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Name: WH1

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If you're reading this 2016 review, you've probably come across an old Sea Runner selling cheap on Craig's List - that's how I got mine. I actually like this kayak a lot. It tracks well and is quite stable (about 25 inches wide) without feeling like a barge. Mine has a rudder that looks like a later add-on, but the tracking is good and weather cocking is minimal so it does fine without the rudder. Mine was pretty much a battered wreck when I got it (rotted out hatch and bulkhead seals, heavily scratched and scraped, green slime growing inside, etc.), but after some refurb investment and a day or so of work I have a decent kayak.

Some observations: the plastic is not as stiff as newer plastic kayaks I've used - there's an aluminum keelson (a pole down the middle) to stiffen the kayak; it feels fairly light for a 17 foot plastic boat; there's not a lot of flair to the bow so it tends to plunge through boat wakes instead of riding up over them, but the relatively high peaked deck forward of the cockpit deflects the water well; the seat back is minimal and comfortable without getting in the way, but I found the seat pan to have a little too deep of a depression, causing my hips to get pinched by the sides of the seat (I'm not a wide person) - I made a custom seat pad out of stiff foam to raise my butt up an inch or so and the seat is great now.

I bought mine for exploring the Maine coast without having to worry about scratching up my more expensive fiberglass boat. Overall, it's working out great for me.