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I bought the Manitou 14 on CL as my first kayak. It was a good choice and contrary to one review it is not the least bit tipsy. I was able to stay with a strong paddler in a Carolina 12 ; however, I could not leave him behind no matter how hard I tried. It seems that this boat due to its design goes just so fast and that's it, good but not great. I then got a Carolina 14.5 and it was a little better but not a lot. I paid $600 for the Manitou in good condition and think that was a fair price but bought the Carolina 14.5 in excellent condition for just $435. You will find this kind of deal on CL if you are patient.

I just sold mine. It was uncomfortable in my Necky kayak due to the seat back which would force the PFD up against my neck in the back. I had to keep pulling it down. I just traded kayaks so the seat is now not a problem but I got an inflatable type which I read is cooler.

This is a surfski which means it is a sit on top kayak. It is more narrow than the V6 but very stable. It has no knee braces so takes some getting used to. It is Epics only rotomolded kayak or surfski and is $1580 with no tax and free shipping from Kayak Trader dot com. I got the kickup rudder option as I do a lot of shallow water paddling.

I just use it as a day tourer and it is great for that as it has a roomy aft compartment. It is fast and the rudder allows me to maneuver far better than my old kayak which had a skeg only. The seat is molded into the cockpit and has no padding but optional pads are available.

It is far easier to paddle than my old kayak as the hull is scalloped allowing for the paddle to get very close to the kayak without banging my knuckles. Even though it is polypropylene it is 6 pounds lighter than the old one which was 2 1/2 feet shorter. Also the storage is only about 10% smaller and has no skeg cable interfering with the rear compartment. It even has a bottle holder in the cockpit.

I really like the ease of entry from the water as it has no seat back interference and the water just drains out automatically. What I do not like is that the water drips off the paddle into my lap so I have to wear paddling pants if it is the least bit cool.

It is an awesome day tourer and handles wind and waves well. I can paddle into the wind as fast as my old boat paddled in no wind.