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I have written reviews here in the past. I quit doing so since I became a Stellar Kayak and Surf Ski dealer in January 2013. I just didn't feel comfortable writing reviews for a company I represent. Yet I'm making an exception. Why? Because the Apex Trainer needs to be discovered!

Let's start off by saying the boat is fast. Very fast. The market is flooded with fast boats I know. What makes this so special is how easy it is to make it go fast. Surprisingly stable (stable being a relative term). The only time it's not stable is in confused large boat generated seas. Obviously the kayak isn't made for that.

I see it as a kayak that has 2 purposes: A fun way to keep in shape, and for marathon racing in protected waters. A perfect example would be the Tour Du Teche.

At 25.7 lbs in Advantage lay-up and 17' it's very easy to load, and unload.

Where do I start? I have been paddling for years now and about 2 years ago I got hooked on ultra long distance racing. I currently use an Epic 18X and a Epic V-10 Sport. Anyway as much as I like my Epic 18X (I've posted great reviews on it), I wanted a surf ski that was fast, stable, and had bulkheads and storage. I emailed Greg Barton of Epic and asked him if they had any plans on building one. He quickly emailed me back and said no, but they did have the V6 Tourer. I wanted no less than 18 feet so I started looking elsewhere. I came across Stellar's new S18S. After reading reviews on it, and closely looking over the spec's I ordered one in the Advantage lay-up.

This past week I tested it against my 18X, and my V-10. I can attest with confidence that I like it better in most regards than the Epic 18X. The fit and finish is excellent, and the features that it has is unheard of in any surf ski's that i have found.

The performance is the best part! It glides very well, and the steering is the best that i have ever paddled. Obviously its very fast as Joe Zellner won last year's MR 340, and the Dakota challenge with one. I do not expect to win this year's MR340 on it, yet I can't wait to paddle it on this incredible race.

Kudos to Stellar Kayaks for building such a wonderful product.

I'm 59 years old and 180 lbs. I was very hesitant buying the Sport as all of my previous kayak's have been at least 22 inches wide. I have been paddling the Epic 18X which I still truly enjoy, so choosing an Epic came naturally when buying the V-10.

The 1st time that I got on it I was very concerned about the stability. Not only was I pleasantly surprised with the initial stability, the secondary stability was even better. It gets to speed easily, and glides very well. Its such a fun kayak that I cannot wait for my next outing! I bought it in the ultra lay-up and it weighs 26 1/2 lbs on my very accurate scales.

I would highly recommend this product! The only complaint I have is that I wish it had a day hatch...

Though I didn't finish the MR340 I did put in 150 miles on this incredible seat. The comfort of this seat is wonderful. Besides saving 3 lbs on my Epic 18X it also makes it bearable on long distance endurance kayaking!

Here is a follow up om my previous review on this incredible seat.

I've been training for the upcoming MR 340 canoe and kayak race.
Monday I put in 25 plus miles on my Epix 18X with the newly installed seat that Joe made for me. I never got out of the kayak and when I finished my back and butt felt fine! (I'm almost 60 with an extremely bad back)

I will report back after the MR 340 which will be the ultimate test.

I bought a new Epic 18X in November and as much as I like it I just couldn't make the OEM seat comfortable.
After many hours of research, and reading many reviews I contacted Joe Greenly at Redfish Kayak. I gave him the kayak info that he needed and within a week the seat was delivered.

After taking the OEM seat out, I weighed both seats and the Redfish seat weighed 3 lbs less. The first run I went 2 hours, and the next day I put in a very taxing 3 hour run. I just cannot believe how comfortable this seat is, and support it offers!

Joe, you really should get in the motorcycle seat business as I would gladly have you make me a couple of them.

Last September I completed the Colorado River 100 on a Cobra Expedition and I've been hooked on long distance kayak racing ever since! After that race I wanted a faster boat so after doing lots of research, and talking with different boaters I decided on a Epic 18x.

Anyway, I had entered the 18x in the Texas Winter 100K on January 28th of this year, and due to low water levels on the Colorado River I decided it wasn't prudent (which was a good call as I would have destroyed it), and 24 hours before the race I got offered the opportunity to race the PRS, which I had never been on before. After racing it 62 miles in sometimes less than desirable conditions I came away extremely impressed! I ran it aground more times than I care to remember, went over twice,(pilot error) and the boat came away unscathed.

It's stable, fast, fun, and relatively inexpensive! I can definitely see me owning one in the future.

I am a fit 58 year old and have been paddling steady for 20 plus years now. (I just recently completed the Colorado River 100 on a Cobra Expedition). Anyway I just recently received my new 18x and its even better than I expected!

The fit and finish is top notch.
The initial stability is much better than I expected, and the ultimate stability is the best I've ever experienced in any Kayak.
Now the best part. The performance exceeds all of the hype that I have read on the forums!
Thanks Greg Barton, and all the people with Epic.