Profile

Would love to have had a chance to try this on the water prior to purchasing, but had to rely on visual and my previous purchases to make a decision. I drove to an REI store in Charlotte NC to look at and eventually purchase my Lemongrass Next. That weekend, I made a Solo run down the Yadkin River from the Yadkin River Park to Tanglewood. Within 15 minutes of being on the water, the seat fell out of its support. I had to fix this four different times throughout the day. I feel like I will have a fix for this, but feel as though Old Town should've had this worked out prior to marketing this boat.

Another issue that I was disappointed with was the tracking. As long as I paddled, the boat tracked extremely well, but as soon as I would lay my paddle down and reach for my fishing rod, the boat would turn has if I had turned a rudder. Hopefully I'll fix this problem with a drag chain.

Love the idea behind this boat, but seriously wonder if any field testing took place. The Next was very easy for me to transport and even the seat provided good padding for my head while transporting. The jury is still out since this was only my first trip with the Next, but for now, I'm slightly disappointed in my purchase, but I see promise with a Second Generation Next.

Just returned from another trip down the Upper French Broad River in North Carolina. While some of the newer Sit On Top Kayaks leave my mouth watering, this old reliable boat continues to perform. At age 52 and continuing to age this has been a great Kayak that I've had for years. I've used it mostly on rivers and have been rewarded with great stability. The weight of this Kayak is excellent when transporting to and from the water. Fishing from this Kayak is relatively easy on my River Runs and requires very minimal steering, tracking well as I float. Looking to purchase a Sit on Top eventually, but don't see myself letting this one get away, it still has its place!