Overall: 4.0/5.0
Was finally convinced by friends to get a kayak, and wanted to start off with something cheap, light and small to see if I liked the whole closed deck canoe thang. Wanted a kayak that could handle fitting through narrow rocky channels, could turn fairly quickly, but also was decently fast given the size and price range I was looking for. The canoes are reserved for camping, so I didn't much storage space. Also wanted something that I didn't have to worry too much about scraping up, so plastic hull material it was. Same goes for a rudder or skeg, wanted my first kayak to be as simple as possible.
Ended up with the Necky Manitou 13. Good choice for what I wanted. Fast in the flats (5 mph average over miles is fairly easy), light (43 pounds) and fairly cheap ($550 at the time). Decent-sized cockpit opening means it is fairly easy to get in and out of, right inbetween a full rec kayak and ocean kayak in terms of the opening's size. Stabiliy is good especially considering the speed, and if you edge it, it can turn very quickly. It is certainly a step up in terms of performance versus the shorter full-on rec kayaks you can buy. I'd put it into the "performance recreational class" of kayaks.
Downsides? The combing is a little sharp on the inside when it comes time to carry, but it isn't too big of a deal. The seat has a few too many adjustments with a number of straps which are more of a pain than they are worth but again not too big of a deal. Also, it doesn't have a forward bulkhead, so float bags would be a must for any real ocean paddling.
If I had to do it over again, I might have stepped up to the Manitou 14. A bit bigger, a little faster, with a forward bulkhead, safer in open sea conditions and has enough storage space for weekend overnighter. And only a few pounds heavier. However, it was significantly more expensive, and has a skeg, something I at the time I wasn't sure I wanted, and something that can break/jam down the road.
Will certainly be keeping the Manitou 13 for lazy afternoons on the river, and some Class I/Class II NE races come spring. Definitely recommend folks that are fit and want to get into kayaking to start off with this class boat at a minimum.
