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I've now had this boat for a year, and paddled it in many conditions, and every time I take it out I like it even more! On rivers, the SRT excels; it glides easy over flatwater and is very responsive, handling sharp meandering turns with ease, especially if heeled over. It felt rock solid on Class II drops, as well as some sharp drops over beaver dams. The light weight encourages travel down streams where lifting over obstacles (trees, beaver dams) can be expected.

It also does quite well on lakes. I've paddled it nearly empty (just a camp chair and lunch in the bow for trim) into a 20 mph head wind and 2 foot rollers, and was able to keep up nicely with the kayaks, although the high sides do catch the wind a bit. Loaded down with gear, the SRT charges into the wind with ease, deflecting waves to the side and staying very dry. It is a dream to paddle on flat windless lakes while loaded with gear...it wanders a bit unloaded. It is VERY trim sensitive...if the wind switches around on you, be prepared to redistribute gear to adjust your trim. A sliding seat like a Swift Osprey has would be a good addition to this boat if you paddle it empty a lot.

The reinforced construction in the floor gave me peace of mind transporting it on a Canadian Boat Walker portage cart, loaded with gear...no flexing in the floor at all.

Finally, the boat can even be poled! It takes some getting used to, very twitchy, but one you get used to the degree of heeling you can do with the boat without any step-outs, it becomes a fun boat in the shallows.

I’ve been in a lot of boats, so when I first paddled a Flight at a demo day I knew this was a boat that could do a lot of things well. This was also the first boat my wife ever paddled that she felt immediately comfortable in. So we each bought one. I have paddled mine on ponds, lakes, tidal bays, and rivers from flatware & quickwater up to Class III whitewater.

The good: Xytec Rules! Stiff, durable, light. I’ve run it over rocks that would put nasty gouges in most plastic boats, but barely show on this. The boat has only fair initial stability, but is rock solid on edge. I can edge it 75 degrees without a brace. It is comfortable in most conditions for my size (5’6”, 160 lbs.), but may feel tight for larger paddlers. It tracks like it is on rails, and is fast for it’s length. It turns very well on edge, and even maneuvers fairly well on whitewater, provided you lean it enough and economize your paddle strokes. I’d take this boat almost anywhere. The drainplugs make unplanned swims much easier to deal with…such a simple idea, but you never see these on anything but whitewater boats…why?

The bad: The hatch and bulkhead (in the rear only on my model) is only fair as far as outfitting goes, not watertight at all, just water resistant. Also, the boat drafts pretty deep due to the shape of its hulls…I would hit subsurface rocks in this boat that I would float over in most other boats. The foam center pillar is not well-secured…and it gets in the way anyway, so I ripped it out. The footpegs are merely adequate. The seat is OK for day trips, but gets uncomfortable over long hours.

Overall, one of the most versatile kayaks on the market, perhaps the most versatile in this price range. Of course, the price is somewhat reflective of the outfitting, I think.

I have an Isere dating back to sometime in the early 1970's, so it is easily 30+ years old now, and "spartan" fits the bill. Not very comfortable for long outings without a customized backrest. But this boat paddles, tracks and responds like a dream, and is my favorite river touring kayak. With the deck outfitting, I top out at only 31 pounds. Thanks to the somewhat assymetrical shape, this kayak paddles fast for its length and I've beaten longer boats in races with it. A classic design that outperforms many newer designs. Really, tho, mine looks like hell...I call it the Cirrhosis of the River.