I can only speak for the pelican. I bought a used pelican castaway 116 from a dude on craigslist for 300 a few months ago. It is my first boat and I have enjoyed having it, but the two part design means the seam is prone to leaking over time. Some boats do not seem to have this problem, but some do. The seam in the very back scupper hole pn my yak came completely apart and many of the other scupper holes leaked some. I am in the process of fixing it and do believe that i can make it seaworthy. All in all, it is ok for my first boat and I do like the way it paddles but for 500 i would rather get the one you were looking into.