Prism

I bought 2 16' Prism ocean kayaks almost 25 years ago. They been used in lakes, rivers and the gulf and have always been fantastic. Been at my river property outside for at least 18 years. Getting ready to go fishing in bays and gulf so had to replace the hatch seals. Love these kayaks!

Awesome canoe for a solo person. I've used it to go canoe camping in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, general fish, general recreation, exercise, down river racing, and exploring. Great long glide for each stroke. Fast, very maneuverable considering the speed type of design. Great secondary stability. And even a great looking boat in the lightweight kevlar layup or better. I've gotten all sorts of admiring words from strangers. Many of which are not even fellow canoe people.

It's very maneuverable and very fast! It makes me look far more experienced than I am. The forward and aft dry storage compartments are really handy and have to say the aft compartment is close enough behind me that it's accessible without even turning around. Somebody thought this kayak through and did a great job!

I'd recommend Aquaterras Prism 100-fold over whatever I've been renting all these years, and complete this review with a rating of 10.

I made the repair myself, first bondo, then a heavy duty rubberized contact adhesive inside and out flowed by a spray on rubber paint inside and out. The process took me about four days to let everything cure correctly and I have been using it 4 to 5 times a week for the last 2 months. I stuffed the cargo wells full of styrofoam and spread great stuff to seal the gaps. I left the space under the hatch open for wet bags, and gear, installed two rod holders and a light, as I am only able to go in the afternoon and usually do 10 to 12 miles each time. So I am in the dark for most of the trip. I have tested if it's sinkable and am proud to say it will not sink any more, might not be fun to paddle, but it will not sink. I have it rigged for fishing and cruising.

Performance wise, after reading the letters before mine. I have limited knowledge but I do have some, I like sitting on top, I like the fact that I can get in and out easily, take off from the beach like surfboard, and it handles chop well I think. I am taking off from Victoria station and usually fishing at 17th st bridge, and actually going out of Port Everglades. The ships and speed boats deliver a lot of chop and once you round the curve at Port Everglades, the surf in the channel (especially with all the wind we have been getting) is easily 6 feet or more. It's a rush, but I find the Prism really preforms well and I am enjoying immensely.

What I did was take Plastic Lawn edging. About 3 1/2 inches wide. I cut and wrapped it around the hatch lip. I then pop riveted it to the lip every few inches. I then sealed it with poly butylene caulking. The hatch then fits on the top of the lawn edging and I only use one of the seals that I glued to the extension. The only drawback is it make putting my longer seargun in but it won't take a long gun anyway.

It is a very fast boat and great in the wind. I dive with mostly Scupper Pros and they can't keep up.

I am now 230-240lbs. and I love it. I just mounted a fishfinder on it today. I have a Drifter by Ocean Kayaks and it is a Tugboat. Its hard to paddle because it is so wide. But when I seldom scuba that's what I use. I want to find another Prism used.

Prisms are 14 feet long and are set up for a rudder but it is not needed. These sit low in the water, maybe a few inches from the edge of the boat to the water and turn easily. I like this because I also had a Cobra Tourer and my wrists would sometimes hit the sides of the boat when I paddled which stunk, although could've been my lame technique.

The Prism weights 62 pounds so it is about 10 pounds heavier than the Tourer. A dolly can be used to transport it as 60 pounds of dead weight is tough to carry by yourself, even overhead for any length of travel. I am 5'10", 200 pounds and the Prism is perfect. I bought the 2nd one from a guy who was 6'2" and he said it was great for him also. He actually took off the foot pegs because his legs were so long. The $100 Prism is older and only has 2 scupper holes, the other has 4. These can easily be plugged for use in bays or lakes because the draining feature they offer is not needed. When in the ocean the scupper holes allow a certain amount of water to enter the boat from the bottom creating a sort of equilibrium, about 2 inches of water or so. When/if water comes in over the side it just joins with the water already in the foot area and stays at the same equal level. Pretty neat huh.

This is a sit on top model so no hassle with the spray skirt and stuffing your body into the boat. Also if you fall out there is no tricky technique needed to right yourself. You can see examples of this on youtube if interested. With the sit on top Prism you just flop back on top of the kayak laying on your belly across the seating area. When stable just roll over onto your back, then twist around so you are back in. It is that easy. Practice this in some shallow water just to make sure you can do it, especially if you are not in shape. You will get wet for sure when in the ocean but if you fall out you want to be confident you can get back in, otherwise it might be a long swim next to your kayak back to shore.

There are 2 hatches in this kayak both of which press down onto weatherstrip molding and stay down using straps sort of like a book bag with the same type of plastic clasp. These hatches are not waterproof (no hatch is) but do keep 99% of the water out. If you are going for an overnight trip use a plastic bag for your sleeping bag, clothes, etc., and you will be fine. The Prism also has a molded cup holder right in front of the seat which is nice. The Tourer has a round hatch large enough for a wallet, keys, cell, but when I use the Prism I just place all this in a plastic bag and put it in the pack behind the seat.

The Prism is a great Kayak especially for the value. I sold my Tourer for $1000 and bought 2 Prisms for $350. You might not find them so cheap in your area but every now and then they pop up, especially during the winter.