Other than that, I love it and look forward to many more hours on Colorado's lakes. It's a little unwieldy for long distances from car to water, and I need my husband's help for loading it on our Durango's roof rack. It's comfortable and easy to paddle for hours.Īt over 60 pounds, it's a little too heavy for me to lift myself, but I bought a portage cart for more independence. My kids have tried it and my husband has fished from it. I have since taken it on several mountain lakes in both windy and calm conditions, and it's a great beginner's kayak with adjustable footrests, a huge water-resistant cargo area, top deck rigging and handy holders for gear, snacks and a water bottle. I instantly felt comfortable in my new boat and found it to be very stable and easy to maneuver. So when I was shopping at Costco in February this year and saw the features on the Equinox 10.4 for the price, I was sold - even though in Colorado, we have no paddle-able water in February!įinally, our local bodies of water thawed out in May, and I headed out on Mother's Day for a few hours on Cherry Creek Reservoir. I've actually been drawn to try the sport for a while, and last summer, I earnestly researched what I should be looking for in a beginner's recreational kayak. ![]() I got the bug for kayaking on vacation in Hawaii last year, when my husband and I rented boats and got to paddle around in the shallow for a few hours. Shame on Future Beach/Equinox for confusing customers over a terrific entry level boat! Dicks should have this.Īll the other future beach boats seem inferior IMO.but do your own research. Think the Patriot 124 but with two more feet in length and with better speed (only $600). The Patriot 144 is an intriguing option as well. The current 2013/2014 Costo Equinox seems to be now using the Future Beach Vector class instead of the Future Beach Patriot class which is most unfortunate. ![]() Most of the individuals submitting reviews are actually doing so for this puppy. That is the old classic Costco kayak that so many of us love for it's stability, great roomy cockpit and good tracking (although, yes the foot pedals do break). What you probably REALLY want is the Patriot 126 (10.4'). This is really a Future Beach kayak that you can buy at places like Dick's. What happens is that "Equinox" is a made up brand just for Costco sales (this thread is filled with Costco customers!). You can still get this kayak though (the good version). The classic was has the front compartment and the more squarish/stable hull. Very nice kayak, but there are some important considerations! First, they SERIOUSLY messed up the design in 2013+. For us and as little as we kayak, it is a good bang for the buck. But as with all sub $300 kayaks everyone has to modify them a little to make them their own-based on their own needs. The foot pads take some getting used to and feel somewhat cheap. The boat tracks relatively well, and is pretty stable out on the lake. Making simple upgrades to any inexpensive piece of sporting equipment that will see lots of abuse is a necessary thing. We purchased metal ones from the hardware store and used wide flat washers on top and bottom with locking screws to secure them. The front and rear handle grab hooks are cheap plastic and we changed those out before our first lake outing. The seat is cheap and uncomfortable, so we've changed ours out through some we found on Amazon. As other have stated there are quality issues-after all it is a sub $300 kayak. ![]() We purchased two of these Costco variety Equinox 10.4 kayaks based on the price ($239 each) as we are relatively new to the kayaking world. I don’t really want to go out and purchase expensive kayaks and would love to know if equinox has made any improvements to these issues that I could purchase For those of you who have said that you put better seats in I would love to know what seats you chose that could be installed in it. I have had to put my belongings in an extra dry bag. The storage compartment in the back gets wet every time and I am just paddling on a flat lake. Granted this is not a high and expensive kayak but still these are basic things that shouldn’t happen. The small compartment in the front ripped and kept Falling out. The J hook that holds the paddle kept falling out and when it was in I kept hitting my knuckles on it. The material ripped out from around the plastic plugs that hold the seat in the first time out. There’s not enough support in the seat back which causes back pain. I’ve had the kayaks for five years and have used them quite a bit however I agree that the seats are cheap and uncomfortable.
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