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This is a wonderful boat for what it is. I know of at least one person who thought it would be stable, because it is billed as one of the most stable surf skis. It is very stable for a surf ski, but pretty un stable for a kayak. Also the boat does not respond to edging like a typical sea kayak. It was designed for using a rudder and while it is a hoot to remove the rudder and try to paddle it that way, it is best suited for using the rudder and paddling fast.

It is absolutely the most comfortable kayak I've ever paddled so it is my first choice every day I paddle.

While I have enjoyed playing in the surf with it, I would not recommend it as a rough water play boat. This boat is used for getting out through the surf and then working outside the impact zone. It does get out through the surf well and it surfs well, but confused seas are very difficult to paddle.

I have had my Expedition for a few years. It is a fast boat that has no trouble keeping up with other boats. It carries a good load. I weigh 230 and am 5'10" and it fits me well. It takes some time to move the foot bar for different size paddlers. It is a very straight tracking boat and is stable compared to sea kayaks. It is not stable compared to most other sit on tops. Very good in choppy and rough water. I use it for sailing as well. The hatches are very tight and do not leak.

I recommend you try one, if you are on the fence and cannot get one to try you will not be disappointed if you order one.

I've only day paddled this boat for one afternoon, but I wanted to add my comments after reading the other reviews. I thought this boat was amazingly fast for it's short 15'3" length. I "arm paddled" it to about 6.5 mph on my gps even without the foot pegs being set up. It does tend to turn whenever you stop paddling but it is controllable when you keep paddling in flat water. It is a flat water fitness design not a sea kayak so I'd compare it to Olympic K1's and other narrow racing designs. It is only 23 inches wide just behind the seat. The rest of the boat is very much narrower than a sea kayak but still a little wider than a K1 or a surf ski. It is much more stable than a K1 or a surfski.

At 5'10" , 225 , and size 12 feet I'm a pretty tight fit for this boat. The Factory Rep said it was designed for people under 200 pounds. So it was not the most comfortable boat for me but it was in the top three most comfortable sit inside kayaks I have tried. When I loose another 25 pounds I plan to try it again. If it fits better I will buy it and ad a rudder for windy days. It really does reward paddling faster with faster speed. It is very light and very inexpensive for a fitness boat. As it is so short maybe I could race in the Rec boat class and do well.

This is a follow up to my previous review as I have sold the boat. I was able to make the foot wells much more comfortable by gluing in foam camping pad material that I had cut into squares to fit the place where my feet went. This elevated them enough so the ridge no longer press against my Achilles tendon. I also found that this boat was not a very good boat for the surf. It just doesn't have the right shape for wave riding and the bulbous front makes punching out through the breakers very difficult.

I loved everything else about it and I'm sad to see it go, but there are other boats for me to try and I only have room for three boats. I'd buy one again in a heart beat, it is an awesome river boat and a fun lake boat when you are not in a hurry. My new to me Tarpon 160 is no faster, even though it does glide better.

I bought this boat in very used condition. The first thing I noticed is that it is a little heavier than my other 50 pound boat, but it is still an easy and comfortable carry. It has a very comfortable seat but the strap on the seat back caught my shirt one day and made it very hard to get out of the boat. I had to tear the shirt! I deducted two points for that and now am careful about clothing that could get caught in the boat.

This boat turns really well when you edge it and it is easy to edge and reasonably fast for a 15 foot boat. The bottom will hog out after years of scraping over stuff and being tightened too much on the roof racks, but it doesn't seem to affect the speed or handling. The skeg works well and whenever you might want help going straight it is easy to deploy. I rarely use it.

The cockpit is pretty large and comfortable I think a big paddler could easily fit in this boat. I'm 225 and 5'10" with size 12 feet and there was way more room than I needed everywhere except for the feet. I didn't feel locked in by this boat so if you wanted to roll it or surf it, you might want to put in a lot of paddling for thigh braces and hip pads.

This is my first Sit on Top and I like it a lot. It is perhaps the most stable kayak I've ever been in. I checked the top speed with a gps and got just over 5 mph after I was already tired and at the end of my normal paddle. With a bent shaft single blade paddle I got 4 mph pretty easily.

It tracks well enough to use a single blade paddle well if you know what you are doing. It is very maneuverable for a boat this long and edging really helps the turns. The flat bottom helps you scoot right over logs and rocks. The seat is very comfortable. The Deck rigging and handles are very nice.

The molded foot rests are an abomination. They should be outlawed! I've never tried these before but they were uncomfortable. The ridges on the bottom dug into my achilies tendons. The ridges on the sides were slippery and not big enough to hold my feet in place when I was paddling hard. I know I'd much prefer to grind these off and install real adjustable foot rests, but I don't think I can do it without leaving holes in the boat.

The boat is very light at about 50 pounds.

My Dagger blackwater plowed through the water like a pig. It was very stable even in rough water, but it was also slower than any other 12 foot kayak I've paddled. I liked the quality of the boat materials and rigging, but don't get this boat if you need to keep up with a group. The only paddlers you'll keep up with are ones in very short boats. This boat would make an okay boat for a beginner to learn kayaking skills. It is very stable but you can roll it, which is rare for a rec boat. Still I'd recommend a necky manitou or a WS pungo instead for almost everything this boat doesn't do.