The Stellar Dragonfly is the ultimate flatwater recreational paddle craft. Light as a feather, stiff as a board it can be hand carried by my tween children at only 24lbs and is super efficient to paddle requiring very little effort. What is noticeable about this boat's behavior is that it gets to speed easily and reaches most of its speed potential with minimal effort, almost to the 80/20 principle. You can paddle it a lot harder but you don't have to, it's plenty quick with little effort so makes a great upgrade boat to your old, sit on top plastic monolith and is easy for children or older paddlers to move around. The Dragonfly feels quite alive, you can tell that it has less primary stability than some of the heavier plastic boats of similar or slightly greater size. Some may be the light weight, but the relative performance and speed as well as efficiency for a craft that is barely over 11 feet long means you give up a little tippiness resistance but you gain way more than you give up in primary stability with efficiency and performance. That is generally a Stellar trademark in giving up a little primary stability for lots of extra performance but the trade off of a little of something for much more of something better is a mark good engineering. It also turns very easily so a high angle paddle will keep you much straighter and more efficient; it helps to have a paddle of type and length to your body/height that will allow you to comfortably do so. You can low angle paddle a big 18+ ft long plastic whale in wind and surf in the ocean with aplomb ignoring your terrible technique and the only sign of your mistakes is that you're slower than everyone else. With this boat if you paddle low angle way to the side or don't balance yourself, hold yourself loose or use your feet for support you will slalom the opposite way with each stroke as it rolls excessively and lose efficiency. This is actually a good thing for two reasons. As long as you keep the angle of paddling high you will always go straight assuming calm conditions yet with this knowledge in mind you will turn on a dime if you extend the paddle stroke further out from the boat. Furthermore it's good that it only feels a little tippy when poor technique breaks the primary stability. Thankfully there's plenty of secondary stability but it's a great boat for moving beyond your first cheap purchase from a box stores when you really want to learn how to paddle. Like a playful pet, it will just slightly nip or shake unaffectionately if pet or handled the wrong way but never bite. The one area where the boat is truly unstable is against wind, waves and current. You're short and light and open all around so resistance to the elements is poor. Waves will easily crash over your gunwales and combined with winds you will be blown this way and that. Remember how I said you barely have to paddle the thing to get a good head going? Go in >15mph winds or more and you will have to paddle at 80-90% not for speed but just to keep it in a straight line. The ability to change direction quickly with little effort means not a lot of push is required to make it go this way or that so you are just as susceptible to slight paddling as you are to any other input including gusts or waves. That said you can use clever tricks such as staying close to shore where there are trees to protect you somewhat but as always, keeping an eye out not just for weather but also wind is highly advisable in a light craft like this. It fits easily in the bed of a pickup truck with the gate closed (stern first as it's heavier) and is a joy to just pick up and portage from pond to pond which is what this boat does best. It's ideal for flatwater, inland paddles up lakes, streams, ponds and (where legal) reservoirs or other inland water systems. Think St. Lawrence Seaway, bayous, the Everglades as well. This is *NOT* a Great Lakes, Puget Sound or Ocean going boat at all. I would never even consider it for a Block Island or Isle Royale paddle, ever but that's not what it's for. I'd definitely bring it with me for visiting friends up in inland Canada or Florida for sure. What this boat does best is help you effortlessly enjoy some beautiful, secluded marsh surrounded by herons, egrets, carp, catfish, reeds, cicadas and dragonfly's. Since it's so efficient you will have the energy to fish, glass the outdoor wonders with a pair of binoculars or photograph it all or just take in the majesty and feel your stress levels simply disappear. The layup is interesting as it's very light and stiff. I am curious why they went with such a stiff construction for a shallow water boat but am happy to report after impacts with more than a few rocks all that resulted were scratches and nothing more. They're not that hardy but stronger than you think, just watch for rocks nearby and don't do a seal launch, ever, make sure the boat is already in the water when you get in. Thankfully the boat is so light it's easy to be careful with it putting it into challenging put ins and to change direction or stop to avoid impats. Ergonomics and build quality are top notch. The seat is fantastically comfortable and has a slot for a water container. There's plenty of room in front or behind you for a pack, fishing lure, tackle box, camera, optics, fishing rod, whatever. Even in carrying or cleaning the craft everything is where you'd want it to be. For example the wooden spars are located right behind the seat so you can brace yourself with the paddle as you make a wet entry in the water. And there are other spars so that if you have to turn the boat to position it, to car top it, to stick it in the back of your pick up, or rotate it around as you wash it it's exactly at arm length from where you'd keep it in your shoulder for easy grabbing and handling. When you get water in it as you rinse it prior to getting put away wet, all you have to do is flip it to the side and lift either from bow or stern and the opposite end (bow stern opposite to where you picked it up) has a slot where all the water will quickly drain out. Angles seem designed to make the water flow quickly and with turbulence so this flow tends to take the sand with it so you don't have to go crazy (most of the time) cleaning it with a sponge. Overall the Stellar Dragonfly is a superlative flatwater craft. It's a great little packboat for very calm water on calm days. Just be careful to stay in calm waters, avoid rapids, and above all avoid high winds and waves. Staying within those limits it provides an experience in idyllic inland flatwater like very few other boats can. While being very expensive for what it seems to is, there is so much research, engineering, and the workings are so fun, responsive, efficient, well thought out, light and easy I am very glad to be enjoying this boat. Thanks to my purchase I have started to explore many of the local inland waterways and am looking to get into more; for so much of my life I thought these inland waterways only existed on a map, after the Dragonfly they made it to my bucket list knowing I could eventually get there. The Dragonfly is so easy I can't believe how many inland bodies of water I am crossing off. As long as it's for calm, inland waters, I make a highly recommended rating of 5 stars with extra points from the heart for letting me enjoy such secluded, spectacular and majestic beauty. Thank you Stellar for a job well done!