Capella RM 160

Conditions this day were fairly calm but lots of disturbed water due to power boats. After a few minutes on the water I tried some edging, low brace turns, low braces, high braces, sculling braces, and was totally amazed how this boat did everything I asked without me feeling stressed about keeping it on balance - it just did everything beautifully. So my initial impression was totally off. In fact this boat works great with me - I'm 6'0" and 178 lbs. As others have noted, the 3-layer plastic is bombproof and if you're like me, you beat up that boat - I love glass, but I just know I'd become a sissy worrying about bumps and scratches.

This boat seems really simple and it is. I'd say this tried and true design totally hits the bullseye. The one defect on this boat is the skeg box. The tube running out of the box which contains the line jiggled out if its mount and it leaks from there. This is easily fixable with polyethylene sealant. Weight - I found it balanced and reasonable for shoulder carrying. Overall this truly is a world-class boat.

While it is a relatively low volume kayak, the cockpit is fairly roomy, especially if you replace the factory seat padding. A medium or large paddler should be comfortable. You can adjust the foot pegs while seated without a problem.

The downsides are primarilly matters of personal preference. With an integral skeg, I'd rather have a larger stern chamber than the day hatch/compartment, especially with the lower volume boat. I'm not a fan of pop-on hatches. The seat could be lower, with less of a butt crack ridge. And, I'd prefer more aggressive thigh braces. But, given the outstanding performance, I'll still give it a high rating.