Nothing beats riding a kayak that performs well in different bodies of water. Imagine braving waves, beating the rapids of rivers, and cruising on lakes with ease. Doing all these things with a single kayak is every kayakers dream. But is there a kayak that allows you to do this? Maybe. Meet Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 - the kayak for all your needs.
I will be giving a review about Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 today. This review is divided into three parts. The first part talks about the general information about this product. The second part is the product review proper. The third part consists of additional information that will make up for things that I may overlook in the first and second parts of this article.
- Large open cockpit with adjustable padded seat with high back support
- Convenient gear storage with shock cord deck rigging
- Adjustable foot braces
- Rugged UV-stabilized Fortiflex High Density Polyethylene
- Spray deflector collar
Are you ready? You bet I am! So let's go!
General Information About Aruba 10
Sun Dolphin is the manufacturer of Aruba 10 kayak. You might not have heard about this company until now, but you'll be very surprised because Sun Dolphin is one of the longest-running kayak manufacturers in the U.S. Sun Dophin began in 1982 in the small town of Muskegon. It first made two-person kayaks and eventually made more advanced kayaks as it grew.
All kayaks manufactured from Sun Dolphin follows a vertical production process. This means Sun Dolphin personnel inspect the design, material, and the finished product itself. Excellent quality characterized Sun Dolphin kayaks. Even though the quality is good, they're very affordable. This is the reason why some of the kayak best sellers in the market come from Sun Dolphin.
Aruba 10 is one of Sun Dolphin's most prized products. Aruba 10 is a sit-in kayak that does well in lakes, rivers, and seas. Furthermore, this is a kayak that's suitable for men, women, and children. As an owner, you won't have trouble with this kayak because it's easy to store, transport, and maintain. I've used this kayak myself and I didn't have any issues with it.
Let's proceed to the review section and inspect what Aruba 10 has to give.
Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 Kayak Reviews
Color
Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 kayak is available in different colors; blue, citrus, hot pink, jade, lime green, ocean blue, and tangerine. Between these colors, I recommend you to go for a blue, hot pink, and tangerine-colored Aruba 10. Blue, hot pink, and tangerine are always visible in the water. These colors reflect the sunlight very well, and you'll be alright even if you're not wearing reflectors or bright colored PFD.
Size and Weight
The size of Aruba 10 is just right to consider it as a unisex kayak. Aruba 10 has a length of 292 centimeters and a width of 74 centimeters. Furthermore, it has a height of 41 centimeters. The size of the cockpit is good. Its length is 38.5 inches and its width is 18.5 inches. In connection, Aruba 10 is a bit heavy. It weights around 18 kilograms. However, this isn't that much of a problem since Aruba 10's carrying capacity of 113.40 kilograms provides a sense of relief.
Design
Aruba 10's design is very attractive and neat. It has embossments on its sides that provide speed. The bow and stern are very pointed and this smart design is very useful for tracking and stability. I love the fact that these kayak doesn't have a lot of stickers. Fewer stickers mean that you can customize this kayak as much as you want. By the way, the cockpit comes with rounded edges. This prevents your arms from getting bruised while paddling hard or traversing turbulent waters.
Features of Aruba 10
Aruba 10 is made from UV stabilized high-density polyethylene. Because it's made out of UV stabilized material. Aruba 10 does well at resisting corrosion against sunlight. This means that you can store this kayak outside at home without having to cover it. Furthermore, Aruba 10's hull doesn't deform easily due to shocks or improper storage positioning. You can attribute this to the polyethylene's high density.
I love the cockpit of Aruba 10. Sun Dolphin installed it with adjustable padded seat bottom and foot braces. The seat bottom may be lowered or elevated. This is pretty useful for preventing discomfort. On the other hand, you can set the foot braces as near or as far away to allow your feet to rest. In my opinion, the adjustable seat bottom and foot braces make Aruba 10 a very comfortable kayak that's suitable for whitewater kayaking or kayak fishing.
The water holder, paddle holder, and stock cord rigging further reinforce user comfort. These are installed near and in the cockpit. The bottle holder can carry containers not exceeding 1 liter. The paddle holder relieves your arms and hands from the weight of the paddles. Lastly, the stock cord rigging is useful for securing yourself on the cockpit if ever Aruba 10 wobbles suddenly.
At the stern of Aruba 10 is a storage compartment. Its space is enough for you to store a phone, a watch, towels, sunglasses, and other personal belongings. Aruba 10's storage compartment is waterproof so you won't have to worry about the contents getting wet. Its cover seals tightly and doesn't even allow the water seep through even if Aruba 10 capsizes.
You will love the free paddles that come with this product. They're light and comes with ergonomic handles. Also, their length is just right for seasoned and beginner kayakers. The handle of the paddles doesn't get slippery when wet. Furthermore, they're not very rough on the hands. That said, Aruba 10's paddles won't injure your hands with blisters.
Aruba 10 Performance
Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 kayak gives out excellent performance. It's highly stable and allows you to paddle with comfort. This kayak works well in lakes, seas, and rivers. Allow me to share its performance in different bodies of water.
Aruba 10 at Lakes
Aruba 10 speeds along like a dream on the surface of lakes. The streamlined design of this kayak allows it to displace the heavy water on lakes quickly. Also, it doesn't get carried away even when the wind conditions on lakes are strong. This due to the high-density polyethylene of this kayak. That said, Aruba 10 is very stable in lake waters.
This kayak's exemplar stability makes it a good fishing kayak. Carrying a fishing pole will be fine even though Aruba 10 doesn't have a pole holder. This is because the cockpit has space for you to carry additional kayaking equipment such as a small bucket, bait case, and fishing pole.
Aruba 10 At Rivers
Aruba 10 performs great on rivers. You won't have trouble riding this kayak on Class I to Class III rapid waters. Aruba 10 is very reactive. You can rest assured that this kayak will allow you to do immediate maneuvers at the nick of time. Also, the drain valve works great at preventing the cockpit from getting filled with water. Aruba `10 holds pretty well. It's exterior doesn't get cracked or scraped easily by the rivers' rocks. Furthermore, Aruba 10 doesn't attempt to capsize after doing difficult turns and drops.
Aruba 10 At Seas
The pointed bow and stern of Aruba 10 allow it to face the waves of the seas. That said, this kayak stability on seas doesn't disappoint. You won't have trouble kayaking on seas with this kayak because the waves can't capsize or carry it away. Furthermore, Aruba 10's polyethylene material endures damage that saltwater causes.
The cockpit is already large enough for a portable umbrella. You may opt to place it in front of you. The portable umbrella might make the cockpit look crowded. Nevertheless, the cockpit's size doesn't allow it to get in the way of efficient paddling.
Aruba 10 Transport
Aruba 10 isn't an inflatable kayak. Nevertheless, carrying it from one location to the next is easy. Aruba 10's isn't very large and sits fine on small and large car roof racks. Also, you may even opt to load this on the back of your pickup truck. Securing it for travel isn't a hassle. You can use harness or ropes to put Aruba 10 in place without worrying about scratching.
You can also load this kayak on the back of a large RV or inside a mobile home. However, you should organize the things inside before doing this. For large RV's, you might have to remove the back seats before shoving Aruba 10 inside. For mobile homes, you might have to put the furniture and other things aside before putting this kayak in.
Manufacturers installed Aruba 10 with a carrying handle. This makes it easy for you to lift and transfer Aruba 10 by hand. Aruba 10 is kinda heavy so at least two persons are required to lift it without any effort. Still, you can carry this kayak yourself if you're fit enough to do it. I recommend you to buy a mini trolley for easy loading and unloading.
What I Don't Like About Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 Kayak
Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 is a good kayak. However, I can't say that it's perfect. Sun Dolphin has minor flaws. I'll talk about this briefly here.
I wish that Aruba 10 has two storage compartments. The storage compartment on its stern is good. However, Aruba 10 would have been a very good semi-fishing kayak if it has two storage compartments that allow the rider to carry a lot of things.
Also, Aruba 10 would have been the best recreational kayak if it has a Go Pro holder or phone holder. Go Pro Holder and phone holder is very handy for recording your kayaking escapade to share with friends.
Lastly, I think that manufacturers installed this kayak with a removable seat instead of an adjustable seat pad. An adjustable seat is more useful since it allows the user to maximize the space of the cockpit.
Why Buy Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 Kayak?
Is Sun Dolphin Aruba 10 kayak a good value for money? Of course! Here are the top reasons why you should buy this product.
Comes in Varieties
The look of Aruba 10 comes in different varieties. There's a lot of styles for you to choose from if you decide to buy this kayak. If you're a woman, you can opt to buy the hot pink Aruba 10 or the tangerine Aruba 10. If you're a man, the blue or ocean blue Aruba 10 won't be bad. That said, this product is a good purchase if you're looking for a kayak that comes in different colors.
Very Comfortable Kayak
Aruba 10 is packed with features that provide maximum comfort. It comes with a very soft adjustable seat pad, adjustable footrest, embossed cockpit edge, bottle holder, shock cord rigging, and paddle holder. Manufacturers packed Aruba 10 with these features to minimize the discomfort that you may experience while kayaking.
All Around Kayak
Aruba 10 is a kayak that performs great regardless of which body of water you take it. Whether it's for kayaking at seas, lakes, or rivers, Aruba 10 got you covered. Purchase this product and you'll have a kayak for all-around use. Aruba 10 is a general use kayak that has consistent performance that won't compromise your needs.
Durable and Easy To Store
Aruba 10 is made from UV resistant high-density polyethylene. This means that owning Aruba 10 is fine even if you don't have the necessary equipment for kayak storage. Aruba 10 will do even if you leave it outside when not in use. This sturdy kayak is always ready to take you on heart-racing kayaking adventures. Ride Aruba 10 and you'll see that it won't back down from the beatings of seas and rivers.
Final Verdict
Aruba 10 has it all. It excels in terms of design, function, and performance compared to other kayaks in the market. Sun Dolphin has made Aruba 10 a kayak that's almost perfect in many aspects. However, it's sad that it doesn't have the features that make it a complete recreational kayak. Still, Aruba 10 is a good value for money because its comfortable, speedy, and durable. In this review, I give this product 5 stars.