Anyone have any experience with the Feelfree Lure II tandem kayak? I am looking into one so that my 5 year old has a seat up front instead of sitting by the footrests on my Sea Ghost. I would probably be paddling it solo about 50% of the time. Wondering how it would handle solo?

I had a 2011 Feel Free Lure 11.5. Paddled like a barge. Super stable however. Great for small lakes and ponds. Awful if you had to go very far. It was just too slow so I got rid of it. I expect a tandem to be heavier and probably even slower unless they redesigned the hull.

Wayne

I had a 10ft Lure and it was like paddling a house through the water, I would skip that entirely.

I would only look at tandem kayaks that have the option to set it up to paddle solo (with a place for a seat in the middle of the kayak). If you only have the 2 seating options it's not going to paddle well. Also the Feel Free Lure line of kayaks do not paddle well as they're designed more for stability.

I looked at one this weekend and the rear seat was way too far back to be practical as a solo boat. And I don't think my 45 pound kid is gonna make that much difference. I ended up upgrading my boat and will get a cheap kiddie one for my son that I can tow or he can learn on.

Look at a Native Watercraft Ultimate Tandem 14.5 or Ultimate Tandem FX. I have the Ultimate Tandem 14.5 and used it solo 90% of the time. The solo seat moves into the back and a bow seat can go in. Good for an adult + kid or teen. This kayak is pretty fast and very stable, I've never flipped it, even in some rough and fast water that flipped some more experienced kayakers who were with me. Other possibilities are the Viking Profish GT or Viking Profish Reload, you can get a flat deck pod so a kid can sit in front of you. I also have a Reload, it's crazy stable and fairly fast.

Hobie Compass Duo. Great single or tandem boat.

^^THIS^^