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I took the Stellar S18R in Excel layup out today and was very impressed. The boat is very fast and I would say the fastest 18' kayak made. I have had the 18X and the Marlin.

The foot pedals are best I have seen in any kayak, they are the same ones they use in the surf skis and are very strong, the cockpit is large to get your knees up for a good forward stroke. I was able to paddle it from 6-6.5 mph with ease and had no problem paddling it for several miles at about 7 mph. I did sprint it a few times and reached a high of 8.4 mph

I think it is faster than the 18X or Marlin and have paddled them both. I think it might be as fast as my EFT, of course the EFT is in a different class in most races. The stability is better than all the of those boats. It has won 2 big races this year that I know about: the South Dakota Challenge and the Missouri 340

I think Stellar hit a home run with this boat!

I have had my Epic Carbon for 2 years and have more than pleased.I have spent alot of time in this boat both fitness paddling and racing Every race I went to someone always wanted to check it out! It is a very stable boat to be as fast as it is. Yes the new 18x is a bit faster but the workmanship is not as good since they moved to China. I think this is a first class boat and when I`m in it I feel I have a chance to win and also will be able to handle any conditions.

I paddled a 18x about 5 times and was impressed with the speed and comfort of the boat. I felt like it was more unstable than the endurance 18 but I didn`t have a real problem with it. The big cockpit was very nice allowing you to paddle with your knees up and get proper rotation. I`m not sure about the new honeycomb layup I think the boat is very fragile also the rudders cables are not cables but a cord seems strange. The boat is new out this year I think its to early to tell how well they will hold up.