Profile

I've owned my Mariner Max for four years and I really like it a lot. Don't be misled by the 'Max' name - it's Maximum performance, not Maximum size! The Max is a fun boat to paddle unloaded for day trips, but can also easily carry gear, food, and water on a multi-week trip. It's a nimble boat, with excellent stability. When the conditions get rough, all Mariner kayaks show their strengths: the hulls are designed to go where you want, efficiently, and with no fuss. The Max and its 'smaller brother' , the similar-shaped Express are both great all-round kayaks. Mariner kayaks were all made to order, so you may find them with fixed hinged back seats or sliding seats (the sliding seat is a Mariner exclusive), and with factory aft bulkheads and very effective aft hatches, Buyers who were looking for the lightest weight possible often opted for a foam seat and separate backband. Mariners were also built with different laminates: glass, Kevlar, Carbon-Kevlar, or Carbon. They are vacuum-bagged boats with all-cloth layups for strength. Mariners are rugged - unlike some all glass mat or chopper-gun kayaks. None of the Mariner Max or Express kayaks had forward bulkheads or forward deck hatches for loading gear, so you'll need to keep an air bag forward on day paddles and load gear through the cockpit for trips. This is not as much hassle as some would have you believe. Also, there are a few Mariner kayaks that have been modified with forward bulkheads and hatches, and they come on the market from time to time. Mariners haven't been made since 2007, but Matt Broze still maintains the Mariner website at marinerkayaks.com . It's a great source of general paddling info as well as data about the different Mariner kayaks.