Sit-on-top kayaks are ultimately more user-friendly, stable, and accessible than sit-inside kayaks, but what you gain in convenience you tend to lose in performance and speed — until now. Swell Watercraft recently engineered the Swell Scupper, a sit-on-top kayak for aggressive paddlers. 

The Swell Scupper combines the coveted elements of speed, comfort, and stability into one package suitable for paddlers of all skill levels and ages. The advantages of sit-on-top kayaks include the ease of getting in and out, especially from the water, self-bailing features, stability, and general lack of confinement.

Swell Watercraft took its time engineering a prototype with a fast hull that also ensured stability, inventing a unique chine feature to suit its encompassing needs. The Swell Scupper is crafted with lowered footwells for increased comfort and exclusive one-way valves that let water out but don’t let water in.

The watercraft features a large forward hatch that allows for large amounts of storage, two gear tracks, two side grab handles, deck pads, and footbraces. The product was designed to position users’ bodies in the most comfortable upright position and allow for a powerful paddle stroke that saves from banging the knees or tweaking the back.

The Swell Scupper measures 4 feet in length and 25 inches in width, attributing to a balance of speed and stability. The max weight capacity is 340 pounds and the kayak is available in either plastic or carbon composite.

The company offers add-ons for its products, including a fold-up rudder system that contracts into the hull when not in use, center console storage pod, outrigger pod system, and both a center and tankwell hatch. The carbon composite boats are available in ocean blue, lime green, or black, and the plastic boats in an additional camo green, hot pink, and mango options.

For a pledge of $773 on Kickstarter you can claim a plastic touring Swell Scupper kayak.