Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I had this kayak for a few days and I took it out in the water twice , this are my impressions : The good: First off all , the price ,getting a kayak , pump and paddle for around $80 is a bargain , you will have to pay a lot more for an entry level hard shell . Inflating is easy , takes about 10 - 15 min , practice makes perfect and after a few times you get the feel for the right pressure , you still need to double check with the included gauge , over inflating is not a good thing . Cargo net is very useful . The bad : THE PADDLE , it will break at the most inappropriate time , when you are far from shore , the plastic couplings are the weak point . The ugly : The seat is too small to provide any back support making it difficult to get in a good position for paddling , fix it by adding some stiff support , I used a kids kick board made of styrofoam . It doesn't track ( go in straight line ) well , has two small skegs right under the seat area but they are too small , fix it with an extra skeg , there is an example on the reviews for the Challenger K2 , I used the plastic paddle that broke and some wood . Over all it is a fun little kayak and it will take you almost anywhere , as long as you use it in a lake or tranquil river , don't even think about putting it to white water rivers , you have to get another paddle since the one that comes with it is certain to break ; it is still useful to make the extra skeg tough ,this makes it easy to go straight but makes turning a little harder , not a big drawback since this baby was not build for speed anyway , four stars since you have to make some mods to make it work , but for the price you are still getting a good deal , until you are ready to upgrade to something better and more $$$ . Tips : Get a small waterproof plastic box ($8 at Walmart ) and stick the inflation gauge to the inside of the lid , it will cling easily , this way you wont lose it , very handy to keep your phone and car keys with you as well . Always use the foot rest , it helps to brace you on the right position . Take the pump with you , it fits nicely behind the seat , after 10-15 min in the water come out and check the pressure ; cold water will drop the air pressure. Best way to deflate , start with the floor bladder , once deflated you can use a towel to dry the inside , then deflate the upper body , start rolling the tip farther from the valve and when you get to the valve , roll the opposite tip towards the valve , this will get the most air out . Have fun !!!! UPDATE !!!! After all the fun I had with this kayak , I upgraded to a hard shell one ; the Emotion Glide , first thing I noticed is hard shell kayaks have little stability compared to the Challenger ,you have to learn to balance them although they are faster than inflatable ones , if you are a beginner like me the Challenger's stability is a great bonus !