Pelican Potomac 100 ES Kayak

It's not a kayak, in a true sense. It is sort of like paddling a moderately hydrodynamic bathtub. If you live on or near a lake, and want something your 8 year olds can paddle and splash around with, while venturing no more than 15 feet from shore, this is the perfect boat. You don't need to worry about them trashing it as it costs almost nothing. No one is going to be in it for too long, except little kids who are immune to sore butt syndrome anyway.

I paddled one at a lake party a couple weeks ago, and it was awful awful awful. Winds were about 6-10MPH, and they might as well have been hurricane force the way this thing blows around. Waves? Forget it. Just jump in the water and save time. If you are going on a "trip", and plan to be in this "kayak" more than an hour at a time, don't. Or get a really good cushion to put on the seat. And replace the thigh/knee braces or you'll end up chaffed something fierce. And don't try to coast. You'll end up facing the opposite direction in no time. It does not track. At all.

But if you are looking for a cheap, play around boat, this is just fine.

We picked up this kayak on sale, to have a second single to go along with our Maintstream and our older Perception tandem. I liked that it was light enough that I could load it on the car myself pretty easily, and of course, we loved the price.

My 11YO daughter took it out first and she really liked it. She said it was "a bit tippy", but she did fairly well with it.

However, when my husband and I tried, we both HATED it. It tracks terribly. It's nearly impossible to go straight with it, you are constantly correcting direction. And it's VERY easy to just spin it 90 degrees out of nowhere. It also leaked at the seam.

Now perhaps it's our size that made the difference, because my daughter liked it. But she also hasn't paddled much, so doesn't have anything to compare it to. I am 5'6" and about 160 lbs, so not petite, and my husband is 6' and about 210 lbs. So if you're teeny, like my 80-lb daughter, you might be happy with this. But it was bad for me, and even worse for my husband. We are returning this to Dick's tomorrow.

I'm an experienced whitewater boater, but older now and was looking for an easy river cruiser. My friend bought this boat... I bought another brand. The 100es has a vee hull so it feels tipsy but tracks fairly well. I weigh 200 lb... much too heavy for the 100es. I also feel the 100es is poorly designed...you will find no spray skirt to fit the lame cockpit coaming. The 100es is overly heavy and after one class 2 run the hull is showing wear on the outer hull because of seat pertrusions pressing from the inside. My friend is small so the 100es paddles well for him, but he needs to fit it with a sprayskirt. He can not....He will buy a kayak like mine and sell his 100es....sorry pelican.

My wife bought 3 of these on sale three years ago on a whim. I wish she hadn't. They're OK for basic paddling on small water but that's about it. You get what you pay for here: uncomfortable seat, no watertight compartment, cockpit combing rubs on thighs, most covers do not fit the cockpit opening, the drain stopper easily gets knocked open, tracks horribly in any sort of wind, no paddle holder. Even the molded-in can/bottle holder is too shallow and undersized for most Nalgene-type water bottles. Even though we practice wet-foot entry as often as practicable the hulls gouge easily. Buyer beware: if you don't expect much from these kayaks you won't be disappointed.

I liked many features of this Kayak, such as price, light to carry, adjustbale foot pegs, but....

I have had it just 2 months. the foot pegs have detached from the hull! I took it on an over night on a slow river and found it takes on water, might be from the foot pegs that are screwed to the hull at the water line.

It has very limited cargo room so It is better as a pond "toy" I now wish I spent more on some thing better!

PS stay off the ocean, with out a skirt, it will swamp quickly!

I bought this for my husband. We float the river a lot and I wanted him to have one of his own. I was told it was a great kayak and the price was really cheap. We took it out today on the river and I am very dissappointed. He had to empty it 5 times and the seat came completely out. Not the quality I expected at all. I will be taking this back for a better kayak.

I rode this kayak for 2 years. I am a tall guy and I have hard time getting in this boat. I tipped over when I was trying to get out of the boat. The seat is hard and uncomfortable for a long trip. But this boat floating nicely. I will recommend this boat to people under 6 foot tall.

this kayak leaked like a drain would not have ten of em compared to my future beach 10.0

I decided to buy a kayak last summer even though I had never used one because they looked like a lot of fun. I decided to go with the Potomac 100 ES because it seemed durable and well priced (I didn't want to spend a lot not knowing if I would use it much). I tried it out on a small lake on a very calm day and it felt very unstable. Every time I would start to paddle I thought I was going to tip over. For someone with more experience, this may be a good choice, however, if you are a beginner I would stay away from this kayak. I returned the Potomac and bought a Future Beach Fusion 10, which was recommended by a Dick's employee. I would highly recommend the Fusion 10 for anyone looking for a simple beginner kayak at a good price.

So this is the first Kayak I've purchased and since I only have time to use it about once a week I didn't want to spend too much. For [$] it's good for me. I'm an average size girl and I can lift/carry/put it in my jeep on my own which was important to me.The first day I brought it out was wicked windy and I had to go against some 1' waves - A bit scary and took energy but it stayed up the whole time even though it's made for lakes.Very easy to get in and out, paddle, but, tracking is poor as most stated. One paddle turns you off track very quickly.

I bought my kayak on Friday and took it out on its maiden voyage Saturday. Handled fairly well. It had also been 15 years since I had been in a kayak, so please take that into account when reading my review. I was pleased with the price I paid and what I got. Only issue I had was when I encountered some minor rapids. The kayak went sideways despite my desperate manuevering, and got lodged against a rock and completely filled with water. With the help of someone, I was able to swiftly empty and resume my voyage. I am pleased with the product, and would recommend to other beginners.

The Potomac 100 is a cheap boat for the beginner. It is lightweight and easy to carry. This boat tracks very poorly. Each paddle stroke causes the boat to turn in the water, and therefore you waste alot of energy trying to keep it pointed straight. If a kid wants to play around in a pond or lake, it is fine. If someone wants to get into serious kayaking stick with a better kayak like a Perception Swift or Old Town Otter.

I use this on the Kankakee River and lucky we live in an area where the river is not very deep. This kayak has a V bottom and tips very easily. We also bought a Future 126 DLX at the same time - it has a flatter bottom and does not tip easily. Would recommend the Future 126 but would not recommend the Potomac 100 ES to anyone.

It was well worth the money that I payed for it. The seam line deterred me at first but i found the seam line to be ok. It is very stable and doesn't feel tippy. Although it has a very small "dry" well. All in all, worth the money.