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Update to 2007, after 2 years of usage. I notified the company about the foot rests, and they promptly mailed me at no cost replacements, since the originals had problems.

I still find the fixed seat not able to support my back after an hour or less. They sell a high back seat, but I am not sure it fits this model.

I bought this without trying first in the beginning of December. I put the kayak in my pick up truck and put it into my garage. The next day, the the daylight I got a better look. I noticed that a foot rest strip was loose in back of the seat. Hmmmm, I thought and looked for the other one. Didn't see it. Then I look where it should have been mounted and there was one mounted and one in my hand. The backing of the foot rest strip appeared to have some adhesive that didn't hold. I screwed the detached foot rest in (hope it holds). I finally took it out on a very warm day last week. The water was cold and it was windy. The Upper Potomac was moving pretty well and the wind was almost making white caps. I paddled into the wind, upstream for about 20 minutes. There was much splashing as the bow hit the mini-waves. None the less, the kayak tracked well and seem to handle ok. I sat up higher than my previous Heritage Kayak, but the seat is fixed with a small pocket for the posterior. Since I didn't adjust the foot rest, I could get a good feel for the paddling. My feet didn't even reach the pedals where I set them. Water was kind of rough to adjust once in the river. This kayak comes with a glove box (tackle box) that is waterproof and it sits loosely in the cuvy-hole. The netting on the side was helpful for my water bottle. The seat seemed too leaned back for me, but once I adjust the foot pedals that might help. The extra 6 inces at the bow and stern probably isn't needed, but it's a unique built in handle (no strings). The stow away compartment is an upgrade from what I previously had, but there were no tie-down straps (bungy-cord). I will give this kayak a workout when the reservoirs are back open in March.

I read the reviews here first before I bought this 11 footer. I was eager to replace my Heritage (9.5) that I sold here on Paddling.net in 2 days. One review that I read here stated that there was a problem with the skeg sometimes sticking. Another review said they needed to place a piece of plastic between the skeg and boat to keep the skeg from moving left and right (make a noise at each alternate stroke). When I put the kayak in my truck bed, I looked at the skeg and noticed a black piece of plastic... hmmm I wonder if the manufacturer put it there. The plastic was loose, so I pulled it out of the housing. I took it out two days later for about an hour and could hear the skeg knock against the boat with every other stroke. It tracked better than my Heritage, however the seat wasn't adjusted and it was rather difficult to adjust once in the water. It was easier to paddle than my Heritage, but the knocking annoyed me and I didn't feel like gluing the plastic on the boat. The storage area is a welcomed feature. I took it back the next day.