Current Designs Double Vision Tandem

After paddling the boat for 3 years I can say that the boat is well made and it is very sable in extremely rough conditions. The seats are really comfortable and even though my wife has arthritis and I deal with lower back pain, we can spend several hours out on the water without much trouble.

We used to have two single kayaks, but we both paddle at different rates so someone was always waiting for the other person to catch up. With a tandem, you never have to wait for someone to catch up. If someone gets tired they can stop while the other keeps paddling, and the result is that you go a lot farther and faster than you do in single kayaks.

We have owned a Double Vision for three years and have taken it out in all kinds of conditions. We paddle the boat in lakes, but mostly paddle the boat in the Delaware and Chesapeake bays. I have been amazed that no matter how rough the conditions are, the boat always remains REALLY stable.

We were out in the Delaware bay last year with 25-30 mile an hour winds with breaking white caps and the boat moved great through the waves and rough conditions. At no time did the boat ever feel tippy and we were able to paddle several miles up wind in some very rough conditions.

The boat works great for my wife and I because we both paddle at different paces but we always stay together in the tandem. I am 6'4" and my wife (who is 5'3") just can't paddle as fast as I can, but with the tandem it doesn't matter.

What has surprised me is that the power of two people in one boat is a lot faster than paddling by yourself. It doesn't feel like you are going fast (probably because you feel the weight of the other person in the boat), but yet we almost always pass people in the single kayaks — you just go a lot faster than they do.

There are only two things that I would change on the boat, that would make the boat perfect. First, the boat needs to be about 12" more length, especially up front. The person in the front seat gets a rather wet ride in rough conditions. We have controlled a lot of that by putting a life vest in the bungees up front which stops a lot of waves making it back to the cockpit. And second, the deck needs to be a little higher. Although the cockpits are very large, the deck height is a hair low making it a little tight for my size 12 feet, but it is not the end of the world.

I would definitely recommend this boat to anyone. it is so much easier loading and hauling around just one boat rather than two, and together you can go a lot longer distances in the boat than if you were paddling a single.

Having only used rental tandems in the past my wife and I decided to try one of our own. We also own two single boats, Swift Saranac Classics. 

The first thing we noticed was the stability of the CD D Vision, just great. The rudder works well and can be lifted for shallow water cruising. I could actually stand in this boat to get out, not an easy trick for a 62 year old. Boat is not fast, but we don't care. Rudder works great and keeps the boat straight in rough water or helps turn in tight areas.

We like it so much we are going to buy a second so we can take both dogs with us on day trips, two labs and they love the front seat one at a time, so now we will be taking them both.