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Name: cougar

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After years of searching for a perfect blend for a fishing kayak I have finally found it. The Quest 11 is 11'1" in length and 29.5 wide and weighs in at 47#. The polyethylene hull is tough. After scraping over numerous oyster bars and bumping into barnacle encrusted pilings the hull has only superficial scratches. The only other plastic hulled boat I have paddled that is as tough is a Prijon.

Being used to paddling much longer yaks I was a little concerned about the shorter length. The 11 actually tracks straighter than the Quest 13 due to the fact that the center rib in the hull is deeper than the rest and tapers back to a keel in the stern. On the 13 the bottom is fairly flat. Tracking is good, even when power stroking the nose only deflects about 2" side to side. It is well behaved even in a combination of 15mph+ winds and heavy tidal currents. The stability is awesome, you would have to forcibly try to flip this yak to get it to go over. At the same time it has good glide for such a short yak and the manuverability is very good. The yak is very dry for a SOT, the seat stays dry and even in heavy chop the bow deflects the water away, the only water you get in the yak is from wind spray or paddle drip. The supplied scupper plugs do a great job and the yak can be paddled without them in with a slight amount of water in the footwells concentrated at the scuppers. I have yet to find any water inside the hull. You can move around in this yak with no thought or concerns the stability is so great.

The layout of the yak is awesome for fishing. The mesh side pockets will hold more bagged baits than you will ever need. I carry a small double sided tackle box in the center console that is held in place by the attached bungie. Right in front of the seat is a 8.5" watertight hatch that has a supplied covered bucket that is handy for anything that you want to keep dry. There is a similar hatch in the stern. The sternwell has plenty of room and the bungie system that covers it is very easy to detach and use. The gas pedal style footbraces are very comfy and easy to adjust. The built in rod holders are in a good location and the stern bungie can be hooked over the reel handles to hold them in place.

The yak is easy to load up at only 47 pounds. The only negative I can find is the stock seat loses its cushioning at 3-4 hours, I threw in my gel pad and it is good for all day. There is a supplied Hobie paddle but it has a good amount of flex in the blades, so you will want a better one of your choice, a 230cm works great.

Overall a well thought out yak that I wouldn't hesitate to buy again.

The Midway is of Rotomolded plastic construction. The plastic is durable enough, surviving sand and shell beach landings no worse for wear other than light scratches. Oyster bars will create some scars but all yaks will show that.

The length is 14'9" and 26" wide. Weight of the bare hull is 52#. The yak has very good glide and paddles easily with a 220-230 cm paddle. Initial stability is fair upon entry and sitting still, it improves under motion. Secondary stability is good. If you anchor or stake out the boat in heavy current or higher winds the stability is only fair, it is not conducive to fishing.

The yak is more of a fitness/touring type craft, with excellent tracking and glide. As expected manuverability is a little slow but not bad. The main negative with the yak is there is always some water where the scupper plugs are, and the drain channels meant to drain the seat work in reverse at times chanelling water to the seat area where there is no drainage.

I purchased the Vapor model by Seven2 in early March this year. I am glad I ignored most of the bad reviews about the paddles. I think Seven2 must be reading these reviews because all of the prior complaints seem to have been resolved.

First the Vapor is extremely light and padding with it is a joy. The grips are comfortable and my tendinitis is less affected by this paddle than any other I have used. I do have feathering index marks on my model. Also if the blades turn it means you don't have the clamp centered on the seam where the 2 halves of the paddle join. Mine has never lost index even when rock gardening with it down small creeks. The only issue that remains is, I do have some slight warping to the blades, but there is no effect on performance other than aesthetic and that is why I rated it a 9.

It is a great lightweight paddle, and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another.

I have waited for a year of paddling in this yak to do a review. First off the HTP plastic of Prijon kayaks is second to none. This yak has seen stone and gravel shorelines, and concrete ramps, there is nothing but superficial scratches on the boat, unlike peels and gouges that would be on other plastic yaks that I have owned.

An earlier review questions the stability of this boat, but it is very stable even while fishing out of it and landing large fish, even my brother (who is a beginner) had no trouble fishing out of it in a river with an 8 mph current. I have also had it in 4ft. swells that is about its max as it tends to submarine the waves at that point. The speed and glide is very impessive and not far behind my 14 footer. The tracking of this yak is very good as there is no rocker, but still maneuvers easily.

The cockpit is comfortable but a gel pad is needed for the seat for extended trips. I added a float bag to the bow and perimeter deck rigging, as well as rigging behind the seat for paddle float rescues. I never had a failed paddle float re-entry as the cockpit is fairly large. The rear hatch is the only negative to the yak, as I have had to pump it out after practicing paddle float re-entry. The hatch also is a pain to close from in the yak and the opening is small. All the other Prijon yaks have great hatches.

The weight of the Capri compared to most other 12 ft. plastic yaks is light and can be easily put it the rack on my truck. If you are looking for a 12 ft. daytripper the Capri is probably the best on the market.

I bought the Mini-X back in May to fill a hole in my fleet. I needed a very maneuverable boat with stability to fish in small to medium winding creeks with up to class II rapids. Wow what a surprise, this boat can handle anything you can throw at it. I have had this little yak in Lake Erie in 6' breakers and it handles them easily. This boat surfs the waves great and is able to climb right up the face of them as they are cresting. The stability of the boat is awesome, I have the fish and dive package and it is a great fishing platform. The only time I was able to flip this yak was when I was surfing and I was going so fast I couldn't keep up paddling and made a mis-stroke and got blown out by the wave. Re-entry back into the yak is easy even in the surf.

Because of the width of the boat I use a 240 paddle and it has surprising speed for a short wide yak. In fact I sold my Prowler 13 yesterday because this boat flat outperforms it in every way. I am actually able to get more speed out of this little 9'3" yak than the 13' prowler in part to the fact that it is 20 pounds lighter at 39 lbs. Also it handles better in big rough water and is not fazed by large boat wakes. The boat will do a 360 in place. The light weight makes it a breeze to load on a rack or in a truck bed by yourself.

The boat sits higher in the water than most SOTS and is a lot drier ride, not much spray or water in from the scuppers, I was always wet in the prowler. It does have a little hull slap once in a while on the smaller waves depending on your angle to them, but it is minor. The yak also has a surprising 350 lb. capacity. The quality and finish of the poly it is made out of is great and it is almost slick when wet and cleans easily.

The storage is ample and I can fit my 240 2 piece paddle in the center hatch. I am also able to fit a 6' rod in the front hatch after removing the bucket. The hatches are very water tight in normal use. Flipping it in the surf lets some water in, but I think it comes through the rod holders.There is a paddle holder on each side of the yak which is a nice feature because you can secure a spare rod under one of them. This is a great little all purpose yak that is flat out fun.