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I bought this kayak used to explore the rivers and inlets of the South Florida coastline. I was initially worried about the stability of the kayak due to reading other reviews. But I have no issue with the stability. I will say that it is not the stable fishing platform like my friend's Emotion Mojo (which I can stand up on without tipping), but I have had it in some decent waves and boat wakes without any concern of swimming.

The great things about this kayak are the weight, the comfort, and the speed. It is light enough that I or my girlfriend can easily pick up the boat to load it on top of the car. I've been able to sit on the kayak comfortably for hours on end. And since this boat is not built like a stable fishing platform, it is able to move through the water very quickly.

The only negative thing I have to say about the kayak is the hull slap. Due to the shape of the hull, small waves will hit the underside of the kayak and make a slapping sound.

This kayak (Emotion Mojo) is fine for it's intended purpose, but does not have what I look for in a kayak. It makes a great fishing platform, but for day trips just looking at the coastline, it is heavy and slow.

Pros:
Stability, tracking, carry handles. The stability and tracking on this kayak are amazing. I can stand up on the kayak paddling with a SUP paddle and even handle boat wakes passing in the intracoastal waterway.

Cons:
Sluggish, heavy. The kayak doesn't seem to want to move. It is slow to get moving, and then doesn't glide well if you want to take a break to grab a drink of water. If you want this kayak to move, you have to keep paddling the whole time. It is also on the heavy side for car topping. The carry handles help with loading the kayak, but there are kayaks out there that are much lighter and easier to load.

Bottome line: this kayak is a stable fishing platform. If that is what you are looking for, then this might be the boat for you. My friend has one and loves it, but it's not for me.

The Dagger Blackwater is the first kayak I bought. It is a very versatile kayak. I would place it under the category of "jack of all trades, master of none." That being said, it is still a very enjoyable kayak.

The smooth water line and narrow body help give the boat some speed. Most of my paddling buddies have recreational sit-on-tops and I can outpace every one of them. With the skeg down, it tracks straight as an arrow. The speed and tracking make it a great kayak for exploring the flat waters and taking day trips and picnics.

It is also able to turn pretty quickly (with the skeg up). Which makes it a good canoe to take down some flowing rivers. While I haven't done any rapids with my kayak, I imagine that with a skirt it could handle up to some class III whitewater.

My only negative comment is the comfort. While the adjustable back rest and foot pegs are comfortable, the seat of the kayak could use some more padding. I have to get out and stretch every hour or so with this boat. Granted it's probably a fairly easy fix to add a better seat cushion, I just haven't done it yet.

My favorite aspect of this kayak is the weight. It is light and easily car toppable. (if that's even a word.) That makes this kayak easy to grab for any trip on the water. And because of it's versatility, it truly can be used for any trip on the water.

The Mako Aero Saddles are great! They now come with felt pads some earlier reviews mentioned were lacking. I used them on my sit-in kayak which seemed to fit the hull shape very nicely. The strap actually goes around the whole kayak, and pushed a rubber insert against the hull of the kayak. When tight, the rubber grips the kayak very well and prevents any movement. I feel comfortable and have taken my kayak across the state at interstate speeds without any bow or stern straps. These saddles are great!

However I will caution you that they do not fit every kayak well. have a Hobie Pursuit kayak as well, and the hull shape is not smooth and continuous. The saddles do not grip that different hull shape well. (I used the Yakima Bowdowns for that kayak, also worked well.)

The Maui is a good solid kayak. One of my favorite kayaks is my Hobie Pursuit, and I had an opportunity to paddle a friend's Maui. My initial impression of the Maui is that it was very similar to my Pursuit, only shorter, wider, and a little heavier. The extra width and weight made the kayak more stable than the Pursuit (which many reviews complained about), but it also reduced the speed of the kayak. But it seems that most people tend to prefer the stability to the slight loss of speed.

The Maui also has a great stern cargo area. We were doing field research, collecting crabs, and were able to fit all of our gear and have access to it while sitting. (plastic milk crates work well for organizing gear.) The hull shape of the Maui lends itself to some hull slap it the water is anything but a mirror surface.

I should also note that the Maui I paddled was old, had been used and abused, and took on water. So I imagine that the excess water weight I carried in the hull didn't help the perceived slowness of the kayak.

All in all, the Hobie is a good solid kayak I would recommend it those looking to get into the sport of kayaking.

I used the Yakima Bowdowns for carrying my Hobie Pursuit on my 4 door sedan. While I experienced many of the complaints that others mentioned in the review, the rack was still satisfactory to my needs. The bowdowns allowed me to fit two kayaks on the roof of my small sedan. My sit-in kayak was flat on Mako Aero saddles (highly recommended) and then my sit-on-top was on its side using the bowdowns.

First, I'll address the road noise. These racks will whistle at speeds of 40mph or higher. I just turned on the radio and didn't really worry about it much. But then I also sold the car and bought a truck... so I guess I didn't deal with the whistling for long.

Second is the spinning. The racks are easy enough to install, and even get tight. The issue I noticed is that the weight of the rack with a little push of sliding the kayak would actually spin the round crossbars. However, the loaded kayak acts as a brace between the two and prevents them from rolling when in route. So really as long as you strap the kayak securely to both bowdowns, you shouldn't have an issue.

I felt comfortable driving with this rack at highway speeds without using the bow or stern straps. I recommend this rack with the exception of the road noise.