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I bought the Next because I wanted a solo canoe. I never seem to be able to connect up with buddies to go out together. And the idea of a canoe that behaves like a kayak was intriguing.

The good part is that once I found the correct position of the chair to get better trim it was responsive and quick.

The bad part is that, with my bad knees, I found entering and exiting the canoe to be very difficult. Wish it had a higher seat. But it is already a little tippy. The other thing is it sits low in the water with very little clearance from the gunnel to the surface. Not paying attention to a big wake could swamp the thing.

After having bought another boat that didn't suit my needs, I went to a shop that had a guy who gave me very good advice on what I needed to be satisfied.

First off, at 6'1" and 280 lbs, he said I needed a kayak more than 12 foot. And for the easier entry and exit I wanted he showed me three different boats around the 15' length. The Slayer 14.5 was on sale and the cheapest of the three by far.

Since buying it, I have been delighted. Tracks well and is medium speed. Lots of area for storage. I just wish they didn't waste that battery storage console. Needs a removable lid.

I always use the lower seat position for stability and ease of entry. But the higher position doesn't seem too unstable either. I like the wheel on the back for when I am dragging the boat out of the water. Doesn't scrape up the stern so bad.

My kayak is a heavier model and I struggled with the standard strap on cart. I could never seem to get it on just right and keep the straps tight. Kayak fell off of cart more than once.

Decided I wanted a scupper cart. I selected the Xpress because it has that big foam block in the middle to take the weight. I don't like the idea of having the scuppers take that much stress.

Loading is easy. I just turn the kayak on its side and slide the two arms into the scuppers and carefully turn back over.
Unloading is even easier. I raise the kayak high enough that the cart just falls out. People remark how easily I port this 15' kayak now.