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My first kayak; and one I shall keep for the foreseeable future. I chose a relatively light and expensive first boat, because I'm too old (52) to mess about in so-so stuff and upgrading later. Later is now...!

The S14 is a Chinese, handcrafted and quite well-finished kayak; with a seat and back that are well adjustable (although not very easily so), even though not quite the most comfortable seat I've sat in. Between your legs, there's room for a drinkbottle; although it's not a one-hand operation to remove or, especially, re-position it.

As opposed to the seat, the footrests are very easily adjustable indeed; but could have been a bit larger in surface - as they tend to really dig into your feet on longer trips. For now, I'm using Teva sandals with quite sturdy soles in order to relieve that pressure a bit. On top of the footrests, there's a toe-pressure operated set of levers that can operate the optional rudder. All cable-guides are already in place. With the adjustable (on one's right hand just outside the cockpit) skeg though, and the moderate length of the boat, a rudder is not really a necessity here; in my view.

I've recently acquired a Gearlab Deck Pod, so that even with a closed spraydeck, I wil have easy acces to hydration - through a Platypus bladder that I have fitted it with (the 2L version is a perfect fit inside).

Moving the S14 about when making walking transfers to higher or lower waters, overruling the (very busy) locks in the waters I have nearby, is reasonably easy thanks to its moderate weight. It's also just a very nice boat to look at, I get compliments on it almost every time I'm on the water. It's available in several colour-combinations, that all have a shiny white hull in common. As well, it's available in several grades of sturdiness and lightness. The 2 Kg. lighter carbon version will set you back a whopping lot more than the regular Advantage (a fiberglass sandwich construction) model, so that's not a choice many will make.

Now, just a few months of patience before I can start enjoying my second season with the Stellar!

Just in, and not tested yet - but it fits quite snugly on the deck of my Stellar S14. I have removed the elastic cords on the S14's front-deck in order to make the Pod hug the kayak nicely. When it arrived, I measured the inside of the Pod and went for a Platypus Big Zip Evo 2L,that fits very well; and shouldn't be flopping about in the Pod. Fit and finish of the Pod are very good, as one would expect of a relatively expensive product like this. All the hardware looks and feels well-made. I chose the Slate/Glacier colour; looks-wise I would have chosen the dark grey one, but I did realize that in hot weather, the Platypus inside would heat up more than with a lighter coloured Pod. I deduct one star because of the premium price I have to pay in Europe. I do look forward to using it in Spring!