Eddyline Skylark Review

The Eddyline Skylark is a recreational kayak with the size and stability for beginners, but with the performance and efficiency that will satisfy an experienced paddler. The Skylark is in a crossover class, with the size and fit of a recreational kayak, along with the features and performance commonly found in a full-fledged sea kayak. It’s fun, fast, rugged, and so easy to love. 

Made of lightweight, durable ABS plastic, it’s easy to transport, has a spacious cockpit, and an innovative hull design that is fast, maneuverable, and nearly impervious to crosswinds. The Skylark is a fantastic all-around kayak with the features and performance that make it a best-seller year after year. 

Overview of the Eddyline Skylark

Specs

  • Type: 1-person recreational kayak
  • Size: 12′ x 26”
  • Weight: 41 pounds
  • Cockpit size: 35” x 18.5”
  • Volume: 10.6 cubic feet
  • Depth: 13”
  • Weight capacity: 295 pounds
  • Seat: Eddyline Infinity seat
  • Materials: Carbonlite ABS plastic
  • Color: blue

Construction and build

The Eddyline Skylark has an innovative co-extruded ABS laminate hull. The material offers the looks and performance of a composite kayak, but with the durability and easy maintenance of plastic. It’s light weight and abrasion resistant, perfect for car topping, easy transport, and safe storage. 

The hull design has a moderate rocker for improved maneuverability, with a shallow v-hull for great tracking. The low profile and sharp entry lines reduce the effect of crosswinds, and the fantastic efficiency of this kayak make it easy to keep up with longer boats. 

The Skylark has fused the Carbonlite front and rear bulkheads for safety, with two hatches for dry storage. The waterproof hatches have convenient tabs for easy access. The rear deck has a reentry shock cord that works with your paddle as an outrigger, to help stabilize the kayak for reentry.

Eddyline’s Infinity Seat design is incredibly comfortable, with a back that can be adjusted for both height and tilt, with 5 positions of height adjustment. The ergonomic design promotes a proper paddling posture and reduces fatigue, with support and padding in the hips and thighs. The duo-foam padded back cushion is covered with a nylon/spandex fabric that is abrasion and UV resistant. The Infinity Seat has fewer parts and no welds, so it’s easy to remove for cleaning or maintenance. Sea Dog foot braces are also easily adjustable, for improved comfort and support with ten inches of adjustable travel. 

The foot braces are ergonomically designed to be comfortable even on bare feet. The combination of highly adjustable seat and foot braces, along with the spacious cockpit design, make this kayak a great fit for paddlers of all sizes. 

The Eddyline Skylark also has bow and stern deck bungees for additional storage, as well as retractable carry handles for easy transport to and from the water.  

About the brand

Eddyline has been building innovative, high quality kayaks since their founding in 1971. Legendary designer Tom Derrer pioneered vacuum bag and thermoform technologies that allowed the company to make kayaks that were lightweight, affordable, and offered great performance in all kinds of conditions. 

The company is still based in America, family owned, and committed to supporting the environment and the local economy. 

The team at Eddyline constantly aim to improve their kayaks, and design watercraft based on their own years of paddling experience. The company is small enough to treat customers like family and are proud to be part of the kayak community, sharing their expertise with new generations of paddlers. 

Pros

  • Lightweight, durable, and easy to transport
  • Fast and maneuverable, with excellent tracking
  • Resistant to crosswinds
  • Great stability and ease for beginners, with efficiency and performance for advanced paddlers
  • Generous cockpit and adjustable seat and footrests for the comfort and support of a wide range of paddlers
  • Large storage capacity
  • Made in the USA

Cons

  • May be too roomy for paddlers below 5’5”, who may want to look at the Eddyline Sky instead
  • This kayak lacks many small features common on other kayaks, like cupholders, footrests, paddle holders, and the like, although most people do not miss them

Conclusion

The Eddyline Skylark is a bestselling kayak, year after year, because beginners and experts alike just love how it feels on the water. It is sleek, efficient, fast, comfortable, and a joy to use. The Skylark is a fantastic example of excellence and quality in kayak design and manufacture. 

While it lacks many of the small storage options and conveniences of other kayaks, in the case of the Skylark that almost seems like an advantage, because omitting those details preserves the beautiful lines and elegant symmetry of this kayak. 

When you consider how well this kayak performs, how much it is appreciated and admired by paddlers all over the world, and the high quality of the construction, it’s actually impressive how affordable it is. The Skylark is a recreational kayak for the ages.