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This is my 3rd summer with the Sevylor Big Basin, 3-person inflatable--and I really like it a lot. I've had a lot of fun with it, and I think you could fill it with folks and dogs, and it wouldn't complain much.... When I am with friends and their kids, the kids happily will use 2 or 3-person options, and it's nice to have folks enjoy your boat (when you're sitting at the beach) PROS: There is a lot of good to say about this boat. It is really rugged. Clearly, it's been made well, and can take a lot of knocks. It inflates really easily. It has some strong handles. There is a bit of splash guard in the front and back. Boston valves are really dependable. Comes with a fin for tracking. Tracks well--12.5 feet long--shorter inflatables might not track as well. I have never used the fin, and I've still been happy with the tracking. Seats are nicely made and sturdy. You can use it as 1-seater, two or three. This is nice if there are kids and friends who want to take your boat out, while you are hanging out at the beach. It has plenty of air in the 2 sides and the bottom, so it'll stay up easily if there's a puncture (you're getting wet though...). The bottom is pretty tight when inflated. Their customer service is EXCELLENT (through Coleman)--which is really nice.... I had an issue, and they quickly dealt with it.... Don't leave the skupper hole open--I did that once (you're getting wet!)--good for draining though afterwards.... Folds up easily and fits in bag (see note below). CONS. If you are buying inflatable for space reasons, drying out any inflatable is a serious consideration--where will you dry out your inflated kayak? Some inflatables have less issues to deal with. In that the bladders are under zipped coverings--which I said are super durable--water will ooze in, and this makes drying a lot harder. If you don't mind your boat having a musty smell, it's not an issue... Ironically, cheaper less durable boats will dry out more easily (no covered bladders, right?). This issue is with other inflatables such as Advanced Elements. Because mine has not dried wonderfully a few times, there is some discoloration--I take care of my stuff, so it'll happen to yours too, unless you can really let the sun bake it a bit. The seat bases are inflatable with silly little toy-like valves, but I think the seats are great, regardless... The bag is really flimsy. As soon as I got it, I had to reinforce it in several places to get some longevity out of it--since my adaptations, I haven't had any issues with the bag.... I have a hard-shell longer kayak and have had Advanced Elements 2-seater Lagoon Inflatable in the past ( I had issues with it around durability and water coming in). I currently also use the Aqua Marina inflatable Steam, 1-seater which I also quite like a lot!

There is a lot of good to say about this kayak! I really enjoy it so far....

Pros

• very light 25 pounds (11.5 k),
• easy to carry (inflated or not),
• stable,
• comes with 2 fins for tracking,
• the seams look nicely done,
• nice solid floor (drop-stitched),
• fills very quickly with electric or hand pump (I've done both),
• bow design is raised nicely in the profile,
• the dry-ish bag it comes with stores nicely in the stern (not a real dry bag, but solid addition),
• tracks pretty well despite short length,
• turns on a dime (which is fun),
• doesn't blow around too much (with fins installed),
• grab handles bow and stern,
• has bungees in back and ropes in the bow which are helpful for self-rescue,
• adjustible footrest is good,
• the pump it comes with is solid,
• pretty quick to paddle as inflatables go,
• it's nice having all the drain holes (8 mid and one stern),
• looks cool.

In terms of the cost, it's about right with a few notes below.

Cons

Seating is subjective, for sure, but the seat is a bit flimsy for the price (and careful to keep the seat's forward higher clasps attached forward and the lower seat clasps attached aft). I will probaby add something for lumbar support.

I have had an Advanced Elements inflatable in the past & currently own a Sevylor Big Basin (both with better seats, I reckon)--I have a normal kayak too with solid seats.

Because it is so light, the tracking isn't as good as a 12 ft or longer inflatable, but pretty good.

Because of light weight, it's hard to stop and rest without the current spinning you around.

Mine arrived without the 2 fins--there are none in North America now, but I got them expedited from China. I have used the boat with and without fins. It tracks so much better with them attached. It's fun without the fins, but without, it's just for paddling around a little swimming area with kids and such.

Because it is so light, it is a bit harder to self-rescue, but because they have bungee cords and ropes in the bow and stern, that's smart design.

The pictures online were not standard when I bought my boat. The Cdn Aqua Marina site and the Ebay site where I bought it showed a different seat than what I received, but the American Aqua Marina site had the current seat updated at the time of purchase. I suspect that the seat for the last iteration of this boat, the Betta K-1 formerly, had a more sturdy inflatable seat, and probably was better than the new edition, which is a shame. The current, cheaper Betta 1 which is now green vs. red, has the inflatable seat, which looks like a better seat than the more expensive Steam St-312.

The carry bag is flimsy, which is not really great, I don't think. For the price of the boat, I would expect a hardier carry bag.

Overall, I really really like the boat.

Pelican, what's not to like.

This really great 14ft boat has been rebranded. I have a competitor's boat that was a lot more costly at 15.5 ft.

The old version of this--sure there are updates--was solid, looked great, was super stable, but really nice and fast.

Seeing this boat makes me miss the one I sold by Pelican under a different name.

My fancy kayak may be faster, but I miss how reliable it was. A lot of people looked at it and thought it was beatiful.

It was the best kayak I have owned out of 5 boats.

This is a great a starter kayak for a small family. The backbone really makes a difference for speed as well as the little sag between seats. Nicely made; easy to patch. Make sure to dry them out between uses.

As a starter kayak for two, it's a nice little boat. Although a bit slow in the water, with the backbone, it's sturdier and faster. This is a nice boat if I go camping with other families--it's popular for the couples to try as well as one parent with one child.