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Fabulous little kayak! At only 18 lbs, I can carry it easily by myself. Super easy set up and take down. I use a power pump, can go from car to water in about 10 minutes.

It handles well, is made of 1000 denier PVC, so tough enough to hit a few rocks and sticks on the river. Plenty of bungees/d-rings to secure gear. Good side and bow/stern handles for carrying. Strike plate under bow to protect on landings. Seat is comfortable, but I still need a cushion for my skinny old butt...something I use in all of my kayaks. The thwart, which is not movable, give good back support to the seat. Skeg is easy to install/remove.

I got the 11' model because I wanted a small kayak. I already have 2 larger, high-end kayaks, and wanted something easy and lightweight. As with any 11' inflatable, the tracking is good but not perfect. If it was my only kayak, or if I was a bigger person, I would certainly have opted for the 13' model and tracking would, I'm sure, be excellent. But this little one is exactly what I wanted, and I have absolutely nothing bad to say about it.

I also have a Sea Eagle Razorlite and Driftsun Rover 220, both much more expensive, but this little Deschute is my "go to" now. It's just so lightweight and easy to use/carry/launch. Love it.

Once on the water, it paddles fast and straight....as advertised. Yes, it can be "tippy" if you're used to traditional inflatables, but easy to adjust to that and learn to be a better kayaker. The foot pegs are great, hard to get in and out, but they sure help on the water.

That being said, I think that Sea Eagle should give a little consideration to some ongoing complaints on other FB pages. Again, the footpegs would be much easier to install if they were just about 1/8" shorter and slightly rounded edges. SE sent me new ones like that when I absolutely could not get the pegs in. Shouldn't have to call and ask that. Everyone complains about the same thing. SE is very much aware of this issue and has yet to do anything about it.

I would also say that a couple of side handles in the middle of boat would be an essential item. I cannot carry the kayak alone, I'm petite and 70 yrs old. There is no spot to hold onto, due to design of the boat/sides. I either need a second person to help with handles on both ends, or I have to drag along a dolly/cart to move it even a short distance from car to water. Worst design flaw of boat, and such a cheap fix.

A strike guard on front bow and some d-rings/bungees to secure gear would also be an easy fix. I had to install both of these items. I find that ridiculous on a high end kayak.

On a $1000 kayak, these insignificant items should be standard equipment. I have 3 other mid to high end inflatables, and they all have side handles, d-rings/bungees and strike plates on front.

As pleasant as it is to paddle (once on the water), few extra $ at the time of manufacture would make this a nicer boat to launch.

New model inflatable, I just upgraded. I had narrowed my search to Sea Eagle Fast Track and Advance Element Straightedge, but they were both about $1,100. This new product seemed to have everything they had for about $700. Drop stitch floor for dog claws and lightweight (this is 12' long, 25 lbs) were 2 big factors. Rated for Class III/IV rapids, plenty of floor drains, and stitching seems very good.

Couldn't be happier, and I love the price.