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I've owned a 2010 Solstice GTS for three months now, and have been kayaking for 3+ years, salt and fresh H20. Mostly large lakes. I sprung for the kevlar and it was worth the money. No more back muscle tweaks.

Playing in the surf is a lot of fun with this boat, although turning it quickly (without the rudder) in between on-coming waves is a little unnerving. Which has motivated me to aggressively practice edging and stroke techniques. I knew this was going to be my trade off. So that has worked out in a positive way. What keeps this kayak from being a 10 is the leaky hatches. The seem on the rubber seal (on both hatches) are not aligned.

As far as over all performance and comfort, I'm pretty happy with this boat. I was talking to another kayaker and shared, at the end of the day, when I'm tired from playing or cruising and I'm heading back to the launch,with several miles to go, hands down I would much rather be paddling my GTS than a boat more suitable to surf. This kayak is a sweet, smooth, fast performer that takes little effort to cover long distances. Would I recommend this kayak to a best friend? Yes. Happy Kayaking