Profile

Nice kayak for the intermediate kayaker on rivers and lakes. It does well in the ocean but is a little heavy and short for choppy conditions. Skeg tends to get clogged with rocks when launching from the beach and this can be problematic once on the water. Bulkheads are tight and waterproof. I am a small guy and the cockpit is tight and conforms well to the paddler. The low volume allows it to sit low in the water and yet moves well. Seat was also an issue when doing wet exits and re-entering the kayak. I was jammed into the cockpit and could not move during a wet exit and re-entry on the kayak when the seat folded down trapping me in the cockpit and required assistance to free me. If I had tipped I could not have gotten out of the kayak. The kayak group leader who runs kayak trips and owns a kayak shop was concerned about the safety of that feature. I called Islay and they said they didn't design the kayak for adventurous kayaking. I informed them that a wet exit and re-enter is a basic kayaking safety procedure and the kayak should not impeded or endanger the paddler during the process. I was forced to purchase a replacement seat back that didn't fold down for $69.00 so be aware that you should replace the seat back or arrange with seller to swap the seat back before you purchase.