The Ocean Kayak Pro SI 149 - Touring Kayak
Length 4.5m (14' 9" hence the name) Beam 66cm Weight 28.6kg Capacity 182kg
Avg continuous comfortable cruise 3.6/3.8mph - sprint 5.9mph
I really liked this kayak for flat water day touring. Comfortable (probably the most comfortable kayak seat cushion ever), large easy to enter cockpit, very, very stable, reasonably fast , tough. Lots of storage space, tracks well. One look and it's obvious that it's from the same family as the famous OK Scupper Pro Sit On Top (The reason I bought it as I like my Scupper Pro so much) but a smooth, not tri-formed hull like the Scupper, means it is faster in a straight line (but slightly less easy to turn) . Can be fitted with a rudder although mine isn't. Notice the fish body like form, wider at the front tapering to stern which is said to be better at preventing nose diving (pearling) in waves and promoting surfing. I used to have an Orca 16 which was a very nice (and more expensive) kayak but it always felt a little too tippy to me so I never felt truly at ease although probably a better kayak in expert hands - so I changed it for this which I am much more comfortable with and so use more often.
Things I would ideally change: Add thigh grips, Make it a little lighter (but not if at the expense of toughness).
All in all the Si Pro 149 loses out a little on speed to narrower but similar length rivals but is very much more stable (if that is important to you) and has a greater load carrying capacity. If you want a great value, tough, versatile, very stable, comfortable, capacious and reasonably fast kayak or if you are of a nervous disposition and value rock solid stability then this is a great choice. If you want a narrower, tippier (more responsive) kayak to practice edge turns and rolls, and don't need as much storage capacity or as large a cockpit, then in this length range something like the Easky 15 may suit you better. For me, for the purposes I originally bought it for, the Pro SI 149 was a great choice.
Pro SI 149 at speed - 5.9mph clocked on GPS