The Aventura 125 with Skeg is on sale for a couple hundred off list right now at MEC in Canada.
Two problems though:
I’ve already bought my new kayak.
I don’t want anything with a skeg since I spend a fair bit of time on the river where the water gets very shallow in multiple spots and you end up scraping the river bottom several times at least on any given run.
I have a Pelican Sprint 120XR. A little heavy but to be expected. It tracks well, handled the 2’ waves we encountered and 30kmh headwinds.
My only gripe, no front bulkhead or hatch.
Was looking at a Perception Conduit 13, same price range, bow and stern hatches.
Ended up buying a used Delta 12.10
A friend used to use my Pelican 10" Venture, when I got the Delta, he got to use my Sprint 120XR. Loves it, says it tracks well, less problem fighting the winds, glides along when he stops paddling.
Maiden voyage went very well this morning. Due to thunderstorms possibly coming in around 1-2pm, I decided to take a shorter, 28km trip vs the 42 km one I had in mind.
I love my new boat. So much more comfortable, steerable and faster than my 14yr old budget 10` Pelican. The cockpit was roomier and I love having grooves for my paddle with a loop string and hook to secure it. This makes taking photos so much easier. Also, the cockpit is much larger, the seat is 10x more comfortable and if my back does get a bit tight, I can actually lean way back and stretch. Whenever I tried to do that in my old Pelican, it would get tippy.
Looking forward to a great summer with this boat.
28 km for a maiden voyage is nothing to sneeze at.
Good on you!
Those aren’t problems.
If you’re paddling on a shallow river, you probably don’t need to use your skeg. Can you just leave it retracted? The skeg is mostly for crosswinds on open water.
Hi and welcome. I’d agree with the majority of comments that an Old Town is the way to go. My wife and i have paddled an OT Penobscot made from Royalex (wonderful canoe!) for over 20 years, but switched to kayaks in the last 10. We’re selling the Penobscot as the kayaks are easier to load and we’re getting old!
I have the Sorrento 126 and love it (6’2", 200#) and she has the Loon Angler, which is aso a fantastic boat. (She does more fishing that i do). If you want a “crossover”, i also bought their Sportsman Discovery Solo 119 canoe, which is kind of a hybrid canoe and a lot of fun. You can easily paddle it using a kayak paddle. OT support has always been outstanding, even when they changed hands.
Hi,
I’m in this exact same boat. The Sprint 120XR is what I was looking at purchasing, but found a deal on a OT Heron 11XT. I was looking at purchasing used and found the Heron at a much cheaper deal. I’m in Cambridge so will be kayaking the same grand river. I’ve rented Kayak’s many times, but thought I should own one as I live right by the Grand. Any suggestions or tips? DMaker how do you like your OT? Do you feel you made the right choice over the 120XR?
Welcome, and congrats! I own an Old Town Heron 9XT, the little brother to your boat.
It’s a very good and sturdy recreational kayak and is great for slow moving rivers, lakes and protected water. The seat is comfy, the rear hatch is big and keeps things (mostly) dry. It also tracks well for what it is.
I’ve added a rod holder to mine because I occasionally fish from it. Other than that, the only problem has been the paddle holder broke (but was an easy fix).
