My (previous) current boat.

I spent three months of the summer of '09 looking for a kayak design.  After picking one (as outlined in this article), and ordering the plans, the reality of being barn/shop/garageless set in, so I picked up a Wilderness Systems Alto from someone on Craigslist.  Looks just like the one in the bottom of the image below, only a good bit lighter colored, probably from age..

There wasn't a cover for the day hatch, and getting one from Perception/WS wasn't an option at the time, so I replaced it with a clear Beckson hatch of the same size - to get the best fit, I just replaced the whole thing, including the housing.  I didn't replace the little bag that made it a "day hatch" (a/k/a "cat bag"), though I thought about it.

After the first day paddling, I ripped out the backrest and rather cheesy seat cover.  Way too high and slippy.  I used a hunk of polyethelene barrel cut so size and shaped with a heat gun to make an adjustable backband that will let me do a layback.  This keeps my back from being a huge problem when I paddle for long distances. 

To solve anticipated hatch leaking, I made a "spray skirt" of sorts for the hatch from coated nylon; I will probably order a neoprene one from TopKayaker or similar.

She paddles great in lakes and tight situations. As noted in the paddling.net reviews, she has a lot of rocker for a boat this length, and a tendency to weathercock in an even light breeze.  I may put a skeg or real rudder on her some day.

I've paddled her in blackwater, marsh, and semi-open ocean, over some pretty tough oyster bars and through some tough, windy weather with small breakers - bad enough the folks on the dock were telling us to get off the water when I landed.  For these uses, I would recommend this line (Piccolo, Shaman, Alto).  I don't see doing much extended touring in her without a rudder or skeg; it's too inefficient in any significant wind.

(Update: Sept. 2013)  Funny - Catching up on this blog after a long time. I had liked the Alto when I first got it, paddled it for about a year, and picked up a shorter, but more "greenland like" boat, also made of polyethylene. I have never figured out the manufacturer, and there's no HIN, but it does say "Artic" (spelling it as it is printed).  This became my favorite banging around boat now, and has been for two years.