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I love my Journey! This thing is fun, fun, fun. I'm 6'3", 200lbs, and it feels perfect. I love the many cockpit adjustments for comfort and control. I've had it on choppy lakes and even some class 2 rapids and it felt great. It is playful and pretty speedy. It has a ton of storage and is very stable. The biggest down sides are the weight (heavy) and without the rudder it can be very hard to keep from weathercocking in strong wings.

The best uses for this boat are river trips (especially camping), shorter flat water trips, lake excursions, and even shorter ocean paddles. I highly recommend the rudder and a spray skirt really helps this thing keep out the chop. You will have to work on your paddling skills, but you will feel sporty and confident while learning. A great boat to grow in, and a lot of fun. It is not a tank, but just feels like a good all around touring/day trip boat. Jackson really did a great job.

If you are looking for a tandem boat, then you most likely know what you're getting into. My wife and I rented one of these on the outerbanks of NC and loved it. We were in rather choppy water and it did fine. We loved it so much that we decided to buy one and used it for a year or two. We loaded this thing with two dogs, coolers, and food, and had fantastic days on the water.

As for the boat itself:
It's roomy, as it is a tandem. Lots of leg room, room for kids, dogs, etc.. It is heavy, but its a big boat. It tracks very well, but it's a tandem, so it is really up to both paddlers and not so much a boat design issue. The hatch does not provide watertight storage.

Understand that you are not going to win a race or speed down class II's in this boat. This is primarily for flat to small choppy water. Coastal rivers and sounds are ideal.

I give it a nine because it is well suited for what it is designed for

I've had this boat for most of my life and it has definitely seen (and taken) a lot of abuse. It is basically an aluminum frame with a medium thick and flexible poly plastic mold. This is both good and bad. This does make it prone to oil canning and shape changing, but at the same time this boat can move over rocky rivers and such just fine. At 16' it's a beast. Heavy and awkward on land.

I would recommend this to someone with a few kids, dogs, coolers, camping stuff, and whatever else you want to bring along. It's stable and rugged.

This boat gets a ten because it is built and designed far better than most boats for kids and smaller folks. It's too bad they don't make them anymore.

I bought it used for my wife who is 5'4" and around 110 lbs. Unfortunately it was very constricting on her legs and uncomfortable. Even though it is intended for kids and smaller adults, I would say anyone over 5'2 and 100 lbs would not fit comfortably in the boat. However, should you fit, this boat rocks! Tracks straight, light, had a decent rudder installed, was fast for the intended audience. Great boat! If you can find one on CL and you can fit, you won't be disappointed.

I bought this off of CL for around $200. For the price, it was a great way to get a decent island hopper. Mine still had the neoprine hatch cover, which seemed to help some, but the hatch was by no means water-tight. However, the hatch will carry a lot of equipment.

I can't comment on the seat, as it had a cheaper replacement seat, but judging from what I've seen on the other older WS boats, they aren't that great. Hard plastic with a nylon cover.

It's a pretty fast boat. The hull is quite wide and stable. My biggest issue was the weather cocking. On flat water, as soon as you stop paddling, it just cocks around. This is slightly annoying, but makes you keep paddling (which is a good thing).

All in all, it's a nice boat for something pushing 15-20 years old. A Cheep way to get a touring boat.

My wife has this boat and loves it. She has been kayaking a few years, so she's paddle multiple boats. this is the first boat that she just loves. The seat is very comfortable, the cockpit is roomy and the storage space is very generous. Its a great overnight/weekend camping vessel. According to her, stability is great and allows her a lot of confidence in chop and small rapids. The chines allow for great secondary stability. All in all, it is a very well made mid-level boat. The roto-molded plastic is tough and durable.

For a rec boat, this one still has enough of an aggressive design to be faster than most. However, it still has the stability and room of a recreational boat. It's worked great on the slow moving rivers and coastal waters of NC. The plastic is thick enough to withstand some abuse, and the weight is about average. WS boats are typically built pretty well, though I have noticed they are beginning to use thinner (cheaper?) plastics. I gave it a seven because I am not a huge fan of rec boats, and personally have a hard time giving it a higher score. Still, for the average entry level kayaker, it would be a very good and stable boat.