Profile

Bought the Two from a local rental place that happened to have product they needed to get rid of. I've had good experiences with rental Ocean Kayaks so decided to bite the bullet.

Stability as a tandem is pretty solid even when getting close to the max weight capacity. There's no covered storage or bungees but the available space and storage straps are more than enough for day-trips. It's shorter than a lot of tandems but there is ample room for two people without clanking paddles... and I'm 6'4" so space is often a hot commodity.

I actually like it even more now using it as a solo boat. The center seat area for solo paddling is a little more narrow than the tandem seating areas but the kayak is so wide it's barely noticeable. The reduced weight of going solo allows it to glide on the water; incredibly stable and pretty dang fast. Water often comes over the side in tandem-mode but hardly at all when going solo.

Additional benefits: very lightweight for the size, durable, lots of foot wells to accommodate different body sizes.

Overall a great choice for beginner/intermediate tandem-riders or a larger solo.

Picked up the 9.5 as a second boat after using the Malibu Two as a tandem (now solo).

The first big thing about the 9.5 is the increased stability. The W-shaped / hotdog-in-a-bun hull shape makes it feel rock solid on the water.

The new seat is very comfortable and easily adjustable. Serious upgrade from the ones you get with the Malibu Two. The storage wells are huge and have their own scuppers for proper drainage. The built-in storage in front of the seat seals well but isn't huge... good for smaller stuff like keys, phones, etc. OK put in a excessive amount of cup holders but it looks like a couple can be converted into rod holders.

This is a killer little kayak for anybody wanting to get started with something decent and not break the bank.