I received my Oru Kayak last month and have taken it for several short paddles on a calm lake. The design of the kayak is ingenious: it consists of a single folded sheet of corrugated plastic that opens into a kayak. The front bulkhead partition and footrest are attached to the body and the only separate pieces are the floorboard, which is also the cover for the folded kayak, the back bulkhead partition, the backrest and foam pad seat. The assembled kayak is stiffer and sturdier than I expected. It assembled and disassembled easily - it took about 20 min for assembly and less than 10 min for disassembly. I anticipate that assembly time will decrease with a more repetitions.
The kayak was stable, easy to paddle, tracked well, turned easily, and was dry inside. The freeboard is a little higher than my hard shell. The backrest and seat pad are OK. There is a simple adjustable bar for your feet. All-in-all it performed as expected for a 12 foot long, 25 inch wide, 25 pound plastic kayak despite its unusual construction. I will have to wait for spring to test it further.
