Bought this inflatable the end of May for this summer's boating season. We have used it all season and this is what I have experienced: Pros: - Hot dog uses a heavy durable outer shell to hold the three bladders. Overall, this is a very well-built, quality inflatable. - Though only the center section has a boston valve, the pinch valves on the two outer sections use the same size connector as the fill valve on the boston valve (so if you are using an electric pump to inflate the bladders, you don't need to change the end on your pump). This made filling all three sections quick and easy. - The handles are well padded and comfortable to hang on to. The neoprene seats are also very comfortable. - The boston valve in the center has a high quality velcro cover. The outer ring of the valve is hard plastic and helps keep the bladder from "bubbling" out of the our shell. Cons: - the first 3-4 times using this inflatable, it held air all day without needing to be re-inflated. Now, every time we inflate this, after using it for 10 minutes, we need to add air to it. Usually once we add air to it the second time, it is good to go for the rest of the day. This is inconvenient being that there is not electricity or an air station by the boat landing on the lake we frequent. - The valve area of the two outer sections is poorly designed. As I stated these are pinch valves, which does not pose a problem, however, once the bladder is fully inflated, the bladder has a tendency to "bubble" out of the outer cover's opening. If the side valves followed the same design as the center valve, this would not be an issue. This is probably the reason for needing to re-inflate the hot dog after a few minutes of use. The bladder is stretching out of the outer cover's holes. - the two outer section bladders no longer are aligned properly within the outer cover. I am not able to reach very far inside the cover to straighten them out due to the small hole where the pinch valves are. I also attribute this to the fact the two outer bladders have stretched because of the poor side valve cover designs. - prolonged use will cause your knees to burn (like a rug burn). Where you kneel on this inflatable there is no padding, so you are kneeling directly on the cover which is made from woven nylon. It would have been nice to see them stitch the same neoprene used for the seats on the outer edges to protect your knees. This would make the hot dog extremely comfortable to ride, but without it, your knees will burn after a while. Other thoughts: - this inflatable is very fun to ride. It is not a wild ride as getting outside of the wake rarely happens. - This inflatable offers a smooth ride even in rougher water. We own several other inflatables that are wild, especially on rough waters, so this is a great addition to our collection. - it is a little tough to get back on this in open water. This is not exactly a con, but this does sit higher in the water so it may be difficult for larger adults to get back on it. After a few times, once you figure out how to get back on it, this is not an issue. We have had a blast using this all summer and it has held up very well. We look forward to using through the end of this season, and many more seasons to come. This inflatable would be almost perfect if it didn't have the bladder "bubbling" and stretching issues on the two side sections as having to re-inflate this twice is very inconvenient. Also, if they added some pads for your knees that would be a HUGE plus. I gave this rating 4 stars because aside from the few flaws, this is a very good inflatable and is very well built. Kids and adults alike have really enjoyed riding it. I anticipate that this will be durable enough to be used for many more seasons.
