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very very bad experience, I used 24 times my drysuit, and the heat seal began to peel off,the warranty service told me, that repairing it was 80$/hour and about 7 hours, and the shipping costs to my account, if they estimated that it was my fault. so very bad dry suit and lousy warranty

Ive had my Bayou for at least ten years now! just restored the hull. (didn't necessarily need it, preventative maintenance) been thru hell & back with that thing and it was a BLAST! looking like there will be many years to come yet!

I weigh approximately 150 lbs and have owned this kayak for more than 13 years. It was sitting in an outfitters window for another six years before I bought it and was built in in 2003. I have used it on rivers, one large lake, saltwater marshes, and open sea. I have almost always used it for half day or full day paddling trips and only rarely for two day one night outings.

I have always felt secure. It is quite stable. The skeg is handy especially when want to take a picture while in the boat. The bungee cords help to hold some things with in reach as there is no day hatch. But I normally did use a spray skirt and would keep some items in reach below deck. It is a bit of tight squeeze but as a smaller built person there is some room. Water will enter the kayak when not using a skirt, especially if there is any wind or movement on the water. The bulkheads on mine have not been water tight but sealant can fix that. What others have said about the seat back (at least on older Squamishes) is true, they can be uncomfortable and may slide under paddler on quick entries or reentries. But I did not notice those issues until after a few years of using the kayak and once I began to use the kayak more in open waters. Also as I begin to dream, think of longer journeys, putting together a few days in a row paddling, I have noticed that the storage capacity is quite limited. It is not really designed for a longer trip. The skeg and skeg cable limit space in the stern hatch. Others here have shared that longer trips are still possible in this boat.

I had never been in a kayak before buying and using this one, and have loved every adventure at outing in this boat. Others say that it is good for novices, and that has been the case for me and I still very much enjoy it.

p.s.:

Also, I live in an apartment and have not always been able to store the boat inside. Maybe a year ago the joint were the skeg and skeg cable are connected became so corroded that the skeg fell out of the boat. With proper care this can be prevented. (E.g. washing salt watee off boat after each use would have helped.) I found that Wenonah Canoe/Current Designs customer service very helpful and the parts inexpensive and the repair uncomplicated. The boats require very little care but even when that is neglected, at least mine went years without needing any repairs, replacing the skeg has proven uncomplicated and customer service was helpful.

I bought this kayak about a year ago. I love it! It glides beautifully in the water, lightweight and easy to handle in and out of the water.

the retractable rudder adds to versitility

keeps me warm and dry

It is great

Owned this one for 4 years, upgrading from an old Otter. I’m 66 and weigh 185.
The seat is very comfortable and I can paddle for 2+ hours without discomfort. I like the floatation in the bow and the rear hatch (with a 1 way vent). It tracks well for a rec boat (better than the Otter) and has good, strong lifting toggles. My only issue is the elastic paddle holder- the plastic bracket broke the first season. I’ve installed another and so far so good.

It feels substantial enough without getting in the way of paddling and such. I also like auto-inflate PFDs, but feel more secure in the Ninja.

Does a little bit of everything. Always fun!