One of our peers suggested that I post a link to a report I posted on the fly fishing forum, covering a trip I made out to the Folly Island low country last week. Hope you find it helpful.
I bought the boat used for $300. Came with a carbon-fiber paddle, upgraded seat, and $450 GPS/fish finder unit, so I did REAL well on the deal. I had done some research on Malibu kayaks before buying the boat, and the only complaint I found with the Stealth 12 was in regard to leaky hatches on the side and bait tank hatches. I can bear this out; the boat takes more water than it should, even in calm conditions when paddle drippings find their way down into the hull. Has Malibu kayaks come up with a better gasket system/hatch design to correct this that you know of? Right now I have a rubber mat deck that I put over all the hatches forward of the seat to keep things quiet and dry, and this has helped the problem a bunch.
As far as the design of the boat, she’s the most stable kayak I’ve ever fished for stand-up fly fishing - no problems at all, even in a light chop. Though the boat is a little on the heavy side, she does paddle well, and has lots of room for gear on a multiple day trip. Tough boat that can take a licking and keep on ticking!