Bear with me I know the two are in different price points…I’ve been out kayaking with friends, but am looking for the first kayak to buy for myself. I’ve been in 10’ and I definitely can see the need for something longer that track better. I’m 140 and 5’ 8".
This may be a silly comparison, but how does the Feelfree Aventura 125 or 140 compare to the Perception Conduit or Carolina 14? I realize the Aventura is the better boat with more features, but I’m after stability, handling, and tracking (with the skeg up in the Aventura).
Also, on a related note, what’s the difference between the Aventura 125 and 140 other than hull speed? I only include the 140 because if I can’t find a 125 at closeout pricing I’ll splurge for the Aventura. Again, I recognize the features in the Feelfree add to the price…I’m mainly interested in on-the-water characteristics.
There is some good comparisons in YouTube by headwater kayaks. They compare the Feelfree with many other kayaks in the same price point. Check them out.
Honestly, you are probably not going to find too many (if any) paddlers with experience in several kayaks in the same length and price range. People usually trade up to longer and more costly boats, not make lateral moves to a similar model. Most 14’ boats are going to be similar anyway. They are not usually very narrow beam because a shorter boat has to be wider to achieve enough volume to displace the paddler’s weight. And 14’ is still “short” as kayaks go, sort of an intermediate length (12’ to 14’) between short rec boats and actual touring kayaks (which tend to be 15’ to 18’)>
Since you don’t describe what kinds of waters you intend to paddle it’s hard to give you advice. Looking for “stability” is kind of a beginner’s error. If you want tracking and handling you will sacrifice some of that for “stability” (which means a wider and flatter bottomed boat, the antithesis of sleek). Newbies tend to be so nervous about perceived “instability” that they too often can end up with a clunky boat. One of the boats in my fleet that I most often put beginner friends in is only 22.5" wide and 15’ long and nobody I have put in it has ever complained about feeling insecure in it, in fact they love the handling and speed. It can feel wobbly at first because of the slight vee hull and hard chines, but it is a boat you can lean way over in and not dump it. Usually only takes them a few minutes before they realize they can trust it.
Truly, as a beginner, your money is best spent on a used boat rather than fretting about which of several similar intermediate boats to buy new. You will NOT know what you really want in a boat’s performance until you paddle more and you will get more boat for your buck used and more of the purchase price back when you decide what refinements you want in the next one.