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I purchased a barely used Swift Saranac 14.6 in Feb. 2009. This kayak features Carbon/Kevlar construction and a retractable skeg. This a very nice boat overall, what I most like about it is its light weight (38lbs), excellent tracking and easy turning. The seat is very comfortable plus the Kajak Sport Hatch covers are easy to use.

On the down side the boat is not as fast as I had hoped, figure you can get 2-3mph out of the boat as confirmed by my GPS. I did have some trouble with one of the hatch cowlings coming loose from the deck (definitely a manufacturing defect) but the dealer gave me the epoxy and I made the repair myself.

The boat holds a ton of gear if you're into camping. I have paddled this kayak on everything from small ponds to Long Island Sound with a 3' swell. The boat handles very well and predictable even when taking waves from the beam.

Today I had the opportunity to test paddle a Current Designs Vision 140 w/rudder in a cove on the lower Hudson River. First off let me just give you a brief background on myself. This my third season paddling I currently own a Necky Manitou 13 and an Old Town Cayuga 146 w/rudder, I'll classify my ability as a lower intermediate with most of the paddling in my home range consisting of smaller lakes, rivers, and protected coastal areas on Long Island Sound.

Some of my impressions from the 30 minute session were that the seat was very comfortable and the boat did seem to fit me well, you cannot adjust the foot peddles while in the yak as the adjustment releases are behind the moving foot peddles. After spending a few minutes getting the feel of the boat I wanted to see how well the boat accelerated up to a cruising speed. I thought this boat was no speed demon and on a par with my Old Town Cayuga which takes a little bit to get going so I was disappointed in that category.

As far as turning, this boat needed the rudder to make it turn which is OK with me as I'm a rudder person anyway. The rudder deployed and retracted flawlessly each time I engaged it much more than I can say about my Old Town Rudder. Both hatch covers were easy to remove and put back on. This yak is Made in China.

I might have bought this boat if it was faster than my Old Town Cayuga plus it was 15 lbs lighter at 40 lbs which makes for easy car topping loading. I guess I'll keep searching for the perfect yak for me!

Over the winter I purchased a Cayuga 146 w/rudder. I have paddled the boat on small lakes to protected bays with a 1.5' chop. It tends to do everything well including tracking without using the rudder. I typically only use the rudder if its very windy or I'm looking for a more precise tracking.

Both hatch covers work very well at keeping water out. The angled glove box is very convenient to use, I would give this boat a 10 if it weighed 5 lbs. less.

I just purchased a Manitou Sport for my first kayak and I thought it was the best of the 3 yaks I demoed. I first tried a Dagger Element 11.2 which was very stable but more like a slow barge. Next up was a Manitou 13 which was fast and sleek but I thought a little to difficult turning for a new person. The Manitou Sport seemed to have the best balance between the 3 yaks plus the great price on brand new 2005 left over of only $464 made the boat irrestible on my part. I must say after using the yak 2 times on lakes I'am completely satisfied with boat and would recommend it.