Surprisingly sturdy and strong. I also have an old town sportsman pdl...the apex is pretty good given its paired with an inflatable system. It's "fast" and smooth. Highly recommended. Rating a 4 star because I wish the rudder could slide on and lock like the fin, needs four screws to secure to the bote. I don't feel comfortable rolling up the rudder or disassembling the rudder to roll the bote back into the bag, so I remove it. Buying some extra screws as I'm sure we'll lose some along the way. Will also keep a dedicated screwdriver with the rudder/pdl drive. Cheers.