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I have had the Cetus about 3+ months now, and can confidently say it is a pure joy to paddle. At almost 18', it turns easily with a very comfortable edge, and has improved my skills, especially my edging, significantly. Even being a narrow boat, its feels stable, not tippy, and amazingly responsive. Ive noticed the skeg does a great job of combating weathercocking. I upgraded from my Eddyline Journey (and Samba for my wife), and have seen about a 1+ mph improvement, and are just as stable. I am 5'6", about 155 lbs. My wife paddles a Cetus LV, she is 5'1", 150 lbs. I have added some closed cell foam custom thigh braces, and a little foam on the outside knees, and added Harmony hip pads. I do think the factory seat is superb. I took the thin pad off that came from the factory, and added the small 1/2 pad from skwoosh. I also foamed out the bulkhead with closed cell foam, and removed the foot pegs. This setup is very comfortable, yet Im very tight and fit in the boat perfectly. Outfitting with foam is probably the least anyone should do to get the best fit in any boat. The new all rubber hatchecovers stay 100% dry, even while doing rolling practice. As with any boat, I'd advise to store the boat on its side, since even fiberglass can deform and hold a dent if stored in heat and left on a cart, or even on flat ground to a lesser degree (never store in the sun without a cover). There's lots of reviews on the internet with more details of the Cetus, and I agree 110% with them all that the Swedish design is hard to beat. I do 8-12 miles now without tiring out much, and at 61 years young, I need all the help I can get. It's great as a day cruizer, on lakes, oceans, and class 1 rivers, which have all been a joy. I can see that this boat can handle the surf, and can hold a ton of gear if camping. The only negative is that with a fiberglass layup, one has to be careful to stay off the rocks, poly being alot more bomb proof. But a poly boat comes with the added weight and possible less rigidity as a fiberglass boat. I can tell this boat will hold its value, and would make a great second hand boat as well, even after it gets older.

I'm so glad I picked the Journey as my first boat (my wife has a Samba that she loves). We are new to paddling, but I've paddled over 40 miles my first month, easy to learn, but plenty of boat to grow in to. Stable, responsive, and impeccable design. Great choice.