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Since I started kayaking, I have periodically upgraded my paddle as my skills and knowledge advanced. This is my fourth paddle but I am stopping here. The 2-piece Sting Ray Carbon with Posi-Lok (230 cm) is lightweight, solid and stable. No ill-fitting connection or flimsy button to push. Not ridiculously priced, either. I am very pleased with this paddle and recommend it.

I just returned from a vacation with my family kayaking in western West Virginia. I have only had my Rip 12 for about a month and a half but I am really impressed with it. When the weather is that spectacular, there are plenty of powerboats and Jet Skis sharing the water with us. Good sized swells from the boat wakes would come at me from one side, bounce off the sheer rock quarry walls and come back from the opposite direction. Never did I feel unstable or at risk of being swamped. I was able to make headway in reasonably strong winds. I like the fact that the thigh pads extend all the way under the coaming, so I can tuck my knees up inside there. The seat was extremely comfortable over several hours of paddling. I did a LOT of research before making my purchase and know I got the right product.

I originally bought this Aspire 105 as a guest kayak. It had only been used twice and came with everything. My husband and I enjoy taking friends and family along on some of our kayaking adventures. I have a Tarpon 100 with the Airpro seat, my husband has a Perception Pescador 120, both sit-on-tops. We also had a couple of 8-foot beginner kayaks. We always gave the better kayaks to the guests so they would have a more enjoyable experience. After paddling our regular yaks, getting back into those starter boats was no fun at all. So I started scouring ads for good backups and found this Aspire on Craigslist. The price was too great to pass up and I loved the seat on my Tarpon, so I didn't hesitate. The problem came when I let my husband try the Aspire. He is 6'2" and 220 lbs. and had never paddled a sit-inside before. He loves the comfort, the balance, the skeg and the large cockpit. The high load capacity is a big plus and he LOVES that seat. Add to that the fact that his Pescador weighs a ton, and now he chooses the Aspire most every time the conditions are right for a sit-inside. In short, I never get to use the thing, so I need another...