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Name: peapod

Most Recent Reviews

I have had this kayak for about 2 years and taken it to many places. I gave it a 4 star rating but for my purposes it should get a 5 star rating. I bought it because I wanted a maneuverable kayak and I did not need a rudder. I used to own a Tampico 140 L and that was a super boat. This boat is similar except it is more maneuverable while the Tampico you could close your eyes and paddle and it would stay on course. The seat is very comfortable and the boat has excellent initial stability. I have had in out in the chop and it can handle most 1 to 2 foot with ease. The hatches are easily accessed and pretty dry. The boat is not very fast as the front of the hull is designed for initial stability and when you hit 3.5 mph you can see a big wake or some resistance. I would recommend this boat especially if you learn to lean and use your body to control its direction.

I am getting ready to retire so I wanted a very lightweight 15-16 foot kayak. The Bearing Sea was one of 2 kayaks on my list. I read other reviews and after purchasing a used kayak from someone who gave it a poor review I gave it a maiden voyage a year ago last August.

I took the kayak to an area that was only three feet deep so I could put it through the ringer. When I put my skirt on the boat almost tipped into the water even though I had weights in the boat to stabilize it. I decided to move the seat forward and the foot braces back so the center of gravity changed. What a difference. The boat was like a rock. I have been out in 3-4 foot swells and did not need my paddle to brace. The kayak has been on Long Island Sound and the Great South Bay and even in rough water the boat is stable.

The kayak does not get a 10 due to the finicky skeg and the stiff rubber hatch covers. The covers must be sprayed every month with 303 to soften them enough to make them pliable and fit over the hatches. The seat is very comfortable and I like it. I must oil the skeg mechanism every time I use it so it works. I use only marine grade oil. The skeg is made of plastic and i wish they used the one that Impex used in there kayaks. But if you want a light weight kayak with good speed and stability and can put up with a little extra maintenance then this is a great boat for you. One other note do not use steel reinforced straps with built in locks since they caused an indention on the top of the kayak(which I had to fix). The fusion material is very stiff but is denotable.

You want to buy a kayak, You stand 6 feet tall want a stable, light comfortable kayak that can be used by a beginner, or advanced kayaker. You want a kayak that can handle rough conditions that can also track well without a rudder a skeg. This boat can do it all except be very maneuverable. It has a keel that goes down the length of the boat, the seat is comfortable, it weighs only 46 pounds, has no skeg or rudder to break, and can handle waves and wind. I have had this kayak in 30 mph winds on the bay and it tracked and handled beautifully. When I have a newbie I let them use this kayak and they stay afloat. The kayak likes to go up to 4.0 mph before it creates a large water wake. Speed is good for a 14 foot kayak. The hatches stay dry and I would recommend this kayak for anyone thinking about buying a light touring kayak.

This is my favorite kayak. It is stable, responsive, comfortable and a boat of beauty. I have paddled this kayak for 3 years and have a I have found it handle waves , wind and currents extremely well. I only use the rudder about 10 percent of the time since the boat laughs at 3 to 4 foot waves and cross currents.

The kayak easily edges and is easy to lean. There is plenty of room in the hatches. Only negative is that the clips to the hatches corroded. I am sure Current designs will send a new one when asked. The boat is wide and large and allows my mid -60's body to have a little room for comfort. I would recommend this kayak which I have nicknamed the battleship.

I bought one of these last June and it was unsafest kayak I have ever used. I bought the propel because I wanted I boat I could pedal as well as paddle. Since I was recovering from a shoulder injury the dealer said this kayak would be perfect. I tested it off the canals near his shop and although used to a sea kayak and this handle like a barge I accepted it because it was a means to get out on the water. I decided to go out with members of my club for its maiden voyage (It was the boat from his demo fleet) and at first all seemed well... The seat with the optional lumbar accessory was comfortable, the boat handle the chop and I was doing a steady 3 mph. I went under a bridge which had seaweed and it got caught in the propeller (a small plastic unit). I tried to go forward or back but nothing happened. At the time there had been no instruction manual written on line or with the boat. Soon the peddle flew in the air and landed in 10 feet muddy water. In order to clear the prop you must stop the boat with no control, lift up the propeller from the center of the boat, clean it out, return it. You can use your paddles but the foot pads are not in place because the pedals would hit them so you can not get full power. If there is no current against you no problem but otherwise there could be big problems. My group towed me to safety.

I called the company and the dealer. The company gave me an indifferent response. I asked for the president and got a secretary. The rep said that the pedals were installed by the dealer backwards. Gee a bicycle has a right and left pedal and one can not thread into the other. They gave me new pedals and a few weeks later I soloed. I was great for the first mile and then I hit the seaweed in the boat channel. I cleaned out the prop 5 times in 15 minutes each time going further away from my destination, I also bought backup pedals. Finally I took the paddles got out of the current and escaped. I was lucky a motorboat did not rip me apart on this Sunday afternoon.

I returned this disaster waiting to happen to the dealer and after charging me an evaluation fee I was able to exchange it toward another yak.

If you live in an area were seaweed or other vegetation would not get caught on to the propeller than this would be a nice fishing boat. I would not recommend this boat to anyone where there is boat traffic, tides, currents, or strong winds.

I bought my currituck in late Oct so I did not have time to get use to it before the winter months. I had to be very cautious because the water turned cold and even correctly equipped you do not want to get in deep trouble. As I paddled the kayak I soon realized that this was a perfect boat for me

At 17 feet long and 21.5 inches wide the kayak zips through the water. At a 16 mile lake paddle I was able to paddle at an average speed of 4.0 mph.Not bad for a 56 year old. The boat loves swells and waves. It sometimes seems disappointed when the water is too flat. It is rare for boat wakes to make me change course. The boat is very stable both initially and when moving. The currituck is easy to lean without tipping and you can turn it on a dime.. The skeg is necessary to keep it on course when the wind and tide on at right angles to each other. The seat and backrest have good support and are comfortable. I still use a yak pad for extra paddling due to back problems. The hatches do not leak even a drop. When I first bought this kayak I thought I would have trouble getting into a smaller cockpit than I was use to. Now I feel the cockpit is too big. All in all I am very satisfied with the sea kayak and would recommend anyone looking for a top notch stable, fast and solid kayak to consider purchasing the Currituck.

I recently purchased a Merlin XT and could not be more pleased with my purchase. I had a perfectly good kayak that I liked but my back had given me some trouble so my doctor suggested that I get a lighter boat. The criteria for the new boat was different than when I went looking at my previous boat. I needed a boat that not only was light, and stable, but extremely confortable. Most importantly I wanted a boat that would track well without the use of a rudder. The pronounced V hull keeps the Merlin going straight ahead without a rudder or skeg. The boat will also turn on a dime. By not having to push my foot down on the foot pedal my back is not strained. So this over 50 year old paddler is very pleased with the stability and confort. There is one other nice surprise I encountered with this kayak. The boat is extremely fast. I have timed my paddling at the same areas that I went with my previous boat and I would say I am paddling 10 percent faster. The added benifit is I can get to my destination faster and sit for a shorter period of time. Overall I would recommend the Merlin especially if one has a back problem. The boat can handle waves very well, is confortable, pretty and tracks beautifully. I also use it for photography and I have no problems taking pictures.

This is my second kayak and my first seakayak. I have used this kayak now for three months and I have found that it has lived up to its reputation as a very good plastic kayak. The boat has very good intial stability and excellent secondary stabilty. I have used this boat in lakes rivers bays and some channels with strong currents and the Seayak has performed well. The boat handles waves well as I discovered when a sudden spring storm came in from the Northwest turning a calm trip into an adventure. The boat handled the 2-3 foot continious barrage of waves like a pro. The Seayak tracks well and reponse well to turning. I am still learning how to paddle and handle her better. She seems to be able to maintain her course well.

The one area of the boat that needs improvement is the seat. The seat design could use help. The seatback has two tabs that slip into the bottom rear of the seat. When the seat is level or slightly inclined than the backrest falls out and you are seating on the folded backrest. Needless to say this can cause a major inconvenience when you are trying to enter the boat. Secondly, the manufactors claims that you can easily adjust the angle of the backrest when in the boat. It is almost impossible to reach the pull string with the hip braces attached. I removed them and it seems to be easier. The tech support was less than helpful when I asked for suggestions to adjust the seat and keep the backrest in position. Once in the boat, aproperly positioned in the boat and with some additional padding the seat is ok.

This is my first seakayak so I can not compare it to any others. The boat seems well constructed and the plastic is very scratch resistance. I have never had any water enter the hatches even though I have been in waves that crashed over the first third of the kayak. Overall I am satisfied with this kayak and hope to spend a number of years exploring the waters of Long Island and surrounding areas. If someone is looking a stable, reasonable speedy, durable, well constructed kayak they should consider the Seayak. However, Prijon please make a better seat.

This is my first kayak. I am very pleased that I purchased the pungo. The kayak 's large cockpick allows me to store a waterproof bag in front of me and within easy reach. The kayak is very stable and tracks very well. At first I thought that I would go kayaking on the lakes and rivers of Long Island. However,they are few in number compared to the many inlets and sounds and bays. The pungo handles the waves ,currents and wind better than can expected. I enjoy using the kayak and look forward to each day I go in the water. I would recommend the Pungo to anyone looking for a stable and versitible kayak. I use my boat for photography and the kayak has remained stable so no picture has become blurred. I would recommend that the Pungo have a larger hatch rather than the small rope holder it presently has.