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I'm a novice paddler introducing my family to the joys of kayaking. In addition to my Perception 9.5, we just added a Pelican Boost 10 to our collection.

The Boost is a boat designed for Dick's Sporting Goods, at a low price point.
Highs: Stable, lots of room on deck for fishing tackle, water, food, comfortable seating, tracks well.
Lows: Heavy, slow, lack of carrying handles on the sides, hull scratches easily, and water bottle niche is too far forward.

Bottom line: This is a great boat for $200. It won't set the world on fire, but for beginning paddlers it's a cheap way to get into the sport. I fish from it often and have taken it on ocean marshes, rivers, and lakes.

This is the first kayak I've owned, purchased used with PFD and paddle. The positives on this boat far outweigh the negatives.

Positives: This is a very comfortable boat for my 6', 200 lb frame. It's easy to carry to and from the water, and fits well in my short bed pickup. After 30 minutes on the water it was easy to handle and control. Has enough room to carry a tackle box and fishing pole as well.

Negative: It tracks poorly, but I didn't expect a 9.5' boat to track well in the first place; Seat back pops out of the retaining slot.

In my eyes it is a perfect combination of small size + comfort.