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Name: Crockett

Most Recent Reviews

This is a great kayak for all-day comfort, for stability, and for fish-ability in lakes and rivers. The ss107 is my 7th kayak and my 3rd sit-on-top. For fishing and all-day comfort, this is my go-to kayak. As I shopped for my newest kayak, my main point of interest was seat comfort due to a back injury. I sat in dozens of kayaks and the ss107 had the most comfortable, supportive and adjustable seat by far. (side note; I was not able to find a Kaku Zulu to sit on) I am able to sit in this kayak for hours. In its highest seat position, standing up is very easy to do without any assistance. The deck is spacious and provides allot of room for standing and mounting accessories. There is plenty of storage in the bow and stern. The dry-pod mid-ship is actually dry. If you wish to mount a transducer to the bottom of the dry-pod, the hull is actually designed to accept one easily.

As with most, if not all, kayaks that are extremely stabile is the loss of speed and maneuverability. While it is still moderately maneuverable, this kayak is slow, even when kayaking with the river current. When others are relaxing and paddling just enough to stay pointed downstream, I was having to work to keep up. Its not overly heavy for a kayak in this class but I do consistently use a cart. Because of this, I wanted to permanently mount a set of wheels from "Boondock". After I placed my order for the wheels from Living Water, I received a call from them explaining that if I mounted these wheels to my Bonafide it would void the warranty unless I also used a special mounting kit. (Huge shout-out to Living Water, Thank You) I was also disappointed that Bonifide does not offer a pre-mounted or pre-drilled rudder option. The hull is designed for a rudder, you just need to make the time to install it.

In spite of a few short comings, this is the kayak I spend most of my time in. If I am part of a group adventure, I may choose one of my faster kayaks so I do not have to work at keeping up.

For the money... I would give this kayak…

For the money...
I would give this kayak a 9 out o 10. Its solid and stable, tho I do not stand up in it because your butt actually sits slightly lower than your feet. It is difficult to flip over and easy to get back into (yes, I do practice that). I fish often in lakes and we take group trips down the Clarion and Allegheney Rivers. I've had the Bali through class 1 and 2 rapids without any problems and have been on Lakes during storms with 2 foot chop. I did get wet, but never once felt out of control or as if the Bali would tip or become too water-logged to float. 4th of July weekend, my tackle boxes were floating from stem to stern and the Bali still handled well. There is plenty of storage area, especially considering that the rear insert is removable, waterproof and will float behind you in tow allowing for even more storage.

The "cons" of this low-end yak are that its not a great seat and your arse is going to wet on most trips. I bought a $20 gel pad and I'm fine in this yak for 6 hours and I've had blown disks. As for your arse getting wet, there are 2 things to consider; 1-you should ALWAYS plan on getting wet when kayaking, and 2-the seat is the lowest point on the deck.

When comparing this to a $1000 kayak, I would have to rate this a 7 out of 10. Its not the fastest. It tracks ok. And the seat is sufficient.

But for under $400, this has been a great SOT kayak, that I would buy again.

Hard to beat sit-in kayak for the money. For…

Hard to beat sit-in kayak for the money.
For under $300, I'd rate this a 9 out of 10.
I live on the Neshanock Creek, which is nearly a river, and I had to buy 4 kayaks for me and the kids.

The Trailblazer was our first kayak purchase, and I couldn't be more satisfied.
PROS: The Trailblazers handle and track very very well. They are very light, two 12 and 13 year-olds have no problem carrying 2 kayaks. The seats and storage are sufficient for 4-6 hours of yaking. A depression between your legs for a water bottle and a small catch-all tray at the forward end of the cockpit opening.

Because of Pelicans building process, they are able to install blocks of foam in the forward and aft sections of the kayak, I don't think you could sink this yak if you tried to. CONS: The seats are only sufficient. I had to add paddle keepers, and I saved $100 and added my own rod holders.