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I bought this kayak in 2015 after doing an awful lot of research and renting a different lengths, styles and types to figure out what I liked. I wanted something plucky, short enough to be manoeuvrable and portageable but long enough to use in sea-like conditions. My LV Islay came up on sale at a local shop that was discontinuing it. I got it at a steep discount, making it a no-brainer. It's a beautiful little boat, and I've been incredibly happy with it. I've used it in calm and choppy waters all over southern Ontario. From small dirty rivers and swamps to open Great Lakes waters and bays, it tracks like a dream and has gotten me through tight and tough situations. It has been stable everywhere (topping 20kt winds gusting 25kts, couldn't tell you wave height with certainty), and has happily waded through gross muskeg like a glorious, slimy beaver. I don't have a spray skirt, but I will likely be investing in one soon. I'm a small person (5'4 and 120 pounds soaking wet), so it's low-volume nature is awesome. I sit more comfortably and with more stability than in any other kayak I've ever used, which mostly seem to designed for strapping 200-pound, 6'3 hockey players. The Islay's braces are all positioned reasonably well for me and the seat's fine. Right out of the box, it fit me like it was pretty much moulded to me. When I go out, I almost always sleep out. The watertight bulkheads have plenty of room for my camping and fishing gear. I've packed it for week-long trips, but I'm sure I could do more than that, as there's usually space left over for any extra panties I would want. The skeg is my only issue. If it falls all the way out, it drops and starts to swivel, usually sticking in a way that leaves the kayak tracking in circles. When it does this while I'm paddling, it becomes a potentially-disastrous scene that involves me lying down on my stomach, scooting back, trying not to flip into water and pulling the skeg back in. I reached out to Venture, and their solution (tightening the cords) hasn't worked. So I just try not to let it fall out all the way. I think I have to change out the skeg line, but this is on a boat that's now more than five years old — so it's not too bad, all things considered. I move the Islay around with foam blocks and straps on my wee tin-can of a car. I've never had a problem with it. It's a bit of a lug when I'm carrying it on trails, and it has some scrapes from bad portages that were equivalent to dragging it across the coals of hell. It's quite durable, but even so I got it wheels to increase its lifespan. All in all, I've been very pleased with this boat. A great kayak for big lake country.

I love my paddle. I've had it for about five years. I've used a lot of crappy paddles in my day, and this certainly isn't one. I'm not particularly buff, and so its light weight makes it much easier to paddle all day than the traditional highlighter yellow paddles that come with rental kayaks. I like to feather in windy conditions, so the variable feathering option is great. I find the separation into two pieces makes the paddle an easier fit in my tiny bean of a vehicle, and even for portaging if I attach it to my backpack. I've read reviews on MEC's site about difficulties people have had with the locking mechanism, but I've never encountered this myself. In fact, I've been quite pleased with it; it's smooth and tight.