Profile

My partner and I purchased a pair of these in December 2021 to be used as car toppers for middle aged, experienced recreational paddlers on lakes, larger rivers, tidal estuaries and in calmer sea conditions.

Several paddling trips and 11 months into ownership of a pair of Boreal Design Pura 120 boats, we find ourselves with no regrets what so ever. These kayaks fit our requirements very well indeed.

BTW :- These Boreal Design Pura 120 boats are re-branded and sold as 'Surge Lightning 12' in Australia and perhaps other markets. Price paid was AU $2,200 per boat in Dec 2021

Weighing in at just under 19kg without any gear inside I find them easy to car top on a Subaru Outback Wagon into a J cradle on the factory bars - I am 179cm tall and I do have issues with working/lifting above shoulder height. Perhaps 3 dozen load up/take downs later I have encountered no problems, even in a stiff breeze these are lightweight enough for me to handle.

The cockpits are easy to plop into - enough room to fold my legs in with the seat back slackened right off. My partner is reasonably flexible and at 167cm she hops into the cockpit without fuss. The seats are adjustable with both seat bottom and seat back settings - the adjuster cords lock into the wedges well - no fuss. The seats are very comfortable for at least 90 min paddling without having to get out. There are adjustable foot pegs which hold well but are too small for my feet. I cut some wider 10mm thick rubber pads and bolted them onto the footpeg plates and have never thought about my feet in the boat ever since.

The front and rear hatches are 100% waterproof / capsize proof / driving through a rain storm whilst on the car proof. The hatch lids are natural rubber and feel positive to snap lock down into sealed position, however the rear lid takes a little effort and practice to make for a fast open/shut function. There is a stern bulkhead wall behind the seat and enough space in the rear hatch area for overnight camp outs. The bow of the cockpit has a flotation bag anchored in there with enough room past my feet to store another 14 inches of gear if necessary.

A 12 foot boat is always going to be a compromise between what I can easily lift for car roof topping and a non skeg / non rudder boat that tracks well. My partner at 65kg has no issues with wind cocking. She just gets in paddles straight every time. She has better paddle technique than me. I suffered from wind cocking a little until I placed 5kg of weight in the back hatch - tracking improved after this fix and perhaps my paddle skills have improved. We paddle the Pura 120 boats regularly in 25km/hr wind with no fuss. Above that speed water conditions dictate how much fun you can or can't have regardless of trackability. If I were to purchase kayaks again and lifting them for car topping was not an issue I'd likely purchase a longer kayak esp. if I wanted to take it onto moving water.

A skeg / rudder may be of benefit on this sort of kayak but this is a compromise boat and I can't say I'm ever in the cockpit wishing I had either of these at my disposal. Longer distance paddlers may insist upon a rudder or skeg but we are recreational kayakers who can and do pick and choose paddling conditions to an extent. 5hrs in the water is a long day for us. Typically I beach the boat somewhere after 90 mins of paddling so I don't fatigue much and I don't paddle long enough for technical perfection to become an issue. I'd also suggest longer distance kayakers would opt for larger/longer boats for stowage reasons anyhow. I've paddled some fiberglass and plastic 14, 15 and 17 foot kayaks and yes, they do naturally track better, but I could never lift them onto the car on a daily basis as per our paddling road trips.

I don't often have to edge the boat often, but on occasions when I do edge it along it finds a very safe position to lean into - you really have to flop out of the cockpit or mess up on a wave to tip the boat over. These boats have a multi-chined hull and are genuinely rock steady in ugly chop, swell and slicing across waves. Combined with the easy car topping weight, the stability of these kayaks are the two big plus points. I don't like to have to work too hard and I find my Pura 120 with 12kg of gear loaded onboard moves over most water very nicely. Having powered through a few miles of 2 foot waves on a few occasions I can't fault these kayak's handling, they are not fast by any stretch but never have we felt unsafe, nor have we felt like our paddling efforts were being nullified by boat design or load positioning etc.

The finishing on these kayaks is excellent. After nearly a year of on again off again use they appear very close to brand new condition with just a little maintenance. Subjectively they look great both on and out of the water. I'm pleased to say, the closer you get to these boats, the better they present - not something I can say about other kayaks I've rented / owned / borrowed. The seats are finished off neatly, the rigging is neat and tidy and the glossy ABS plastic finish is a delight and easy to keep up with a hose off and occasional plastic polish (I use Plexus FWIW) I have made a couple of minor modifications on these kayaks to assist with car topping / straps etc but otherwise they are a happy compromise of light weight and stability.