Well I have used my kayak for 2 seasons now and I will stay with my rating of 4. I have since purchased another kayak and still have the same opinion of this boat.
What I would like to add is how to "fix" this boat. I was lending it to friends who had not used a kayak before. They all had problems tracking the boat which caused the "fun factor" to drop to frustration. I couldn't get people to go with me when they were not having fun.
So here is the fix from a Canadian, a hockey stick! No don't beat the &$#* out of your boat with the stick but mount it on the back of the boat. The nose of the boat is so deep it is like a skeg up there. By hanging a plastic blade hockey stick (no blade curve) off the back you counter the "skeg nose" with a skeg on the back. You can now stop paddeling and coast to a stop in a straight line! Pelican does not supply a skeg for this boat so you have to make your own. Try other ideas for a skeg, even an old paddle will work.
I was looking for a kayak and not having tried one before chose the Renegade. Main reason: price $369.99 cdn. Strong points for the boat: 1) high back seat that is comfortable for hours on end 2) stability better than my coleman canoe, so forget eskimo rolls 3) side handles make it easy to carry/haul 4) round indent on back of boat fits a 5gal pail perfectly for quick watertight inexpensive carry on luggage.Weak Points: 1) deep-v hull pushes water and limits your speed and efficiency also this is the point of the boat with the greatest drag so the boat is always fighting a straight line or will not want to come out of a turn, its like trying to push a rope. Its natural floating position down a river is 90 degrees to the flow of the river 2) side handles drag the water slowing you down and is so noisey you can't talk to another boat, improved this by stuffing plastic foam into handle loops 3) cup holder is horizontal, good for a water bottle but forget about anything with a open top incl. pop cans 4) lip on cockpit is very small and spray skirt slips off easily.
My opinion: They were close but missed the boat! If the deep-v hull was tapered instead the boat would track straight and come out of turns. It also would not push so much water and be faster and would also reduce the annoyingly loud splashing. With that change I would give it a 8.