Swifty 9.5 DLX

This is an excellent kayak for fishing quiet waters, and it has handled quite nicely in a bit of chop, although with some mild splashing when paddling quickly through small waves. It's stable and tracks well for its size. The seat is comfortable and it's easy to reach the rod holders positioned behind the seats. The dashboard offers a flat platform to set things like a small tackle box and a pair of pliers, and front and back rigging is a nice touch at this price point. The gunwales are somewhat low, a feature shorter paddlers appreciate, and its weight -- 44 pounds -- makes it easy to transport. While it's rated to 300 pounds, I think a smaller kayaker would be more comfortable in it for longer paddles; I'm 5-1 inch and 132 pounds and it's ideal for me. The hatch compartment doesn't really keep anything dry, but when the trip is over, it's nice to be able to pop off the cover and reach inside to retrieve something like a stray bottle of sunblock. It does not have padded thigh rests, although I haven't really noticed the lack of them, and I've been in it, fishing and paddling, for as long as five hours at a time. My only complaint is with the drain plug, which is somewhat oddly positioned to one side, making it a bit tricky to completely drain the water. I got this kayak on sale, and it's a really great buy for the price.

I bought this for my girlfriend awhile back ago. I've been kayaking for a few years, grew up in Colorado on a yak so after looking through other reviews and testing one out I knew it would be the perfect kayak for her. The tracking is excellent, the style is perfect and definitely speaks to her personality, Plus seems pretty durable. It's a great all around starter yak for recreation purposes/lower cost and is just fun to have. I was able to find one for $200 so know they're out there. She had never been on a kayak before and now she loves it and has fallen in love with it; only wish I had one for myself. If you're thinking about getting one go for it! (Other side additive it's great for Rick & Morty Puns)

Great budget kayak and supports big and tall people. I'm in the 275lb range and the kayak rides about 1-2 inches lower than my son who is 160lbs. The kayak is unstable getting into it, but with a little practice entry and exit is simple. It does paddle and track well as long as you have your weight centered, but you can go to one side by shifting your weight. It is a perfect kayak for casual floats down calm rivers and small lakes. I would be hesitant to take it out in any waves due to load in the kayak (Fat Man Problems). Durability of the kayak is great. Very little damage after scraping several rocks in the river (FMP). Paid $233 for the kayak at Dicks sporting goods after sale price and 10% credit card discount. Would recommend a 230mm paddle for anyone in the 5'10" and a 33-34 inch torso as it will match better with river paddling. I have a 240mm paddle and it is a very lazy low angle paddle that is hard sometimes in small spaces.

Easy sable kayak. Great for fishing and fun.

Great kayak. I use this kayak for recreation on the New River in Independence, VA. I paddle up river with no problem and float back down.. Great tracking. Very stable. Smooth ride. I have not turned this kayak over even once since purchasing. Lovely variety of colors and great pricing. Wish this had been my first kayak. Have bought another for my husband. Several friends have also purchased one after trying mine out. Love it!

The Swifty 9.5 DLX is not a grand boat for white water, big open water or any specific niche kayak use but as a general recreation boat it is hard to beat.

Recreational kayaks are sometimes looked down on but if you are looking to try out kayaking, keep an extra boat around for visitors or as a dependable, rugged backup, take a good look at the Swifty DLX. The Swifty DLX has the traditional flat bottom of a recreational kayak for great initial stability. This stability lets first-timers get that, "yeah, I can do this," feeling. The large cockpit doesn't make them feel trapped in and will let you take a child or four legged companion along for a paddle.

The flat bottom does lack directional tracking but you should expect this and enjoy the maneuverability that it affords. The initial stability and big cockpit combined with a flat rear deck allow me to set crab traps in the Pacific Northwest and transport my catch back to shore in a five gallon bucket set between my knees. There are rod holders molded in that make the Swifty a decent fishing kayak but not a not a fish killer.

The Swifty DLX seat has an adjustable back that is supportive and comfortable enough for a day long paddle but not multi-day voyages unless you modify it or have a better seat on yourself. (I don't) There is also a water bottle divit at the front of the seat.

The cockpit has a dash of sorts that gives you a good place to set a small waterproof box or bag. The dash also features a molded in paddle holder with a stretch cord and hook so you can quickly store it while you attend to a fish or photo op.

Being a rotomolded boat the Swifty can take rock bumps, drops, and bangs. She works well in areas where the shoreline, well, is not all sandy beach. Here in the Pacific Northwest most of my launch sites include rocks, muscles and barnacles so the ability of the Swifty to put up with these is a blessing. While it is true that rotomolded boats are heavy this is mitigated by the Swifty's short 9.5' length.

The biggest short falls on the Swifty DLX are the lack of any bulkhead and the rough edge of the cockpit. The lack of a bulkhead can be addressed by adding one behind the seat or using float bags. I thought of adding a bulkhead but after using a float bag and being able to remove it and clean out the boat without a bulkhead in the way I was sold on leaving it out. The raspy edge to the cockpit required some file use and the addition of some cockpit trim edge and pad.

Having finished this review I see why most of my paddling time is spent in my Swifty DLX! I have a fiberglass Chatham 17 and she's a great boat but I don't put her through what I put my Swifty 9.5 DLX.

This was my very first kayak. It is steady, tracking is ok, not great. The seat is comfortable, it has some nice deck rigging and room behind the seat for storage. Easy enough to move around by yourself. Good beginner kayak. Easy enough with a small dog but was a tight squeeze with my young Labrador. I was lucky to find it in black & purple, Go Ravens!
I would recommend.

I tried out my new swifty 9.5 DLX that my husband bought for our wedding anniversary. We are both total beginners. We took it to Lake Powell in Arizona yesterday and it was awesome. Based on the other reviews, I am very excited about Kayaking since this Kayak seems so easy to paddle...everyone else's reviews say it's kind of slow and doesn't go in a straight line. My husband was kayaking with his new kayak he bought from Wal Mart and I was effortlessly passing him while he had to work very hard to get past me. I love it and I love the aqua and purple color. I didn't know it had adjustable foot pads or fishing rod holders until reading the reviews! So I spend all day with my legs straight out without foot pads and still didn't have any problems with it. I am almost 5'10" and size 10 shoes and it was very comfortable.

I am an absolute beginner in the paddling world. I knew I wanted a kayak after canoeing several times last summer, also knew I couldn't afford to put out much cash. I got my Swifty on sale at Dick's for $299 and believe I got a pretty darn good deal. I am a 56 yo woman in fair to middlin shape and while the Swifty is a bit heavier than I wanted, I still don't have much trouble getting it on and off the top of my Jeep. I just stand the kayak on its end at the rear of the vehicle, tip it forward and slide it up onto the racks. Same with getting it off, I use a rug in the small area at the back hatch where the yak briefly touches the paint. I have carried it to the water a couple times, but I prefer to drag it (not on gravel or concrete) and since the plastic hull is quite thick and rugged that seems ok to do. Getting in and out of it on the water is fairly effortless, the design is super stable even though the bottom isn't 100% flat. Even as a beginning paddler, I can tell that the tracking isn't ideal or effortless, I didn't expect it would be with this boat, but it is fine for what I need so far. I can get from point A to point B in a more or less straight line, just not super fast. I think that will improve though as my skill level improves. Paddling the correct way, using torso rotation and engaging my legs makes a huge difference. I paddle on lakes, reservoirs actually, and they are not always exactly "flat". The boat takes swells and waves well. Soon I will be taking it on slow rivers I have canoed on and that's where I think the rugged hull will be a plus too since the water level on said rivers is quite often fairly low in the summer. The Swifty is more maneuverable than it is swift, I find it to be very responsive to small corrections. Easy to get into those small nooks along the lakeshore that I love to explore. The hatch is just an access to the open bulkhead behind the seat but makes getting to my gear a little easier. The front bulkhead has a chunk of styrofoam wedged in for extra buoyancy, but still leaves plenty of room for my legs and some extra gear. I haven't even used the fore and aft deck rigging yet but this boat could carry quite a bit of gear. Looking forward to some overnighters. The foot rests are easy to adjust with my feet, but the bowed design of the boat bottom makes resting my feet on them a bit awkward. The seat back is adjustable and comfy, the seat bottom is a bit thin and I will probably be adding a cushion at some point. So far I'm not missing knee pads, but suppose I could add them if I wanted. I appreciate the paddle park, can't think what a hassle it would without it, probably would have lost my paddle by now with all the times I suddenly see something I need to take a picture of. The rod holders are a nice plus, I haven't fished in years but who knows... Overall I am happy with this my first kayak, it seems to be a perfect little workhorse.

I purchased this kayak for my daughter. We already had a Swifty that we have really enjoy and I knew that we couldn't go wrong with a Perception.

The boat is light and easy to car top on our suburban. The hatch is not that great a feature because you can just as easily reach the back through the seat but it does mean that we can add a bulk head for dry storage later. The front paddle holder and rear rod holders are a nicer feature though.

The little boat is really fast and tracks pretty well for its size but does have a little more roll to it than the standard Swifty. The stubbier front end also makes a lot of noise going through the water but not so much that it is noticeable from an adjacent boat.

The cockpit is much larger and more comfortable than the standard Swifty but the pegs will adjust back enough that my 9 year old daughter can reach them comfortably. The lower profile makes the DLX very wind resistant and the same 9 year old rowed over a mile in 15mph winds easily. The trade off here is that you do get wet in this more easily than any other set inside that i have used.

Overall I am very happy with the Swifty DLX, but given the option I think I like the standard Swifty better overall and it was $50 cheaper.

I actually have two Swiftys; the older model and the new DLX model. The older model is a great kayak. Maybe not the fastest in the world, but tracks strait and is wonderful for playing around in the streams where I live. Both are very stable, but the newer model has a tendency to wander when you stop paddling (has a mind of its own and pick the direction it wants to go). Both are roomy and are great to fish out of. If you want a kayak to play in and you don't have much of a budget the Swifty is a great boat.