emotion 90245 Spitfire Sit-On-Top 8 Foot Kayak, Green

The purpose of this purchase was to get the best kayak that would fit inside my car, a 2010 Honda Insight hatchback. I was working at a remote site on a lake and didn't want to leave the kayak on a roof rack where it could be easily stolen during the work-day. I tried a number of kayaks that friends and co-workers had, and selected the Emotion Spitfire 8 based on my comparative testing.I read most of the reviews on Amazon, and thought I had something worthwhile to add:1. The kayak was delivered in a plastic bag, no box, but it was in good shape when I got it. There are three plastic screw out plugs on the aft-top section of the kayak. They were all there when I got the kayak. There are self draining holes in the bottom of the kayak below the seat at up where your feet go. They are meant to be open and drain water from the sitting area on top of the kayak during use. I suspect that's what some of the comments are referring to regarding unplugged drain holes. All plugs needed came with the kayak.2. The Spitfire 8 tracks just fine. Use a proper paddling technique and keep your butt centered in the seat and it handles like a dream. It also turns very easily when you want to which makes it really nice in small, tight rivers and creeks.3. It's fairly comfortable for a sit on top. It's no LaZeeboy, but it's not bad. I use it for two to three hours at a time and have no problems with comfort. The back rest is supportive and adjustable.4. The other 8-foot kayaks have either a squared-off stern (slows you down), crappy tracking/handling characteristics, or were uncomfortable. The Spitfire 8 was the best of the "little" kayaks, not the best kayak I've used by a long shot.5. The weight ratings are conservative. I stand 5'10" and weigh 170 lbs, my son is 6' tall and 220 lbs. We both use the kayak comfortably, and have no problem with how the boat sets in the water or handles.6. This is not a kayak for people who are thinking about "serious" kayaking like a three day trip through the boundary waters. There are much better kayaks for exploring or going fast or fishing or "whatever". This is a sort of multi-purpose kayak whose primary advantage is that it's small enough to fit inside even a little car so that transport is very easy and secure.

Updated October 19, 2021. See below.We are new to Kayaking. We bought 2 Spitfires in January 2021, they were delivered in February 2021. We live in Metro Atlanta. It is too cold for the lakes. I will update this review when we take these out.We bought these because they fit in our Minivan. They fit well. In the coming weeks we will be buying kayak paddles and life jackets. We can't wait!October 19, 2021 Update:We took these kayaks out on Lake Allatoona, north of metro Atlanta, 16 times. Typical excursions were 2 to 6 hours. These kayaks are great for lakes. The seats are not the most comfortable, 2 hours out I'll get a back ache. When that happens, we find a beach and go swimming. Back soreness is gone, and were good for another 1 or 2 hours, then swim again.Since these are the only single person kayaks we've used, we have nothing to compare them to. I still love them. They fit nicely in the back of our minivan. We've developed a routine. Load in the morning on top of a water proof drop cloth in the minivan, head off to a boat ramp or lake beach, unload, start paddling. When we come back, we rinse off the kayaks at the boat ramp, getting all the sand and dirt washed and wiped off, put them back in the minivan and drive back home.We hang these in our garage with large brackets. It doesn't take up much space. I retire at the end of 2021 and we plan to kayak way more than the 16 times we did this past year. It's the favorite outdoor activity of my wife and me.I'd purchase these again in a heartbeat.

I like how light and small these kayaks are. I'm a small female and can load myself. I bought 2 and both fit in the back of my Subaru easily.Beware they are wider than they look at about 32", so your paddle needs to be longer to accommodate.Unfortunately these kayaks are a bit too flat on the bottom so we will need to add a skeg to the bottom for better tracking.

Our defective kayak (small hole) was covered by a very cumbersome Lifetime Products Warranty. No returning/exchanging for new kayak. They did not offer to send a patch or repair kit. Instead they wanted us to send a picture of our kayak cut in two (Lots of polyethylene put needlessly into a landfill) and only then would they send a new kayak. A friend ordered the same kayak from this company and it too arrived damaged. Beware of this company. It seems they save their defective products to fufill online orders and hope you will give up. We couldn't bear all that plastic thrown away, so sucked it up and repaired it. Maddening when we paid full price for a product that should have been perfect....not a kayak that might eventually sink. Shameful. Wish there were a way to give a "minus" rating.

Not impressed with this item considering the price. Got this for my daughter to begin kayaking on her own. Unfortunately, the kayak is very difficult to pick up and awkwardly weighted, even I struggle a bit to load it though it claims to weigh only only 40 lbs. I had to add hand straps to the sides in order to pick it up by myself. The cushioned back rest is nice, but there are two scupper holes right where your but goes, so if you don’t want a wet bottom, you have to plug them or add a waterproof seat cushion. I noticed it was tracking wildly to each side when my daughter was paddling and assumed it was because she’s a beginner. To my surprise, I tested it out and could not keep the nose straight while paddling. The tracking is very bad. I would not expect to use this for a trip of any distance. Wouldn’t mind returning, but I’m sure it would be very difficult considering the size of the item.