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The Stellar S16G2 kayak has proven to be ideal for me – light weight, maneuverable, swift, and stable. I live on a large lake in Upstate South Carolina, kayaking there and several other lakes and rivers in the area. Car top the boat frequently and paddle fairly long distances mainly in flat water or gently flowing rivers. Bought this newly revised model from the great folks at Savannah Canoe & Kayak in the early Spring and have been out at least weekly in the nine months since then.

Coming from a large heavy, composite sea kayak with hard chines that was very stable and just wanted to go straight, there was a learning curve. The Stellar is Swede form with a rounded hull and soft chines. Has a good size cockpit and a molded paddle rest behind the seat, so it is easy to get in and out. It sits high on the water with little displacement, which makes it fast and quick reacting, but a bit challenging in the wind. Initially the Stellar felt a little unstable in comparison to my WS Cape Horn 17 Pro and a tad difficult to control. Fortunately, I was able to contact one of the designers of the boat at Stellar, Ben, who helped immensely. With a few changes in technique he suggested, we were able to turn it into the perfect boat for my use.

There were three major changes from my previous boat:

First, with the light weight and hull shape, the Stellar is designed for the rudder to be down most of the time for good tracking. The boat is extremely maneuverable with the rudder up, which is great for narrow streams, etc. but it is much more stable, efficient and fast with the rudder down and is still quite easy to turn.

Second, the boat is more responsive and faster with a high angle stoke and a shorter paddle than the low angle stroke and long paddle used with the longer, heavier sea kayak.

Third, the boat is more stable and efficient with your knees bent and centered, then using your legs as in a racing kayak, which gives you good hip rotation and power. Still easy to tuck the legs under into the side braces if the conditions get rough.

So, this boat with its more modern design and the required changes in technique is now stable, fast, and a lot of fun. Oh, and at 38 pounds in the advantage layup, it is easy to put on the car rack by myself. My 74-year-old body appreciates that. So, again, for me, and I suspect many others, this is or will be the perfect kayak.