Having enjoyed my AE af-convertible for years, I decided to get the lagoon for a playboat. My first impression was--that's an annoyingly large carry bag--2 feet high, 3 feet long, and 5 inches thick; the handles are such that you have to keep your arm bent to keep it off the ground unless you shove it onto a shoulder. I refolded the boat so it's smaller and thicker and stuffed it into a duffle bag I had for much greater convenience.
Inflating and setup was quick and easy with a closed cell foam bottom replacing the usual ribbed, inflatable floor and saving some time though the inflatable coaming and seat added it back. Be sure to close the coaming twist-valves extra tight if you're using a sprayskirt or they might come open when you're working it into place, and you have several inches of height from the seat that you can take or leave by inflating it more or less.
The little boat was cramped and even with my short legs I had to jam the bottom of one foot against the side of the other and bend my knees slightly. I managed to stuff a winter jacket and a half-gallon jug of lemonade under and between my knees and that pretty much used all the inboard storage space. On calm water I stretch my legs out on the front deck and recline against the rear and get quite comfortable. My two sprayskirts were both hard to get stretched over the inflatable coaming and they come loose when I submerge the boat when surfing but can handle most splashing.
Handling was a reasonable trade-off between tracking and maneuverability, with the bow hunting from side to side with the paddlestrokes and requiring a weaker stroke for steady cruising but responding nicely to the strong turning and scooting strokes needed in rough water.
Speed was another trade-off for stability, the boat was very stable in some 2-foot swells on the river and I soon felt confident enough to take off my floatation vest and stick it under the deck bungees while enjoying bobbing and crashing through the standing waves, but speed suffered with that wide, teardrop shaped hull and I had to settle for a modest cruising speed.
The wind affects the lagoon quite a bit too and fighting a strong headwind with its slow cruising speed can leave you going nowhere.
After several river trips I was pretty happy with the boat but the tedious pulling apart, inflating, drying, reassembling, deflating and packing are still a major downside to these inflatables.
The lagoon is clearly best used as a playboat in whitewater or at least with moderate current to move you downstream and people who want to paddle around on still water should choose a more streamlined model. Advanced Elements Lagoon 1 Person Inflatable Kayak
I bought the Advanced Elements Dragonfly kayak 3 years ago and it is still going strong after lots of use. The Dragonfly is very similar to the Lagoon--the air chambers on the Lagoon are somewhat different. I bought the Lagoon for my husband who has recently started kayaking--he LOVES it. They are both very durable and an excellent choice for flat water kayaking. We are in out early 50's
and they are perfect for us. No lugging and tugging. No need for an expensive roof rack or a truck. If it wasn't for this lightweight kayak I would never go as often as I do. Believe me I had a heavy old plastic one and didn't enjoy it nearly this much! Thank you Advanced Elements! - Kayak'
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