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Other reviews go into more of the technical details, so I will just hit the highlights. I have owned my Ult 14.5 for about a year and a half. It bought the tandem but in fact have used it as a solo on every trip so far (it easily converts back and forth). It is super comfortable, easy to turn (I don’t have a rudder) and tracks pretty well. It is slower than my other yak, an Old Town Cayuga 146, as others have mentioned the stable hull makes it a little slower. A little slower, not a lot, I can still keep up with the pack. The other thing that I notice is that since I'm relatively short (under six foot) the 31 inch wide hull would benefit from a longer paddle.

Honestly, I can hang out in this boat all day and still be comfortable. Holds my ice chest with no problem and you can actually move around in it to stretch. I recommend the front skirt as I did take on a little water in heavy chop. I would buy it again, it is well made, great seat and even for short trips to get a little exercise I choose it over the Old Town because the seat is so comfy. Did I really mention comfort three times in this review? Well, that says something, does is not?

I have owned mine for about a year, used it mostly on lakes and a gentle river. Like others have said, the boat does seem a little flexible. It tracks well, is stable and reasonably comfortable, but flexes a lot when I'm getting in and out. The bulkheads have needed to be sealed up a couple of times since the flex seems to separate the caulk from the bulkhead. Causes a slow leak but hey, that is what dry bags are for.

The other thing that bugs me about the boat is the small compartment on the deck has an opening that is too small for all except my smallest Nalgene, and the shape makes it such that I cannot put both my Nalgene and cell phone in there at the same time (but I can put my keys and Nalgene in there simultaneously). Honestly, the way things are working with that compartment I would rather have a dash like the Old Town Dirigo XT or Wilderness Systems yaks or a flat area for a bag instead.