Monterey 14.0

Lots of room for overnight journeys that we have yet to do. They're perfect for day trips on creeks, rivers, and lakes. We've even paddled through a working 19th century lock on the Kentucky river. The flat bottom fits perfectly with uncertain depths of creek paddling, but is fast and efficient enough for open water. What a fantastic all-around boat.

After two years, we are still pleased with our choice. We've now had the boats in rivers, on lakes and on three day trips. The Monterey moves along well on long river trips way better than any rec boat like the Acadia. We've found that the flat bottom of the Monterey slides over rocks and logs with ease compared with round or keeled bottom designs.

We've had lots of fun doing eddy turns and ferrying into waves. Being a rockered design, the boat turns easily when you want (granted for a 14' boat) yet tracks fine. I felt initially that the skegs caused drag when down; so I removed and filed them to sharpen (foil)the leading and trailing edges. (Stay away from the hinge point and don't over sharpen if you do this.)This did reduce drag. But, with better paddling technique, we have found we don't use the skeg as much as we did. We still use it in windy conditions when paddling quartered (diagonally) to the wind and some times on long flat water trips.

While we, no I, some times feel the urge to get a touring and a white water kayak (and may yet), I realize that the Monterey serves my needs real well and I continue to enjoy it every time I'm in it.

I drive a large and very tall minivan with roof rack and I find it easy to lift the boat up and slide it onto the rack. It is not that heavy to lift and walk with but if the wind is blowing hard then you'll have your hands full.

The cockpit is small and this craft is only suited for smaller persons. Try before you buy. I happen to be small so there is not a problem. The seat has the ratchet adjustment which is handy but I find the seatback just a little too short for my comfort. Every position hurts after a while. The padding is OK but after two hours things start to get tender. I will be adding some YakPads for sure very soon for the seat as well as the footpegs.

Both cargo hatches seal tight and keep out water. Twice I found water in the rear compartment but have yet to figure out where it came from. Other reviews stated that the skeg mounting allowed water to seep into their boats but this newer version has absolutely no skin penetrations. The skeg and it's mounting are completely external. The skeg cable does penetrate the skin but way up above the water line. All my other trips have ended up dry. If I had to I could get quite a lot of gear into the two cargo hatches. The front hatch is oval shaped to allow for larger items.

I did not have a choice of color as my supplier over here on the other side of the world only had one. It is red faded into yellow. I would recommend this for others if they are concerned about being visible to other craft on the water.

I agree with the other reviewers here in that the bottle holder is just plain in the wrong spot. The indentation is just too far aft to be of any use. (Maybe Britney Spears could make it work for her) But that is not a problem as there are plenty of straps over the fore and aft decks for fastening things down.

The special indentation on the aft deck for inserting the paddle makes a paddle float entry all the more easier.

Initial stability is very good but I find secondary stability to be frightenly almost non-existent. But this was during our get-aquainted-voyage and I was pushing the envelope to see where my limits were. I have yet to get this thing out on the whitecaps but have already been in some big swells and boat wakes and don't feel uneasy. Have even surfed a few earthquake swells. As long as you are properly seated with your thighs locked under the braces this is a very stable and responsive kayak. Thank you Perception.

Perception calls this boat a shallow V, but it is almost flat at the area under the seat, combined with a definite chine it allows for the boat to be quite agile and predictable when edging, and quick to turn with the skeg up. With the skeg down it tracks like a much longer boat, holding a line well when going up stream or with a quartering wind, or both, requiring only an occasional tilt or sweep to stay on course. The Swede form makes it easy to bring up to speed and seems to maintain speed easier than my wife’s 14’ Perception Shadow. It is stable enough to use for photography or bird watching with out being a “barge”.

The seat back has a nice adjustment system but I had to move the anchor bolt to get the back vertical enough to be comfortable for me. The seat back is also a little too tall. I find it more comfortable to use a PFD that is either short in the back or has a mesh back. (The only reason I didn’t give it a full “10” rating.)

The fit and finish is very good for a poly boat with the hatch covers fitting their openings snugly and the padding in the seat, seat back, and thigh braces enhancing the all day comfort.