I've owned a Pilot for 2 seasons. Overall, this is a very good affordable PDL kayak and if you work out some of its kinks, it becomes a very reliable kayak. It is really stable and I've ridden it in 4ft waves in rivers and bays without feeling tippy one bit. Some people get put off by these kinks they give up on the kayak. First, the rudder cable needs to be replaced with a 1.4mm stainless steel coated cable. The one that comes with the kayak is a complete garbage and it will make the control very stiff. After replacing, the knob is as smooth as butter. Second, the giant rod holder holes are absolutely useless. Too big and it fits a redbull can. Most people don't use it but you could use PVC pipes to make it usable. I just have rod holders mounted to my milk crate in addition to rod holders on the track. Not an issue but Perception needs to do something about this nonsensical feature in the future. Some folks have trouble with rudder deployment but mine deploys easily. There is a mod video where a washer is added under each point helps alleviate the friction. The pedal drive itself is very reliable and I never had any trouble with it. My left pedal arm became loose once I hammered it in with a rubber mallet and used blue loctite to tighten it up. It never loosened after that. Now unlike other kayaks like Hobie and Old Town, the hull weight is very light for the size and stability it offers so if you're a car topper, that is a huge plus. I've ridden this thing in 4ft waves and nasty tides while salmon fishing. I've mounted a Cannon downrigger on this thing for kokanee fishing with a 6lb ball without any compromise to its stability. This kayak is a tank. It doesn't have as many bells and whistles as a $3,000 kayak, but I am still extremely happy with mine as there is nothing I cannot modify to make it work for the type of fishing I do. It may not be for someone expecting a plug and play right out the gate though.
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