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Great mid-size SUP for small-to-average paddlers. My 5'4", 130 pound, 50 year old wife can handle and car-top the board without much trouble (loves the integrated carry handle) and found it to be quick and extremely stable on the water. Construction is nearly bomb-proof- good, solid shell with foam core for manageable weight. Hard to beat this board for the price! Pros Tough construction, super-stable on the water, good value for a lower-priced board Cons Could be a shade lighter, traction pad could cover a bit more space toward the nose Usage Recreational paddling, exercise, occasional surf but mostly flat water

Owned this boat for 2 years now and have been meaning to review. Extremely versatile boat; I've used it for everything from quick 2-hour recreational river paddles to all-day fishing trips on both fresh and salt to multi-day camping trips. Reasonably quick and maneuverable on the water, amazingly comfortable seat, great storage layout. My only complaints are the footrests (locking mechanism is very unstable and twitchy) and the side drain hole, which never seems to allow me to get the last several ounces of water out of the boat. Overall a solid boat and one that I'll keep until she sinks!

Not a ton to say about this that hasn't already been said. I own the Ultimate 14.5 tandem, 2008 model and have had great success with one exception. The "adjustable" footrests will virtually always slip and won't stay locked in place. Seen this on 3 different Ultimates of around the same age. Great kayak overall, awesome seating and stability but shockingly poor design on the footrests.

Purchased the Sharper Image private label version of the DragonFly 2 on Ebay as a kit for $185 with paddles and pump. I'm an experienced canoeist but a novice kayaker and I'm please so far with the boat.

Inflation is quick and simple, even with the cheap foot pump supplied. Deflation is a different story; the 2005 model has "pool toy" valves that require constant pinching to deflate, making it really tough to use a pump to aid in deflation if you're solo. On the plus side, I didn't find it as tough as some other posters to dry out the kayak and once deflated it folds and packs easily into the supplied carry bag.

I don't have much to compare the on-the-water performance with but the boat paddled and tracked pretty well for me with my 45lb. son in the front seat for ballast. Even using the heavy supplied paddles effort was minimal, and I paddled in some VERY shallow water in a local tidal river.

Overall I'd say that this is a great value for the beginner, especially if storage and carry space is at a premium. Even at the retail price of around $350 this isn't a bad boat.

By the way, if anyone knows any tricks for deflating boat chambers with those damnable pool toy valves, I could sure use them!