We decided to pick up a couple of kayaks last summer - and ended up purchasing a couple of Old Towne Vapor 10 boats. They are 10' boats with relatively large cockpit openings (19.5" x 48"). While I would have liked a slightly longer boat - the large cockpit openings along with concerns about dealing with another 2 feet of boat when transporting and storing the boats sold me on these. Since purchasing them - we used them regularly thru the summer and into the early fall - on "still water" (small lakes) as well as on a couple of easy rivers popular with kayakers in our area.
We're now preparing to head down to Florida to flee the Michigan winter and are planning to take the kayaks with us. This trip brings a number of "firsts" for us with regards to the kayaks. It will be the first time we've transported the kayaks in freezing temps (hopefully we won't damage the boats while loading and securing the plastic boats due to the frigid temperatures). This will also be the first time we've done any extended traveling with the kayak - and dealing with having to store and/or secure the boats while on the road and at campsites as we travel (I've picked up a couple of "bike lock" cables which I plan to use to secure the boats by passing the cables thru the carrying cleat on the bow of the kayaks and then through the "riser" of the "dual receiver hitch" on the coach. Finally, I'm hoping that my DW doesn't freak if/when we happen to spot an alligator or two paddling around on Florida waterways!
We'll see have to see how this all shakes out!