Pamlico 135T

The Pamlico 135T sits low in the water so it doesn't catch the wind or weather-vane. The downside to that positive is...heavy chop is going to find its way into the boat. It'll roll with the wake of passing powerboats, but erratic rollers get you wet. You can anticipate a decent glide once you get it up to speed. With little to no rocker, turning is laborious unlike a canoe.

Another negative is the rear compartment does not maintain water resistance. The seal along the foam is comprised quickly, and without a drain plug, its somewhat a pain in the posterior getting all the excess water out. I appreciate the sliding seat, especially the ability to slide the front seat back to paddle it solo (which gives you tons of room if you are fishing).

All in all, I like the kayak and would get another should this waste away...but it has been extremely durable and survived an airborne loft off the SUV's Thule J hooks at 70 mph...but you can hardly notice. A worthy investment for any twosome.

I purchased the 135T used. Launched it for the first time this weekend on a large lake in a light breeze. I was very pleased with this kayak. She tracks very well even with just me paddling from the stern. Stable. Turns more easily than I expected (again, with just me turning the from stern). When two are paddling and not in unison (happens often with a ten year old in the bow), we didn't smack paddles as there is good distance between the two people. Balance was fine with me (140 pounds) and child (75 pounds).

My only complaint was that I couldn't get the seat adjusted so it was adequately comfortable. It has plenty of adjustments (seatback pitch and height, under-leg height) and it is padded. So I need to spend a little more time experimenting. Foot rests were well positioned tool.

Finally, I thought that it would be heavy and a bit unwieldy but again pleasantly surprised. I can pick it up on my own and get it into the bed of my truck. If putting it on rooftop racks, you would want help to make it easy.

The seats are excellent, so many ways to adjust we are always comfortable. Get tired take a break let the other paddle. No looking back for each other, can talk without yelling back and forth.

We really love it, took out in our solos once since we bought the 135T. And all we kept thinking was wish we had the tandem with us. The solos will be for guests at the cabin. The tandem will be our boat from now on.

Fast > with 2 paddling it is
Stable > definitely
Storage > lots of space, great dry storage
A Tandem is easy as long as the person in back can keep rhythm with the front. So we have no issue. It is a heavy boat though, but 2 people can handle it. I can move it myself if needed.
And again the Seats in 2012 are awesome, not sure what other year models have.

Only negatives: it is a bit heavy to load on top of the car rack; the seat comes off it's latched position during handling on/off the car roof (I used a tye-wrap to secure it).

Cheap, sloppy fitting, plastic locking bolt on front seat. SS wire control cables for rudder are looped/crimped thru nylon buckle eyelets for attachment ..only a matter of time b4 the wire cuts thru the nylon ..bad arrangement IMHO! and not easily fixed!! bottom edge of cockpit rim opening is sharp! I bought edge molding for car doors to finish off edges to keep rim lip from cutting into legs. foam chunks in bow and aft are about worthless for flotation. also @ 70 lbs. it's heavy for its size, but with rear seat taken out lots of storage room for things (like a kayak cart, folded up in the back).

For the list price, I think WS could have done a much better job! Seats are comfortable.

The material used is thinner and more flexible. While it probably reduces the weight overall, it makes the boat feel cheap to me.

There is no bulkhead and the small foam inserts in each end for flotation are a joke. They are poorly fitted and one wasn't securely attached. The quality of the seat/rail construction was lacking. There is a lot of play in the front seat where it attaches to the rail that sits in a channel in the floor. Part of the reason is the rail is free floating at the bow. It only stays in place by gravity, so the front seat isn't securely attached to the bottom of the kayak. To make things worse, the engagement of the seat to the rail is by way of a plastic, loose fitting barrel bolt...very sloppy. Having used nicer tandems before, this design and construction was lacking, imo, but it doesn't cost $300 more either, so that's the trade-off.

You are probably wondering why I purchased this yak. The price, roominess, length, intended use and "chunk" factor all played a part. I plan to use it for camping and fishing with my son, so it will get some abuse. I carry my other kayaks around in the bed of my pickup, and this is short enough to do the same. It is durable enough to allow me to "chunk" it in the truck and not baby it like I'd have to if I bought a higher priced, longer, better made unit. It is also pretty stable. I'd give it a higher number if it were half the price, but I can't for that reason.

I'm a utilitarian type of guy. Even w/ its flaws, the boat will serve my needs w/ a little retrofitting (drain plug, bulkhead in rear, paddle holders, new rail holes for front seat positioning, cross-brace/equipment platform behind front seat back for stabilizing center of cockpit and allowing for electronics and rod holder mounting). I'd suggest adding the strap on deck that attaches by way of the cockpit ring. It provides a way to keep cellphones dry. The misc. uses for the tray enhance function for the front seat occupant.

I got this model because of the HUGE open cockpit. I am going to be using it for some scientific sampling, for which I need to tote gear along. I also plan to use it with my 4 year old in the front seat, so she can get out on the water. I wanted the space for gear, and 2nd seat for the kid, but NOT a canoe. This is the best of all worlds.

I've paddled it alone and with said 4 YO in the front seat. I love it either way! With the kid in the front, I threw all gear under the bow deck and pushed her seat forward to even out the weight a little. Worked brilliantly. Paddling alone, I just move the front seat back & voila- I've got a spacious kayak that is a little slower to get moving than my wife's Pungo 120, but once moving it's surprisingly quick and also easy to turn.

I read someone else's review that they spun in wind when alone. No offense meant, but we haven't had that problem at all. Paddled a wide open lake on a very windy day & had no more trouble with this than with the Pungo solo.

I wish it had a bulkhead in the back, but I'm told that was an option. Mine is a factory 2nd due to some scratches on the side, so I really can't complain with how much money I saved.

Simply put, I love this boat.

The weight of the boat is disappointing. I currently load the boat in my Element as I am a block away from the water, but I am concerned about lifting this sucker onto a roof rack in the near future. Still lighter than a canoe - but not by much.

Overall, it has been a great addition and I look forward to having a full paddling summer.

Our main factors were stability and ease of entry-exit, and the Pamlico 135T is great on those points.

My wife sits in the bow seat with the six-year-old between her legs while our little one sits on a foam paddle float, facing backwards, behind the bow seat. (I'm not sure why I bought a paddle float -- if this thing ever flipped, it would suck in so much water there would be no way of getting back in and bailing. But it makes comfy seat.)

It's no speed demon, but with both girls in, that isn't a factor either. My only disappointments are the weight -- it was a bitch to get on top of our SUV, until I built a roller for the tailgate -- and the tracking solo.

I also agree with the other review that suggested a drainage plug. It's a hard boat to tilt to drain.

I had a tough time paddling this boat alone and found it weathercocked like mad in moderate breeze on a lake. Even moving the bow seat all the way back, I got dizzy spinning around, esp. with the wind at my back. Next time I go solo, I'll put in some extra weight. I'm probably going to buy a Tsunami 140 or Capehorn for solo missions without the rugrats.

In summary, I don't think you can find a better tandem rec. boat for the money.

Suggested improvement: install a drain plug.

Today, we took it out for the first time and had a wonderful experience. The kayak is short at 13'5" but it is very stable with a very open cockpit (lots of storage space). Although a tandem kayak is purportedly a "divorce boat", when both of us paddled in unison, it moved very rapidly and tracked well. It is listed as 55 pounds but feels heavier. It is easy to store and transport and has a solid feel to it. We had originally intended to purchase a Pamlico 145T. When the 135T became available, we elected to purchase a smaller tandem. The manufacturer indicated the boat has more of the feel of the Tarpon series rather than the other Pamlicos (I wouldn't know if this is correct). It is a great entry level kayak, and although we just returned from our first day of kayaking, I wanted to be the first to review this new model.