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Name: paddler236690
Most Recent Reviews
This kayak is indeed making me very sad. That's because the river is calling me and I CANNOT go. I am trapped in this terrible thing called "work", which is keeping me out of my kayak and off the water. I purchased my Aspire 105 earlier this year, thinking that my son and I would be out on the water every weekend and that we would explore all of the nooks and crannies on most of the bodies of water in northern Georgia.
Unfortunately, my son is just not (yet) a kayaker. He would rather splash and play on the shoreline (he IS only 10, after all). So I bought him a smaller and less expensive kayak (though it is a very awesome little kayak for the price, and I'll review it elsewhere). My plan is to work him up to longer and longer paddles, and get him hooked. So far, so good. But this fall, when I take my 13 mile trek down the Etowah River, it will have to be a solo endeavor.
I purchased my 105 from Cedar Creek RV and Outdoor Center over in Dallas, Georgia and got the deal of a LIFETIME. I encourage everyone to shop around - you could save yourself a TON of money by doing that. I did. If you are ready to purchase, I encourage you to get a price from Cedar Creek, as they have frequent sales. I was SHOCKED at the low price I paid for my incredible little boat.
We have been out on the water a lot, and now I think I can give this kayak a fair review - I avoided reviewing it too soon after my purchase, since I knew I would still have my rose colored glasses on. I've still got them on, thanks to the quality of this boat - but at least they've gotten wet.
In case you don't want to read a long review - in short, it is as close to the perfect kayak (for me) that I could have purchased. I have read a lot of reviews from others who seem to have a fever for buying kayaks, and that could have happened to me. However, I did my research and bought a 105, and now I doubt if I'll ever buy another kayak again - and I'm not even SLIGHTLY kidding about that. If I do, it'll probably be another Aspire.
Compared to my son's kayak (Pelican Trailblazer 100), it is heavier, at close to 50 lbs. It's still not too heavy to carry on my shoulder and load up in the back of our short-bed pickup truck, but his kayak is only about 38 pounds, so the difference is noticeable. I can also tell the difference when paddling, as the Pelican gets up to speed faster. However - because of the drop down skeg on the 105, it tracks much better and I can sustain speed easier in the 105 than the Pelican.
The seat is AWESOME. While I have also experienced the seat getting hung up under the shell of the kayak, as another reviewer has noted, in my case it was really being caused more by my life jacket than the seat itself. I started taking off my jacket and just laying it over my knees and the problem is solved (for me). You can make almost ANY adjustment to the seat that you could possibly want. I can sit in this kayak ALL DAY. This fall I am planning to do just that.
The dry storage in mine has remained absolutely, perfectly dry. Unless I roll it (not even sure if I can do that - haven't tried yet) I don't think that will ever become a factor, [Note: Do NOT remove the styrofoam that is up in the nose - it's not there for just shipping - it is for flotation. If you DO somehow manage to roll this bedrock-stable kayak, it will keep the nose up at the surface.] I can't imagine worrying about stuff getting wet back there. I also purchased a couple of dry bags anyway, so that shouldn't ever be a factor.
I mentioned stability. This kayak has loads of it. While it will certainly tip, it has enough secondary stability to keep it upright under all but the most absurd angles. I have a feeling most people wouldn't actually ROLL it, but would instead FALL OUT OF IT if tipped up on it's side. Again, you'd have to put some interesting effort into it to get it to go all the way over. On my last time out, the INCREDIBLY inconsiderate (and let's face it - drunk) speed boaters and jet skiers were really putting up some huge waves, but I never had the slightest feeling of tipping. In fact, I honestly looked forward to having some chop to paddle into - kinda like jumping in mud puddles as a kid. I even turned sideways into some tall wakes to see if it would tip me over - nope. I did get a little bit of water breaking over the edge, but that was no big deal. I would DEFINITELY take this thing out on the ocean, if only my wife would allow it. She thinks sharks are searching for humans to eat (go ahead and laugh - I do too), so she won't let me. And the swamps and saw grass marshes near the beach? Alligators will eat me. She's a weenie, so I'm doomed to flat, fresh water. Dang.
As for tracking, it does pretty well for a kayak of this length, even without the skeg down. If you put the skeg down, as noted by others, it not only tracks well, but is noticeably more difficult to turn around. You can do it, but you'll prefer bringing up the skeg to go 180. I can turn it 180 with two sweeps as long as the skeg is up. If it's down, three. It may not sound like a big difference, but it really is.
The cockpit is big and open. Nevertheless, unless your paddling technique is pretty sloppy, you should have no trouble staying remarkably dry. And because of the large cockpit, it holds a lot of air - which means it can stay afloat under loads that would swamp a lot of other kayaks. I *may* get a skirt for mine (who am I kidding - I WILL, someday), but not so much for staying dry. Instead, a skirt would help keep my knees from getting sunburned. Pack some SPF.
So far, the adjustable foot pegs have worked flawlessly, though I often just sit cross legged while paddling. (Purists are staring at their monitors in HORROR right now . . . but go ahead . . . live a little . . . ). And yes, the cockpit is wide enough to sit cross-legged.
The drink holder works as you would expect - no problems whatsoever. I also took my very expensive cell phone out so we could get some photos, and it sits very stable under the cord.
There is no paddle holder on the Aspire 105. As far as I'm concerned, that's not really even a knock. The cockpit is wide enough that it will hold there for the few times I want to put it down. But if a paddle holder is your thing, you'll have to use one of the cords on the frame for that.
The handles on the bow and stern are very comfortable for carrying, and tough. It's hard to imagine these failing, unless abused. Still, I would not tie down a 105 by those handles.
I got my 105 in the Midnight color scheme. I can report to you that it is more beautiful in person than online. I have also put ONE (small and tasteful, strictly for personalization) decal on it (purchased from CafePress), and it sticks ferociously. I was afraid that decals might not stick to the hull, but that's not a problem at all. In fact, I do not think that any natural force is going to remove that decal.
And now for the BAD thing about this kayak.
You will become paranoid. This is something I never really thought of, until AFTER I picked it up and took it out for the first time. I feel the stares of others who appear to be coveting my kayak. I simply can't leave it in the bed of my truck while going into a convenience store; visions of someone sneaking over and (somehow quickly) stealing it and driving away keep haunting me. So I make someone else go inside, while I stand guard. You can't have my 105, unless you have a gun . . . and then I'll have to think about it.
Note to those who are still thinking about getting a kayak, but haven't yet "taken the plunge":
Do it. Now. Here's just one reason why. My son and I were on Allatoona Reservoir (really just a big bath tub that the Corps of Engineers fills and empties every year), during full pool. While we were paddling up into the river, we saw one of the largest birds I've ever seen take off out of a pine tree, so close to us that we could hear its wings flap, and fly about 100 yards from us. This bird was HUGE. It suddenly shot STRAIGHT UP into the air, did a hammerhead stall, and dove down towards the water with it's wings pulled all the way in. This thing was HAULING. It hit the water and DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY for a few seconds. My son was very concerned that this giant-of-the-skies had just committed SUICIDE, when all of a sudden it popped back up to the surface, and with considerable effort, hauled a big fish far off into the trees. My son was in SHOCK - he just turned and asked, "DAD - did you SEE THAT?! Can they DO THAT?!" And I replied, "They do that for a LIVING."
And they are doing it RIGHT NOW . . . get out there and WATCH THE SHOW!
