Vapor 12XT

We purchased two Old Town Vapor 12XT Kayaks for our family and friends to use at our cottage about 5 years ago. The kids love them and take our dog with them at times. So lots of room in this model as our dog is not a small breed. (Collie Shepard) Even our dog loves kayaking! Love the click seal hatch to keep things dry, the molded-in paddle rest for floating down the river! The molded-in cockpit tray comes in handy to set my portable speaker on to listen to music while I am kayaking. The drink cup holder built into the seat is great to keep me hydrated while on the river. And I love the built in carry handles, some of my friends do not have these on their models and I must say not only do they come in handy to carry but to anchor the kayak down when needed when I have to transport my kayak on the back of a truck. You will not be disappointed with this model!

Great smashes what it is designed for, being in Michigan there are many calm rivers and lakes to take it on. It is a rec yak so with that in mind don't try to use it somewhere like lake Michigan or away from a bay. Otherwise it is extremely stable and tracks well. Easy to get in and out of. So great for what it is designed for.

Also just as a post note, not sure what another reviewer was talking about with it leaking... it is made from a single mold design of thick plastic; unless punctured it somehow it isn't going to leak like a cheap two piece you'd get from a hardware store as he described it.

I added a seal sneak spray skirt to the boat and have taken it through numerous rapids of class III designation and lower (although I would certainly start small and work up to class IIIs if you are new)

This is a wonderful rec boat, it handles well on flatwater, and does well in mild whitewater. I have taken it over 4 foot ledges, and 5 foot haystacks and never felt it would let me down.

I have taken this boat on a 35 mile flatwater overnight trip and felt it was comfortable the entire way.

The only things this boat loses points for is that the dashboard is very tough to reach (I'm 6 feet 185) for me but the between the legs beverage holder works well. The thigh pads are also quite thin but that can be easily remedied by spending a few dollars at the hardware store. Also I would recommend installing a drain plug in the boat.

In conclusion, if your into big whitewater, get a whitewater boat. If your big into sea kayaking or touring, get the appropriate boat. If you are new to kayaking and don't know what you want or you'd like to try aspects of everything, this is a good boat to start out on. I would recommend getting 240cm paddles as the boat is quite wide as well as a decent skirt if you plan on doing anything bigger than class I as the boat's massive cockpit allows it to take on a lot of water quickly.