Marlin PriLite

I've deducted 2 pts on my score:
1 for Broaching or Nose Diving; 1 for Tracking.

This kayak has so much storage space and large hatches, you can almost take the kitchen sink, the neoprene and plastic covers will keep the compartments 99% dry, I have been out on rough days and not seen a drop enter front or rear.

The glove box could have been just a little bigger in my opinion. The Seat is by far the best I've seen and is very comfortable. The knee braces on my model lack adjustment and have sharp manufacturing lines that have cut me when doing a heel-hook manoeuvre. The interior hull coating seems tacky to the touch, easily marked over time.

The lack of day-hatch is one thing I really miss (want and need). The hull chines certainly keep a good track and offer siding abilities other kayaks don't, but initially your abs will get a good workout as you'll feel like your balanced on a beam. I've passed straight over 2m waves and had 2ft waves hit me from the side with no problem, but as I said above, waves from behind at about 3ft will have you nose diving.

Using a Sail has also been a lot of fun and speeds of 12.8kmh have been achieved in this kayak, but of course this is approaching less fun and more peril

The speed is great but yes there are faster kayaks, then they may lack this or that, there's no perfect kayak, I think we'll all own a few eventually

IMHO, great Touring, Camping, Semi-Expedition Kayak, just remind yourself of its limitations, and for that matter any Kayak you paddle !!!
And one more thing, it's certainly the shiniest and best looking sports car in the shop

Personally I paddle a fibreglass Prijon Proteus, only because it is a bit longer and faster than the Prilite Marlin. Prijon is one of the leading kayak manufacturers in Europe, and indeed in the world. The quality and comfort of the Prijon kayaks is hard to beat, and therefore why Prijon has remained our bestselling sea kayak brand for over a decade here in Australia.

Prior to the Prilite Marlin Prijon were producing a Prilite 500 but this was primarily shaped for flat water, and while very fast, was a bit tippy for most paddlers.

Prijon then introduced the Prilite 470 which was more of a sea kayak shape, but at only 4.7m was not ever considered a serious sea kayak, although it appealed to a much wider audience than the Prilite 500.

Finally Prijon brought out the Prilite Marlin in about 2010 in composite, HTP plastic (blow moulded) and Prilite plastic (thermo formed). The sales of the Prilite Marlin went through the roof and in fact it wasn't long before Prijon discontinued producing the Prilite 500, Prilite 470 and even the Marlin in HTP and composite constructions.

This beautiful craft became our overall bestselling sea kayak and has maintained this status for the past three years. Why is this? Firstly it is (as with all Prijon kayaks) unbelievably comfortable to paddle. The adjustable Prijon seat and thigh braces allow you to achieve maximum comfort for those longer trips.

It is fast! The Prilite Marlin is surprisingly stable for a boat just 58cm wide. The hard chines allow for plenty of edging on sharp turns, without feeling that you are going to capsize.

Lightweight but durable. Prilite (thermoformed) plastic is the technology of the future. Over the past decade we have seen this kind of material represent from 0% to now over 50% of our total sales (other brands such as Hurricane and Riot use similar material). The consistency of the thickness of this plastic when formed allows the kayak to be considerably lighter than its polyethylene counterparts, while remaining reasonably durable (not as malleable as polyethylene but stiffer). Thermoformed plastic retains its shape better than polyethylene and so the hull is less likely to become indented over time (from sitting on roof racks etc). The Prilite Marlin is as light as but less brittle than its composite counterparts, making it a very attractive overall package.

Immaculate finish and trims, deck mounted day-hatch and nose cap for added strength are just a few of the features that make it what it is.

Yes, we have had a few issues (three that I am aware of) but in most cases these have come down to misuse, and given that they represent less than a fraction of the Prilite Marlins that we have sold in the past four years, this is well below the average across all brands and models.

No, the Prilite Marlin is not for everybody. It does not really suit people over 100kg. Also, it is not an extreme sea kayak. It will suit 95% of people looking to get into sea kayaking, or upgrading from something more basic, but it is definitely not for those looking to push the boundaries of exploration.

There are approximately 5% of paddlers who will after a few years wish to upgrade their Prilite Marlin to a skeg boat, or something leaner and faster again.

We represent exclusively seven brands here in Australia but overall I cannot speak highly enough about the Prijon Prilite Marlin.

I was a bit worried about the stability of this size kayak when buying it because of limited or I should say no skill level, but from the first day have been amazed at what I can get away with when practicing my edging and traveling through some 4-5 foot wakes caused by boof heads in 50 foot cruisers.

I was advised to spend a bit extra on a good light weight paddle which I think is some of the reason I find the long paddles surprisingly easy for novice, I find it tracks really well with the wind in any direction even a hard quartering wind and in the flat water and rivers with the rudder up I'm often amazed how my edging skills are progressing, pretty sure it the kayak and not me

The reason I give a rating 8 is I have nothing to compare it with but for me personally it's a BIG 10, I often get comments from people on what a great looking rig it is. One point on the durability of the HTP moulded finish: the guy were I purchased it from also paddles this model, he has had the kayak on his roof racks for 12 months only takes it off to go paddling and the finish is as good as a new one with no noticeable fading or warping.