Just purchased a Native Ultimate 12 kayak and paddled it today. I am 6'3" and 228 lbs and 66 yrs old. This kayak was everything I hoped for and more. I have paddled a Loon 138 (classic) for five years and thought it was a quality boat that performed well on inland lakes here in New England. I bought the Ultimate 12 primarily for the comfort of the seat. It is fabulous. Wide rec boats are generally not fast, but this kayak is as fast as my Loon 138 and it turns on a dime. It is also probably the most stable boat I have been in and I have paddled several including the Pungo 120. Contrary to an earlier post, I saw now no problem with the side bulging when pressure was applied to the foot braces and they adjusted just fine. I think Native has produced a great boat based on my first 3 hours of paddling it.
