Ocean Kayak "Venus 11" Hot

I have just bought this boat, but I already know I made the right choice. I'm a small guy (5'6", 140#), and I wanted a kayak that fit my size. my previous kayak was an Aquaterra Prism (14' long, weighed 60+ #'s); it is a great kayak, I had it for 15 years, but I always felt it was too big for me.
I live on the windward side of the big island of Hawaii, and we have SURF! This kayak is great going out and coming in. It has just the right amount of frontal buoyancy to lift up when going out through the whitewash, and side-surfs in ok, although it is a bit tricky due to the raised seat (criticism #1).

I take it 4 miles up the coast, where I camp for 3-7 days. I can fit full camping/survival gear inside it, without using the tank well for extra storage, which is criticism #2, I don't like rear tank wells, because your gear is exposed, and when loading a kayak, most of the weight must go in the rear or else it won't steer right, so I don't get the single hatch up front, where you can't put much weight.

Anyway, this little kayak is totally seaworthy, it can handle chop, swells, and Hawaiian surf. I am very impressed, and you will not find an ocean-able plastic sit-on-top that weighs so little. Its speed is good too. Don't let the marketing boys sling their slop on you - this is NOT a women's kayak, it is a kayak for smaller paddlers. I flipped it coming in once, and it only took on 1 cup of water, ie. the hatch is quality.

As an experienced ocean kayaker, I recommend this boat (I also recommend thigh straps). Aloha!

This has been a great boat for my Girlfriend the past 2 seasons. She loves the fact that its lightweight so that she can load/unload it herself. She wishes there was more storage to this kayak - you can purchase an additional Bow Hatch Kit which opens up the inside of the Kayak for storage.