I recently had the opportunity to rent this boat for a trip down the Rio Grande north of Santa Fe, N.M. Talking with the outfitter, he indicated that the boats had turned out to be a good investment and after the better part of a season, they were holding up quite well. At 5'10" and 185 lb, I had a tough time squeezing into the seat. Once in, the seat offered no back support. Imagine sitting on the floor, your legs straight in front of you, and the only support comes up to your belt. That said, some adjustments helped and a little jury-rigging, or a new seat, would probably take care of the problem. The boat is designed for white water and handled appropriately in Class I through Class III. The self-bailing was nice. I am used to the Stearns and had to adjust my paddling stroke in order go straight on flat water. I would not recommend this as a touring boat, but down river it was great and I bet it would be fun in the surf.
