper holes fascinating, and didn't mind the water since I was plenty wet from hopping in and out to drag the boat over logs or just splashing with the paddles. Of course 80 degree weather doesn't hurt either... I would definitely use a sit-in kayak preferably with a spray-skirt in a colder climate.

As a petite 5'6" 110 woman, I'd say the boat was roomy to sit in, but still a little much for me to carry on my own. I definitely would need a friend to help me load and unload, but that's just me. The guys there were carrying Scramblers solo to load up.

I do recommend the Scrambler as a good boat all round for touring. I would even brave a camping trip with one if I had the chance. As with all boats, there's a chemistry there. Try it out first to see how it fits you.

As for me, I'm looking to try a Venus if I can since it's smaller and would be easier to load and store (still in a dorm with roommates). Thought about a Yak board, but that sounds too geared to surfing for my use.

To start - I got my scrambler well used and quite old, it started life as a rental and then bought by a guy who seldom used it for 6-7 years and then sold to me for $90 Canadian. Oh, and it's pink, or a very faded red. Estimate age to be about 10-14 years. Identical to the Scrambler they build now.

In 3 words it can be described as SLOW, FUN, and VERSATILE. It’s also lightweight. Speed-slow, though not slower than most other recreational boats. Fun and Versatility-it can handle just about ANY ocean conditions with great ease and fun.

Tracking is better than you'd expect from a 11 ft long rec boat but that’s not saying much.

It CAN be used for overnight camping if you pack like a backpacker. Done it.

It makes a lot of bow slap so I wouldn't try sneaking up on anything in it.

At 45 pounds it's pretty light. They ARE prone to oil-canning like most plastic boats, and I don’t think the plastic is that thick, but it survived 10+ yrs of abuse so can't be that bad. Don't abuse one of these (or any plastic boat for that matter) and it'll serve you for a VERY long time.

I'm 6'1 and 175#. I find the cockpit to be plenty long even if I was taller. Seat is very comfy. My girlfriend on the other hand hates the boat because it doesn't fit her hips right, so try before you buy.

Final Verdict = good recreational boat, though you should also consider most of other Ocean Kayak products and Wilderness Systems Tarpon sit-on-tops.