Purchased this boat for a 5 day 90 mile trip on the Current River in Missouri. I usually just haul a boat or two on top of my car but after using a Star Paragon on a 14 mile Marble Canyon Float (regular size, NOT XL) I decided to give this a shot.Upon receipt I set the boat up in my room. I was very impressed with the amount of time it took to setup. The adjustable foot rests are very solid and easy to install. I don't think the seat that came with this boat was the same as I had used on Marble Canyon as it did not seem to stay in place well. The amount of room on this boat was absolutely impressive. The floor section is very rigid at 8 PSI and the sides solid at 2.5 PSI. The vinyl seemed very heavy duty overall. I pre-planned where I would store my coolers and dry-bags and took the time to purchase a kayak storage "cover" that I fashioned into a cover to keep water out of the boat and cover my gear. I had about 50 lbs of gear with me and I am a sturdy 230 at 5"11". I waited until the night before to repack the boat and it took me over an hour, several videos, and still barely got it in the bag in a way which was not on any video! At this point I was still excited and confident about the boat for the trip. 5 star at this point.Showed up early to our spot so I had time to set up the boat. Everything good and still an easy setup. Hauled 3 hours to get in. First 15 miles were in often shallow but quick moving water with some obstacles. As stated I had a kayak cover refashioned as a cover for my gear which I sat on. I found myself getting much water in the boat but with the cover on I could easily dump it out. Hit a few obstacles and was happy with the lack of damage to the boat. Our group had 2 canoes and 6 other plastic kayaks, some sit on, some sit in and I felt like I was keeping up with everyone fine in this fast moving narrow water. No real issues and I was happy with the tracking even without the keel in. 5 star still at this point.Day 2 was where things began to go downhill. The water widened out a bit and current not as strong. Began to have some tracking issues. I removed my cover because of the difficulty of accessing gear in general. Really began to have a difficult time keeping up with everyone... and I am an experienced kayaker in good shape. Traded a friend for awhile and though he also appreciated the same things of the boat he recognized it just did not cut through the water like the other boats. Any venture into slow water would turn this boat into a blow up pool going no where. I checked the air pressure and adjusted my gear as needed to even things out. I will say that I really enjoyed standing up and paddling though... the boat can almost fashion as a paddle board for all intents and purposes. A 4 star at this point.Day 3 was the beginning of the end for my Star Paragon XL and I. 90 degrees outside and if I didn't use my fashioned cover the vinyl was just as hot and I burned myself a few times. The seat was constantly moving backwards and I had to reset my cooler to use as a backrest with a life jacket. The river was wider still with a slight headwind. I attached the keel and still could not keep the boat heading downstream with any wind. Basically if I did not paddle the boat didn't move in the water at all and the wind greatly affected it. I watched my companions with $200-$500 boats moving easily though the water and found myself getting far behind. I began to really notice the flaws in the boat and the necessity of a cover for many reasons. 3 stars at this point.Day 4 was the end for me. River wide and slow for half of this section and anytime there was dead water I had to work my ass off to just get the boat to go forward while my friends cruised on ahead. At some point I pulled off to completely dump the boat and check air pressure. The boat slowly collects ALL the water around it. The two front and back "protective covers are good for little and actually FUNNEL water back into the boat as they slope back down into it. It was a hellish day and we all took turns using the paragon because I was paddling 5X as much as anyone. 2 star at this point.Last day was 12 miles to get out. Wasn't able to get the deflated boat back into my bag so I stored in the other boat on roof rack. Frustrating but I figured that would happen.Long story short... there are some really great positives with this point. But overall for my purposes this is NOT the boat to use for anything but a day trip without some major improvements. The boat collects water and you have to tip the entire thing over to get anything out. I was disappointed that Star did not offer any real accessories for this. A cover is almost a necessity to prevent the water collection and extreme heat of boat. Something like a camp chair that sets you off the boat a few inches would be a way better way to go as well. Sitting on the bottom I was constantly wet. Needs accessories, easier way to drain water, a cover.... etc... I'm missing some things I'm sure but this is my take after 90 miles with the Star Paragon.