Inuit 12.5

I love this boat, in fact both of them. I have two! I bought a pair and had never paddled them. Over the years I've had more than a few plastic yaks. I buy and sell boats in the 11 to 16 foot range as a hobby. Used and neglected, I pick them up and refit them, clean them up and sell to new paddlers mostly that cannot afford new and don't have enough time to know what's right for them. I've had Manitous, Lookshas, Tsunamis of various lengths, Swifts, CDs, Dirigos, Pungos, you get the idea. I've paddled so many plastic boats I can't remember all of them. A few years back I boat 3 LL inuits from a guide service used, a 12.5, 13.5 and 14.5. I paddled all of them. I cmwas immediately taken back by the speed of this boat in comparison to the others in its class. It's light on its feet if you will, much more so than the Tsunami, or the Looksha and would put it in the category of A Manitou on speed. Where it excels is stability. This thing is so rock solid in the water it almost doesn't make sense. The hull design is quite unique and it's a combo of hard and soft chines and it works marvelously. I sold all three of those boats, in like 5 mins. But I bought a pair of 12. 5s new for my own quiver. The hatches are great dry and large, the plastic is a nice quality though a tad softer than Wilderness or Necky but oddly a bit thicker than the later. The seats are not quite up the level of the Phase 3 or the Necky-Old Town Acs but are bterr than Perceptions and Daggers. The cockpits are very comfortable, will take quite a large person and have room to spare. Truthfully I like the slightly lower volume 13.5 for this reason and I am a big guy. This should be the best selling plastic touring boat in the world. It's a marketing issue and not a product failure that has held it back. If you want a rock solid, quick, stable and comfortable mid size day boat for nearly anyone with any skill level, this is the go to boat. Now the challenge, finding one!

I bought a LL Inuit 11.5' back in 2011 and I must say that it is an excellent boat. For a new kayaker, these boats probably have the most features and are easily the most capable for the money.

Speed: I have found these Inuits to be very fast boats capable of great speed with little effort, even in rough seas.

Maneuverability: one thing sea kayaks aren't know for is their ability to turn fast like a typical whitewater kayak. But the Inuit manages to retain good agility, particularly the 11.5' models. This can come in handy for maneuvering in small waterways or in rough currents.

Stability: an outstanding feature of the Inuit is its stability. Very easy to get into and out of as well when paddling or maneuvering.

Features: good ergonomics with an adjustable seat and seat back, foot blocks and knee braces. Nice big fore and aft watertight compartments allow me to carry all my gear with me, both internally as well as external tie down bungees for my bilge kit, sandals and my deck bag.

The only downsides I can see is that these Inuit kayaks are a little heavy - but built like a brick sh*thouse! - and they are a little pricey compared to a Big 5 or WalMart special. Then again, you get what you pay for!

An Inuit is an excellent boat to get into sea kayaking with and will give you years of adventures. Advanced or expert paddlers may want to upgrade from an Inuit but you'll have to put in a lot of years of paddling before a more advanced rig will be of benefit to you over an Inuit. If you can get an Inuit, buy it! You won't regret it.

This review was originally posted on liquidlogickayaks.com and was re-posted with permission.

I have had my Inuit 12.5 for 3 years now and absoultly love it! When they say you can store all your gear, they are not lying. I use my boat to go Kayak camping all the time and I can bring way more than when I go back packing. Also love the decklines for tying down additional gear. Cant say enough about the versitlity of this boat. Its at home on lakes, rivers and Creeks. I would'nt do whitewater but I have been on a large lake with 2ft+ waves and It was a blast. Very Stable!!

This review was originally posted on liquidlogickayaks.com and was re-posted with permission.

My wife and I kayak exclusively in local lakes, so before we purchased our own boats, we rented a lot and attended promotional events that allowed us to try multiple brands and models. Out of all the boats we tried, we were most impressed with the Native Watercraft Inuit models. We found them smooth, not too wide, reasonably quick, and excellent trackers. The seats were the most comfortable we'd ever tried. We were totally prepared to buy them, but suddenly could not find them for sale any longer in any of our local outlets, so we "settled" for Perception kayaks, though settling is not really fair to Perception, because their boats are really nice. We simply like the Inuits better, and would have bought them if we could have found them.

I purchased the inuit 14.5 and this is an unbelievably comfortable boat. I enjoyed the paddling and it does move pretty well, however I had a real problem with weathercocking with a mild quartering wind. it got to be real hassle keeping it straight. I'll definitely have to install a rudder. I don't think the hull chines are defined well enough. I had two sea darts that had quite a bit of rocker and I had no problems with them. Other than that sweet boat.

I bought a Native Inuit 12.5 in October. It's a new boat for 2010 so I thought I'd add my 2 cents. The Inuit is wider around the cockpit than a lot of the kayaks around 12 feet, and it gets narrow in the ends faster than most boats. The cockpit is big enough it's easy to get in and out. But it doesn't feel like a big barge. I feel this boat has good stability when you are learning, and I haven't outgrown it yet. The Ends get narrow sooner than most kayaks and ride over waves and chop really nice. I don't get any spray in my face and I can edge turn this boat and still feel stable. I think it tracks fine and goes straight when I want it to but also turns faster than the other boats I tried.

I chose not to get the one with a rudder, just didn't need it, but I think it would help if you had trouble turning it yourself or paddled in tight corners. It has nice storage areas that are watertight in the bow and the stern and the hatches are really stretchy. Easy to get on and off, even on cold mornings. I haven't gotten any water in them yet, but I was told to always use dry bags just in case.

The Inuit has recessed fittings that you don't knick your hands on and deck perimeter lines and nice grab handles, the T-grip style carrier handles easy for carrying. I learned a lot about deck rigging in my kayak class, you need deck rigging that is strong for hauling the boat up the beach when its loaded and it's good to have if… when you swim… You will have something to grab onto.

I got to try a lot of boats in my lessons and at the pool I thought the Inuit was a little easier to roll than other boats around 12 feet. My instructor helped me with the outfitting and I think this really sets the Inuit apart from other kayaks. The Inuit has padded everything and thigh braces that can adjust. The instructor said the outfitting was all made from recycled materials and not foam. Its blue-ish gray fabric feels good against your skin and is all water proof. It is holding up fine for the first 5 months I've had my boat. My instructor was very patient as we "fine tuned" my thigh braces and added the right shims to the hip pads. We moved the thigh braces back so my thigh and knees would get a better grip in order to roll the boat. Other boats just didn't have as much outfitting or weren't adjustable nor comfortable enough. I felt like the outfitting was a lot like having my ski boots fit. I was either too tight or too loose in other boats I tried.

I felt like I got a custom fit with this boat, that the other boats didn't have. I can tell you having learned recently that the outfitting can make a big difference in how your kayak will perform for you. I think it's helping me progress much faster than if I had boat without the custom adjustments.

I'm enjoying paddling this boat on lakes, some slow moving rivers and have had it in some down winders on some waves. On longer paddling days I can raise the back rest for more support. The Inuit tracks just fine without a rudder, and it feels really playful and responsive in the chop and waves. As my roll gets better I hope to take it on some coastal trips.