I've had my big rig since march and I don't have any real complaints. It's not the lightest so it probably wouldn't be fun to put on top of an SUV, but I can load it in my truck with a bed extender just fine. As far as paddling goes its not bad, its the first serious kayak I've had though so I can't compare it to a lot. I've been out on the open lake with 20 mph winds and managed to paddle a couple miles back into the wind without being totally exhausted, but it wasn't exactly fun. Stability is nuts, I put all my weight on one side of it and still haven't managed to flip it and I'm clumsy as it gets. I don't use conventional gear a lot, but I flail around a good bit with a fly rod and even then stability is a total non issue even when you're broadside to waves and boat wakes. Storage and rod holders are big enough for anything I need. Haven't had the chance to paddle a cuda so I can't say much for them but I'm sure its designed as well as the big rig. If you want to stand up and aren't going on long marathon paddles all the time I'd say the big rig is the way to go! plus with all the accessories that come with it theres really not a lot to add to get it rigged the way you want.