The Tupelo 12.5 has been an absolute blast to paddle -- the seat is ridiculously comfy, the boat tracks straight and is very responsive, and seems really durable! The wide cockpit is easy to get in and out of, and the boat is about as stable as a kayak can be. I haven't done any overnight trips with it yet, but the rear dry hatch appears to be adequate for backpacking-sized load of gear. The foot skegs are easily adjustable and the foam knee braces are nice to stabilize against wakes.

The boat is light enough to pick up and throw on a roof rack, but I did notice some bending around the cockpit rim while it sitting on the crossbar tightened with cam straps. I suspect the oversize cockpit makes it so the hull decking isn't against the crossbar on my particular vehicle, so I do plan on either picking up J-hooks or a small boat trailer. Could just be a me issue or a normal thing with other boats, but something to consider for transporting it.

Mainly though, I just want to say how awesome it was buying from Caney Fork! It's definitely a small family owned shop in a cool location, and shortly after I placed my order online Ryan reached out to arrange pick up. Since I'm out of town, he was awesome enough to show up on a day the shop is normally closed so I could pick up the kayak while I was in the area, and even helped me get it loaded up on the roof frack. I'm planning on making another trip down to paddle the Caney Fork River and am very much looking forward to shopping there again! If you're looking for a place to buy a kayak, this is it -- Jackson Kayak even recommended these guys while I was on the phone and I see why. I had issues buying from other Jackson retailers such as Delaware (who cancelled the order after I'd placed it because they were doing local sales only), and other retailers that claimed to have stock but did not. This was a hassle free and extremely positive experience, can't recommend these guys highly enough!

My wife and I just got a Tupleo 12 and a 12.5 and love them immensely. We had tried out our neighbor's flotilla of low end Rec kayaks and were leary of the Tupelo's price. In the end, these are are very stable, roomy, quick and the seats are extremely comfortable - much better than the low end models. As long time canoers we are very satisfied with the performance of these boats. Also working with Caney Fork and Jackson has been a treat. I highly recommend.