Rendez-Vous II

I bought this boat as something I could use 70% solo and 30% with my wife and daughter and friends. I wanted something stable and passenger and gear friendly, but lightweight and ease of maneuverability. I wanted something I could easily swim off and climb back on, even in deep water. It so far has been what I wanted although its not warm enough to swim yet.

I've had it in the water twice for about 10 hours total use so far. Once alone, and once with a friend.

Alone, I love this kayak. I will put some weight in front (a cooler of beer) to improve tracking next time I go solo . It is very easy to maneuver and go in any direction to avoid obstacles. I didn't feel like I was going to tip even going threw a very rocky rapidy section of the river.

With a friend, it is ok. My feet seemed to invade his elbow space, but it wasn’t too bad, just when he would try to re-adjust himself in the seat. It takes synchronized paddling if you want to avoid hitting each others paddles, and it is pretty easy to splash each other.

I weigh about 220lbs, and I’m 6'. The back of the boat was definitely lower with my lighter friend up front, but with his added weight, it was easier to dip a side into the water. I think it will be much better with my daughter and wife who way a little less together than he does total.

I also noted a problem of instability with a second person that I did not feel alone. We had gotten stuck on a rock, and I have instincts to push my weight one way, and if he pushes too much in that same way, it can make it feel like its going to flip. We didn’t flip, but it was very close, and would have sucked, because it was getting colder and dark. I don't think this is a flaw of the boat, but more of a flaw of having a small boat with two people controlling it.

The boats seats do not bail as much as I would like them to, and you find yourself sitting in a puddle of water if you aren’t careful with paddle splash, and leaning to far to one side. I knew this when buying a sit on top, as I have used them in the past. The seats are comfortable though, and I have no complaints about the back rests. The back rests only have two support straps which are in front of you and adjustable. I prefer this to the seat backs with 4 straps.

For the price, I couldn't beat it. I had been looking for weeks for a boat like this, for a while, and this has been the best deal yet.

I'd suggest at least one new longer paddle for the person that will be using this boat the most.