Beware of the new "version" of the 130T. No bungee/shock cords on bow but you do have four 3/16" holes that you will have to do something with. I emailed Pelican because the vendor's display had bungee cords at bow and stern and their images on their site (Pelican) show one with and one without. Took them three weeks to respond to my email. I gave them the serial number and got this lame reply:
"Unfortunately, from the serial# given the model is a KTA13P108 and in it's breakdown for this year only the back (stern) shock cords are in this model's makeup."
Disappointed in their customer service because I agreed to install the bungee myself if they would supply the $4.00 dollars or so in parts.
Just be mindful that you are purchasing a perfectly good boat with four holes that you will have to do something with.
Good price, but we are now looking at solo kayaks and will stay away from Pelican based on this experience.
I bought my Apex 130 a year ago and live on the island of Puerto Rico and I have the ease of use in rivers, lakes, mangroves and especially at sea. To start, this is the first of three kayaks that I have now and the cheaper ($200.00 used include the two seats, two paddles and two life jackets) and is very light to carry and transport on the roof of my Suzuki Grand Vitara.
In lakes and rivers is very easy to manage and keep straight, but at sea, usually turn to the right and is a little difficult to maneuver. It is very stable and the back has a big load space which can accommodate a large cooler, I usually sail with my wife and my two children and we sail comfortable. I understand for the price is the best kayak I buy
Bought at Sports Authority, very cheap at $249 including 2 paddles, seat backs, and bungees.
Good stuff: 1) Price - can't beat it for a 2 person intro SOT. Priced used ones all over the east coast and did not find anything better. 2) Performance - not bad, especially in 3' surf and typical east coast chop conditions. The bow entry, combined with the weight and beam gave it very good stability. Played in the surf with 2 younger kids who were initially a little scared and ended up trying to stand and hang ten before jumping off at the shore break. With 1, performs best if you sit in the middle (where the hatch space is located) which is a little uncomfortable after a while. Big time stability, it is easy to get back on the boat after jumping in, and is pretty easy to move around, though more tippy in the bow of the boat. 3) Versatility - works well as a 1 up, 2 up, 3 small kid up, and can easily modify to a fisher. The drains support ocean rod end placement.
Bad stuff: 1) Kind of heavy at 63+ lbs. but about what you would expect for a 13 1/2 long SOT. (Hand hold moldings are at the balance point so one person can lift and place the boat on top of even tall SUVs pretty easily. Weaker paddlers may have some problems though.) 2) Paddles that come with the package are too short (OK for the front paddler, painful for the rear paddler). 3) The drain plug placement is not in the best location to easily get all of the water out of the inside of the boat. 4) The seats don't drain well and you stay wet in the butt. 5) Orange is the only color available. I like orange, but everyone looks the same.
Overall, this seems to be a good SOT, definitely better than some of the 2 person rentals at $200/week, and easily decent enough to justify having around for a weekend beach trip or Potomac River rapid play day.
An excellent value. It's well-constructured, very, very stable, tracks relatively well, and it has adequate speed given its dimensions (it's not a speed machine by any stretch, but it's not meant to be).
As it's been said before, it's not the best kayak when facing surf or swells. A higher/flared bow would help tremendously on its ability to handle everything but glassy conditions. A middle seat that is accessible when the front seat is removed would also make a big difference for solo-paddling since it doesn't paddle nearly as well solo from either the front or rear seats.
Given all that, it's still a good entry-level boat, and I give it good marks because it's the best bang for the buck in SOT tandems, it's very forgiving and performs quite well given its price (I got mine at 25% off MSRP and I just couldn't pass up that offer).