Emotion Glide Kayak Review

Emotion Pride themselves in making simple kayaks that just about anyone can use, in fact it is their company motto! Within their SImplicity however, is a smartly built kayak that is great for paddlers wanting a bit more out of their kayaks.

Emotion Glide Kayak Features

• Built in Folding CRS Seat
• Padded back rest and thigh pads
• Adjustable Foot Brace System
• Rear Storage space inside kayak
• Bungee Deck Lacing
• Front and Rear Handles
• Made of HDPE (Durable High- Density Polyethylene) Construction

Features Analysis

The Best way to describe the Emotion Glide Kayak is that it is a simple “Jack of All Trades” Kayak with a slight performance edge to it. In terms of on water performance the Emotion Glide Kayak paddles just like the company’s name would entail. The Hull design allows the kayak to give great tracking for a smaller kayak, but adds some stability and manoeuvrability to make it a solid kayak to paddle in a wide array of conditions. Usually Recreational brand kayaks focus a lot heavier on stability while sacrificing on water speed and tracking. This just is not so with the Emotion Glide Kayak thanks to it’s pronounced bow and stern keel.

As Emotion has stated on their website they strive for simplistic easy to use kayaks and they definitely were not kidding when it comes to the Emotion Glide. The Features are very basic with a paddles seat back and bottom, bungee deck lacing, handles and thigh pads. There is also an ample amount of room behind the seat to put some gear like tackle or a backpack although in all likeliness it will most likely get a bit wet! The main noteworthy feature on this kayak is the adjustable foot braces. Emotion put their best model foot braces in this kayak to allow a wide range of different people to paddle this kayak.

Remember when I was saying this was a “Jack of all Trades” Kayak? Well this especially rings true for the different bodies of water that you can explore. With this kayak you can go to lakes, rivers, ponds, bays as well as do some coastal paddling. In saying all this I definitely would not recommend this kayak for a multi day trip as you will struggle to keep up with your longer sea kayaking friends. In reality any 9’8 kayak would struggle to keep up with longer boats unless they had a motor attached. Ideally you use this kayak for the day and paddle to places you have not explored yet.

What Customers Say

It is pretty hard to find Customers who say bad things about this kayak. Almost everyone seems to be more than pleasantly surprised at how the Emotion Glide paddles in the water. A couple even stated that they were able to catch up with their friend that has almost 3 feet length on them! A large majority of the reviews praised how well the Emotion Glide tracks in all kinds of different water conditions and how it remains stable to boot.

Customers also raved about how lightweight and portable the Emotion Glide Kayak is. This is perfect for people who want to go on solo trips or smaller people who don’t want to lug a big heavy kayak everywhere. Just an FYI the Manufacturer’s weight of the Glide is wrong. The Emotion Glide weighs 37 lbs not 54!

The most common complaints about the Emotion Glide is the fact that taller people have some trouble fitting in them and that there is no dry storage available on this boat. In my opinion I would take a smart Hull design over dry hatches any day of the week. How the kayak paddles greatly affects the experience that you have paddling.

Final Analysis

The Emotion Glide Kayak is a great recreational kayak that grows with you. It allows paddlers of many different skill sets to be confident of its on water performance as well as it’s stability. It’s one the best nine foot kayaks in terms of tracking and speed that can be put in a wide range of different conditions and habitats. 

While it does not offer the most room with no storage hatches and short length it’s hull design more than makes up for it with this little kayak.