We decided to get a couple kayaks for family fun, and to help keep us in shape. We got one sit inside version, and this sit on top one. Between the two, the sit inside is just a bit more 'stable' because you sit lower, inside of it, and with this one, you sit on top of it, in kind of a big dent, where the seat is attached. Quality seems excellent, it is rigid, and seems both strong and reasonably light weight. I'd say the average man could load it in the back of an average sized pickup truck by himself, without difficulty. Just lift one end on the tail gate, and slide it in. We settled on 10 foot kayaks upon advice of a friend who is a kayak enthusiast, and I think it is a good length. We have a shortbed (6.5') pickup, and the two 10 foot kayaks fit in back nicely, Had we gone with a 12 foot or longer, the balance point would barely be in front of the tailgate. As it is, we have a short trip to the river (5-6 miles) on mostly 35-50 MPH roads, and I feel confident on just setting them in the back over top of the closed tailgate, and driving. They stay there securely, and the little space below them right by the tailgate is a good place for life jackets, paddles, etc. Anything shorter than 10 feet, and they have a lower load rating, which I'll get to in a moment.We have kids, and have gone kayaking as a family, along with an inner tube or two. This kayak, by its design, has room for a child to ride along with an adult. The sit on top design, makes it easy for them to sit right in front of me, between my knees. Because we are on top, width is not an issue. With our sit inside kayak, we run into space issues, hauling along one of the kids. Other advantages of the sit on top design, would be that it is easier to get into and out of, and if you do tip it over, it does not take on water. With our sit inside, if you tip it over far enough, it takes on water, and if it takes on too much, you have to look for a place to beach it, and drain out the water. It can be done in shallow water, but it takes 2 fairly strong adults to do it. With this one, just get it right side up, and hop back on when you can. Also makes it MUCH easier for the kids to hop on and off, instead of climb in and out. It has storage compartments, with bungee cords to hold things like a cooler for soda, and also a large 'hatch' that lets you access the big hollow portion of the kayak, to store other items in, like towels, etc. This large compartment is mostly waterproof, but if you tip the kayak all the way over, you may get a little dampness inside. Not enough to 'wet' a towel stored inside, but enough to give it a damp spot. Keep in mind, this only happens if you tip it clear over, so that the cover of the hatch is under water, otherwise, everything stays dry. It can be hard to access items you put in there, as they can slide around anywhere inside the kayak while you are on the water, and sometimes you have to lift one end, to get things to slide back to the hatch. However, we've put 4 sets of sandals, along with 4-5 towels, bug spray, etc, in there, with good results, as long as we don't need to access them, while on the water. The compartment with the bungee cords, will hold a medium sized cooler easily, and the cords have lots of stretch and multiple tie down spots, to allow for carrying different sized items.Overall build quality is very good, it just feels 'sturdy' compared to some of our friends' kayaks. I don't cringe if the river current pushes us towards the bank, or stump or whatever, as it bounces off, with no damage (OK, it has a couple small shallow scratches, but that's it so far). It also includes a bungee cord positioned to be used as paddle holder on the right side, that works well, and is easy to use.About the only negative I can come up with, is that I'd like just a little more padding on the seat. Our river route takes almost 3 hours from the point we get in the river, to the campground where we get out, and that is about as long as I'd like to sit on that seat without a break. Our sit inside kayak, has padding about 3 times as thick, and is much more comfortable on a long trip like that. If you are young and skinny like our kids, they don't seem to have any problems with it though, LOL. The seat has an adjustable backrest, which helps a lot, though.Stability is good, I've only tipped it once, and that was when I was trying to splash one of the kids nearby on a tube and leaned over too far, and it glides over the water pretty easily, as well. Currents will make it want to drift off in random directions more than our sit inside, but isn't a big deal. Not sure if that is the design of this particular kayak, or just a difference between a sit inside, and a sit on top. Some kayaks have 'notches' that you put your feet in, and some have footrests. This one has footrests that are easy to adjust for your height, maybe takes 5 seconds each, to adjust. However, I wonder if it had the 'notches' for our feet, if it wouldn't be better for hauling one of the kids along, as they would have a place to secure their feet, but they probably don't need it, as I do the paddling when they ride along. Our younger daughter, likes to slide the footrests all the way forward, and then has a flat surface behind them that she can stand on, and use the kayak like a paddle board, and I don't think the one with the notches would be easy to do that with, so keep that in mind, as well (and yes, it is stable enough for a child, or smaller sized adult, to stand up on it, and paddle from a standing position).Overall, very satisfied, with it, and we are thinking of trying a cushion to add to the seat, and see if that makes it more comfortable. Really, over 2 hours is plenty long to keep the kids on a kayak anyway, so we usually take a break on a sandbar halfway through, so it really is more a quibble than a problem. If our other one did not have more cushion in the seat, we'd probably have never noticed it. Build quality is very good, and all the little things, like the hooks that hold the bungee cords (as well as the cords themselves) seem strong, and of good quality.

We just came back from the Adirondacks where we used these sit on top kayaks for the first time. What a joy. Easy to load on car top. Easy to paddle and seem to glide effortlessly. My wife paddled all over and I fished out of mine. Definitely recommend.

I took this out once and it rode pretty smooth and had no problems getting in and out of the kayak. Which for me is special because I am a bit chubby. Did well against a stiff breeze and didn't take in a lot of water. Pretty good kayak for the price.

Very good for a lake or along the shore of the ocean. Not for rough water but great for paddling around locally. Great for our family

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Nice kayak for a beginner like me but I gave it 3 stars because the seat was so darn uncomfortable. There was no back support at all and so I have ordered another seat in hopes I can get it on the lake with no discomfort.