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[lambadmin]

wow.
That is scary.
Thanks for sharing.
Glad that person was OK.

It is sad, these cheap whatever brand you want kayaks produced in China are out there...

The worst is that the people are buying them, cheap price is too appealing. But it's jut not smart to get out there on the open ocean in something that is not designed or manufactured rigorously to make sure it stays afloat. I get these "Dear Sir we have these kayaks cheap let's sell 'em..." emails on a daily bases. Probably the same guys that write these spam bots to sell phones on forums.

Trusted brands are trusted brands, they take their product seriously and understand the importance of keeping us afloat. The popular brands have tons of hours on the water, they are tried. Crap still happens, but when it does - they recognize the problem, fix it, make it better.

[FlyFishinYakr]

This info needs to make national headlines. In the back of most people's minds, they know that Chinese made products have their issues but purchase those items because it falls within their budget as mentioned by Adi (aka Lambadmin). This should be forwarded & addressed by the CPSC (consumer products safety commission.)
My $.02
FFY

[alanw]

Inexperienced kayaker,
out alone,
open top kayak,
rough seas,
aware of faulty rod holders...

Yea horrible that this happened, but he almost earned a Darwin Award.

[Iceman]

Inexperienced kayaker,
out alone,
open top kayak,
rough seas,
aware of faulty rod holders...

Yea horrible that this happened, but he almost earned a Darwin Award.

operator error is always a variable and seems like poor judgement here, I think that "open top" means sit on top not sit in side. Glad there was no tragic ending here.

I get asked alot what is different about our kayaks than Cosco at 1/2 the price. Engineering and design quality and durability. Sounds like $.02 may have been saved on each shorter rivet here, compromising quality and safety.