Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I love this kayak. Granted, it's my first experience with a kayak, but compared to my other two intex blow up boats, this is my favorite. There are a few things I don't like about it, so here're my pros and cons... Pros: - It's extremely sturdy and buoyant. You won't flip or tip once you're in it. You can also hop out, swim around (or, you know, go pee), and get back in. Even if it somehow fills to the brim with water, you'll still be perfectly sea-worthy. - It's perfectly sized. I'm an average sized man - 30 years old, 5'9", 185lbs. Fits me perfectly. - Super easy and quick to set up. The boat was blown up in 3 minutes. It took longer to figure out how to put together the paddle than it did the boat. - Love the net in the front. Stuck my backpack in it that held all my chachkies. - Tracks relatively straight, with minimal swish. - The paddle is pretty darned sturdy and light. I don't know why some of the reviewers are using it to jab at rocks. Maybe that's in Kayak 202... - It's own carrying case and pump! - The chair is super comfy. - And it's pretty fast on the water. I was booking it! But I've also got moderately meaty arms. - You can throw your legs over the top and kayak that way, lay down on it very comfortably, or my favorite was sitting cross-legged. Cons: - The hull space needs to be bigger. My poor feet were pretty cramped in there. Not lengthwise, but I had to either point them forward, inward, or off to the sides. - The foot cushion thingy was pretty pointless. It offered little in the way of bracing opportunity. I deflated it, and it was much more comfortable for my feet in there. - The hull gets uncomfortably warm when the sun is shining. - There's no draining hole in the top of the hull for letting water escape when you're done. Getting the water out is a chore. I found it easiest to wear the kayak like a hat, so you can see where the water is hiding, and maneuver it out of there that way. - The paddle needs to be longer. With the inflated sides of the boat taking up that much more space, 84" was not enough for ease of paddling. - The paddle needs more comfortable grips. I had blisters from rubbing against the plastic-y grips in short order. - I know this isn't possible given all the variables, but I wish it were about 10 lbs lighter and smaller when packed, so that I could bike it to destinations. With everything bundled together, it's about 30 lbs, which is too much to carry one-handed for more than a block or two, and it's dimensions are too large to strap to a bike. So I have to drive it to the lakes, which aren't that far away. - And getting it all back in the bag after its first trip was like trying to stuff my thighs back into my high school jeans. Like trying to stuff the sausages back in their casings. --------------Update------------------- I've had it for 3, maybe 3.5 years now. I still love it. I keep it stored in the trunk of my car through summer and winter. The only problem I've had with it is a very tiny leak, which I fixed with some "shoe glue". When I first got it, I think I was probably the first person in Minnesota who had it. People saw me in it, looked at my cockeyed and asked "An inflatable kayak? Aren't you afraid of sinking?" Now I've seen some 15-20 people with the same kayak, just on my chain of lakes alone. We nod at each other in mutual appreciation. "Best purchase!"