Tequila! GTE Solo/Tandem

I bought the kayak on the strength of using my friends on a couple of occasions. Being split made it very convenient and it was well made. However, with mine, the ratchet straps are made of plastic not metal and one of them broke the second time I assembled it. I had it replaced but you do have to be very gentle. Then less than 12 months in, the paddle pole split on the ends because it too was made of plastic and no longer aluminium. I managed to fix it again with some glue, water proof tape and stainless steel jubilee clips but honestly it is very poor considering the price. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless they return the previous quality that encouraged me to purchase one in the first place.

Like most others here, I needed a kayak that didn't take up a ton of room and could be carried in my car (suv). I didn't want to go through the trouble of getting a roof rack and figuring out where to put the yak in my small apartment. I start with the solo (front and back pieces) and found it suited my needs. I like to go out fishing on the weekends and also get a little exercise by paddling where I want to go. The seams don't line up perfectly and have tried a few things to close the seam but even when it's closed, water still comes in through it so I've just lived with it. I wear board shorts when kayaking since you're going to get a little wet regardless. The solo doesn't track as well as adding the middle piece but if you're out by yourself, you're actually better off not using the mid section to try and add stability. I notice when it's just me the front end sticks up way out of the water and wind will catch it like a sail. If you're going out with someone else, their weight in the front brings it down a little, but the front will still stick up a little higher than most single piece yaks that I've seen. No problem though, I have a paddle and it's kind of understood when you're kayaking, you'll need to use the paddles. I've used this yak on both calm lakes and some river rapids. Nothing too crazy just a few spots that really picked up the pace. It went over the rocks pretty well and it's kinda funky that the boat kinda "waves" as it goes over rocks but it's 3 pieces, so I figured that would happen anyways.

The 2 piece fits just fine but adding the 3rd piece to my SUV makes it so I can't really see out the back. Again, no problem as it does take up some room. I imagine this kayak won't fit everyones needs as not all cars would be able to carry even the two pieces. I wasn't able to see this in person so I bought it and hoped for the best. Well, I'm glad I took the leap as I've had a lot of fun outings with it and have caught plenty of fish (of course, the yak didn't do much there other than put me in the water off the shore lol).

Note: This review is under the Tequila Solo although I have the middle piece that allows mine to also be the Tequila Tandem.

Bottom line: Ingenious idea, wish it was mine! This kayak gives up very little in performance for the flexibility to convert between a solo and tandem, and ability to store, transport, and portage. Does it have more flex than a one-piece? Sure. Can you really add an infinite number of middle sections? No, at least not if you want to paddle somewhere. But for a single or double, great concept, great execution.

Point65 makes excellent composite and racing kayaks, so great to see them enter the recreational market with elements of these kayaks. The Tequila is the lower end of their modular lineup, but is still among the best of the recreational kayaks. The linear polyethylene used by Point65 is similar to that of the Hobie's, much higher quality than most other rec boats. Like the Hobie's it is easily weldable/repairable too.

Minor items to improve: Better deck hardware (cheap/easy to replace), more solid lock (3 buckles instead of two?), and carry handles to better hold the individual pieces - particularly on the mid-section. My kayak is a bit older (2012) and pre-rudder/skeg, but still tracks relatively well.

The Point 65N Modular Sit-On-Top is an excellent boat for one person and can be converted to a tandem by adding a center section. The three pieces snap together very easily if the pressures are equalized in each unit. There is a pressure relief plug on each unit. When transporting, no part weighs over 34# and can be easily fitted into a SUV or a station wagon. It is made from durable, UV-resistant polyethylene. We added padded seats for longer trips. This kayak slips through the water easily and it is possible to paddle into a current, unlike a canoe. I had to contact the manufacturer because the handle came loose from the stern but they sent me an updated handle with two attachment screws from Sweden at no charge and this fixed my problem. I highly recommend this product for exploring and for portability.

Really enjoy the Tequila kayak! With a family of three, an outing on the water would include a solo and tandem kayak and all the headaches of transporting, unloading, loading, storage, etc. We have take ours down rivers, on in land lakes, and on the Great Lakes. In fact we even took 3rd place in a 9 mile river race in the tandem division with our Point n65.

Purchased the 'New' & expensive GTX 3-piece from LL Bean for tandem yakking. It survived UPS shipping although the boxes were opening due to dried out & poorly taped seams. LL Bean should re-tape all the seams before shipment.

All goes together easily even though the seams don't mate well & with only one retaining strap on each side with a total of four straps to hold the three pieces together. When practicing a rollout & recovery in my pool, the seam from the rear & middle sections opened a bit on one side allowing the 3" 'tooth' from the middle section to pull free from it's socket & wedge against the body. I had to undo the straps & reconnect WHILE IN THE WATER before I could practice re-entering the kayak!

My lady & I practiced a rollout & the same thing happened. After pulling the kayak from pool & resetting all connection points, we lifted the kayak from each end & the kayak separated again under it's own weight. Not good at all! My lady refused to consider the use of this yak (you all know what THAT means, LOL!).

A simple fix might be to add additional straps to the seams underneath the kayak to help hold it together. In addition, we were not happy with the stability of this kayak. The flat bowl shaped bottom & narrow 29" width make this kayak a bit unstable in comparison to wider 1-piece yaks which have contours built into the outside rails, similar to a pontoon running the length of each side for stability with the center section raised a bit above the water to scup water from the interior..

The concept is of a three piece, take anywhere tandem or solo yak is appealing. The price and execution is not.
After some discussion with LL Bean, the kayak was returned. LL Bean was great throughout the entire process and after some gentle prodding, also returned the $60 oversize shipping fee. I'll be buying from them again..

The Pointe 65 has a fatal flaw. When any kind of speed is reached, the whole thing starts to kind of hydroplane and becomes uncontrollable, when you stop paddling it goes completely sideways (as in right into the path of any boat that might be there). It is hard to believe the ways in which a product can be screwed up and then be put up for sale. I never would have thought to look for that problem when trying it out. ????? What a shame! I returned mine to the store where purchased as unsafe and not suitable for the purpose intended. Point65 should be ashamed, as adequate product testing would have revealed this flaw.

"Dear reviewer. Thank you for your feedback. The Tequila! was launched in 2008 and is by far our most successful product. It is probably one of the most appreciated recreational sit on top kayaks out there with stellar, mostly 5 star consumer reviews. I myself paddle it regularly and can't say that I have the same experience as you. It has been sold in the tens of thousands and I did test it extensively before bringing it to market.

Having said that all kayaks do not suit everybody and I'm sure there is a recreational sit on top kayak out there that suits you better. That it has fatal flaws and that I should be ashamed is however pretty strong language considering all the happy paddlers I meet. I'm proud of the Tequila! and can strongly recommend it based on the continuous positive feedback I get."
Richard Ohman
Founder & President
Point 65 Kayaks Sweden

The Tequila from Point 65 N is unique. It breaks down into pieces that can easily fit in the back of my small SUV. Each piece weighs around 20 lbs. Put two together for solo, three for tandem. the Tequila is a dry ride for SOT. Water quickly exits through scupper holes. No matter how fast I paddle, water is not forced up through the holes, so feet are never resting in water.

Convenience is the strength of this kayak. Performance is not. The Tequila doesn't track well. When I stop paddling to coast for a moment the boat takes a right turn.

I recommend this boat for those looking for a simple and flexible kayak for around a lake house, and casual flat water paddling.

This solo, modular, take-apart kayak is a fabulous invention-- well-made, stable getting in and out, and for the first time ever, I can actually take off alone in my car carrying a kayak I can transport without the help of another person. For that reason, I love it. It fits neatly into the back of my 2011 Subaru Forester in 2 pieces.

There is one drawback-- it tracks poorly. You've got to handle it almost like a canoe, varying each stroke to accommodate its wayward bow, which is always wanting to duck this way or that. I should also mention, it does not handle big waves well (but that is not an issue for me in mountain lakes). You wouldn't want to take it out in the ocean, though.

If only they could help the tracking somehow! Maybe the shorter length of the boat (it JUST fits into my SUV) makes that impossible. But I love that now 3 people and 3 kayaks can be carried on/in my car. That's a first!