Malibu Kayaks Pro 2 Tandem Fish and Dive Package Sit on Top Kayak

I got this kayak after having a single fishing kayak. I wanted to be able to fish it alone and with someone else, and I wanted to also have a nice kayak to take out with my wife and little daughter. This kayak does fishing and family time fairly well. It tracks really well, has a lot of room for storage inside, and is stable, even with a 4 year old walking around on it while we paddle. The only negative to this kayak is that mine does not fully seal the hatches and they do get wet inside. Consequently, the kayak is heavy to get out of the water after paddling a while until you drain it out. I am not sure how much water is acceptable inside this type of kayak, but my fishing kayak did not get that much water in it. It could be the increased weight of two adults and a child, or it could be the gaskets on the hatches are not installed properly. I am waiting on an answer from Malibu Kayaks, since it is the holidays I expect it might take longer than usual. Overall I think this kayak is very good and I do not regret purchasing it. I hope I keep it for a long period of time and that we get many family adventures around the islands near our home.

We received our first kayak with a deep gouge in the bottom. After contacting Malibu Kayaks, they told us to return the kayak as our brand new kayak shouldn't be a damaged one. So, we returned it and ordered another one. The next one came with a gouge on the bottom as well, but not nearly as deep, and one of the fishing rod holders was damaged. After contacting Amazon.com and Malibu Kayaks about the damage, Malibu Kayaks sent a fishing rod holder to replace the damaged one and a repair kit to repair the gouge on the bottom. The rod holder and 'repair kit' arrived and the fishing rod holder was easily replaced. The 'repair kit' turned out to be about a foot of gray plastic string (similar to weed whacker/trimmer string) with no instructions. I still don't know what to do with it.After two kayaks and over two months from our initial order, we finally took the kayak out for a paddle. We paddled for about an hour in water as smooth as glass on a small lake. We barely got the top of the kayak wet with some water while paddling and we had scupper plugs in. When we loaded the kayak after paddling we noticed a lot of water inside of the kayak. So, we knew we had a leak. We drained about 2 liters of water when we got back home. (Good thing we didn't kayak all day! We would have sunk.)After contacting Malibu Kayaks again about the leak, a customer service rep told me that they'd send me another patch kit, but first I'd need to fill out a warranty claim form and fill the inside of the kayak with water to determine where the leak is coming from. Also, he said that the patch kit that he'd send us was more like plastic powder/resin and that I could melt it on the leak with a hair dryer to fix the leak (somehow, this just didn't sounds right to me--and still doesn't). He was going to email me the claim/warranty form right away. After a few days went by and not receiving the warranty/claim form, I called Malibu Kayaks back to see about the form and how we would fix the kayak. Another Malibu Kayaks employee told me that they'd send me the claim/warranty form and the powder/resin/hair dryer fix would be the way to go. I received the warranty/claim form the next day by email and the customer service rep that sent me the form stated that I now need to fill out the form, fill the inside of the kayak with water, take pictures of where he water is leaking out and send them in along with proof of purchase and a picture of the serial number on the side of the kayak. After sighing and wanting the process over with, I filled the kayak full of water as requested and took pictures of the leak (a seam in one of the scupper holes had water trickling out). After sending the warranty/claim form, pictures of the leak, serial number and proof of purchase, the Malibu Kayaks customer service rep responded the following day that 'management' needs more proof of the leak by recording a video of the kayak leaking and sending them a video of the leak. He offered me a 'patch kit' again as well.After this last email, my wife and I decided that we're just going to return the leaky kayak and buy another kayak brand from some other place because we feel that Malibu Kayaks are not that durable and that the shipping process and packaging consistently ends up with damaged kayaks once the consumer receives them. I'm not sure where of the road we were heading down with Malibu Kayaks and their 'patch kit' and 'management' wanting us to jump through more and more hoops to have our brand new kayak not leak. Amazon has been great during this whole process and for that we are truly grateful.After speaking with a local kayak dealer, we will most likely be buying a Perception Tribe Tandem or Liquid Logic Deuce Coupe. We've actually paddled my dad's Tribe Tandem before and my wife considers it more stable than the Pro 2 and my dad and mom are extremely happy with their Tribe Tandem. I think the material of the Tribe was better than the Pro 2 as well. Not sure what we'll get, but we're sure we'll be happier with anything but this Pro 2.In short, please buy a different kayak brand from a local kayak dealer. Good luck and happy paddling.

This kayak is great for if you go out alone or tandem. For tandem, it has 2 molded chair insets and for single you move your seat to sit on top of the center rectangle hatch. Originally I wasn't too hot on the large hatch being underneath me when I went out alone as it is the largest storage area, nor that my largest storage area that claimed to be a 6 point hatch, actaully came as a single point but...I later realized that the single point hatch was a blessing as it is a pain to deal with turning 6 hatches and pulling off the lid. The single point is also hinged and hinged in a way that makes it easy to access. I bought the Crack of Dawn Apex seats and when you are riding single the butt portion of the seat flips up and you have complete access to whatever is in that hatch. I would contact amazon to find out if you will get the upgraded hatch or not...mine just came by surprise.The kayak tracks really well and also has plenty of space. I am 6'3", 200 lbs and my wife is 5'7" 125 and we fit in it with comfort. I find it easy to maneuver by myself or tandem. I can also easily maneuver and track even if my wife is not paddling, which I wasn't expecting. Also take into account that with all of our fishing gear, extra clothes, cooler, anchor, etc, we are pushing the 500 pound mark.For fishing it is awesome. The rod holders, the stability and the layout make it a wonderful experience. I typically fish out of mine 1-2 days a week (mostly by myself) and I can't tell you how awesome it is. I'll be heading to some of my usual fishing holes and some have shallow areas that you can't always get a boat through and I'll just smile as I paddle right over the water breaking weeds/trees/rocks/brush to get a secluded fishing hole.The only thing I would change about the design is the front and back bungi storage areas. They are designed for the "dive" portion of the kayak and not for a fisherman; they would be better suited Square for tackle boxes, lunch pail/coolers etc. with a scupper hole for drainage. The back dive tank bungi storage area leads right down to the rear molded seat (my seat). What does this mean? Anytime there is any descent swell hitting the back of my Kayak, the water pools down into my seat...granted this only matters when I go out tandem and honestly if there is swell I know I'm getting wet anyway and if I don't feel like getting wet, every kayaker knows you need some waterproof splash gear. I keep a pair of NRS waterproof endurance pants and some paddling gloves in the large hatch for such an occasion.I also like that the kayak is light enough that I can lift it fairly easily. I do wish they had 2 handles on each side of the Kayak for 1 person man handling, but I'll just grab a hold of a scupper hole or foot indention and make due. Speaking of which, the foot indentions were well thought out so that if you ride tandem or single in the center you always have a comfortable place for your feet. Even though I can lift the kayak fairly easily, I like to load it down with all my gear and then drag it to the water. If you plan on doing this, get a Wheel-Eez cart. You will thank yourself later. This thing goes over rocks, sand, mud, mud puddles with ease. I actually have a harder time walking through some of the terrain personally than the cart has pulling the yak. If your going to be solely launching from concrete/asphault you won't need one, you can get any cheap cart for that.I have zero issues with pools of water getting inside the storage area like the last reviewer. From what I read, Malibu has a lifetime warranty for manufacture defects, which is why I didn't stress taking the plunge on buying mine. It does get damp in there, but I think it's from me throwing my anchor in there. I've never had to drain any water out of the interior at the end of a day.Lastly, I got mine in lime green. It looks really nice with the black apex seats and accented all black accessories. Be prepared for 3-4 weeks on ordering a color that Amazon doesn't have "In Stock", but for free shipping and the great price...who cares!HR

Stable and easily controlled two-person kayak. Well-positioned storage compartments. another set of side-handles would be nice. But, that is an easy after-market fix.

I really haven't used it that much, but when I have, I really liked it. It was a little uncomfortable until I got the seats for it. It was surprisingly pretty fast when two people are paddling given that it is wider than the traditional kayak. I love the 6 rod holders and the overall looks of the boat.

Overall it's a good kayak. I use it at the beach and it's a little unstable in the surf but handles great in the swell. It's better with adult and child. Not 2 adults.