Emotion Spitfire Sit on Top Kayak, 8 Feet

This is a beginner kayak, so it's stable enough for 100-210lbs (My kid is 100; I am 160; my friends are both 170 and 210, respectively). The tracking is terrible. I kayak the Rock Springs run and Wekiva River and with a little bit of current, the kayak goes sideways and cannot be controlled easily. I have a 8' lifetime and tracks better but it's much slower. I was recommended by the Wekiva Springs kayak handler an Ascend, but I have personally not being in one, even though the reviews are decent. Anyway, Ocean Kayak is a heavier feel boat and more professional and much better at tracking than Spitfire. You get what you paid for.Update: July 2013.Made a rudder for about $10 out of aluminum for the Spitfire. I wasn't going to pay $100 for a piece of plastic you can make yourself! Result: Much better kayak and I am getting a second one! Got the idea and measurements from the internet. Rudder is about 10 inches long and 4 inches wide and it's fixed on back of kayak with homemade fixture. Problem of tracking solved!

I like this kayak, but it needs so much work to be useful. The seat back is made of very flimsy plastic that after an hour flops over backwards. However, the CSS seat fits fairly well in its place, so add on $50 for a quality seat that actually works. The side handles are useless, so add on another $20 for good handles unless you have an 8ft wingspan and can grab the front and back handle at the same time. Its tracks quite well for only being 8ft, i'm able to flip into eddies quick and able to even head up stream if it isn't flowing more than 3-4mph. A milk crate almost fits in the back, I took a heat gun and 4lb sledge to a milk crate and got it to fit, in place the cover just barely fits over it. Its the perfect river kayak to get me to all the best fishing hole, but at 150lbs, that seat was a joke.