Kayak for rough waters

Second the Aquanaut
My wife has one, and it’s a great all-around boat, including in rough water. Great boat for a novice to start with, and you will never “outgrow” it as you develop skills.

As many others have said, not the Nordkapp LV if you are a novice. It’s also a fantastic boat, but not until you have a lot of experience. I watched as my paddling partner went through a learning curve with his Nordkapp LV, which involved a number of unintended capsizes in the first few trips with it. I would recommend it only to someone who has a solid roll and doesn’t mind practicing it as they get used to the boat. Once you get used to it and have good bracing skills, it’s a fantastic boat - fast, maneuverable, and just as good as any other boat in rough conditions.

absolutely…
ive only paddled the NordKapplv once and a few rolls.

i paddled the rotomolded nordkapp in very rough water and strong wind. I liked it but i guess the extra rocker of the LV would have been useful in waveplay…

Why is the nordkapps the favourite with so many great kayakers? of course its great.

remove "speed"
Rough water tends to equalize hulls that have differing speed performance in flatwater.

But, what do you intend to do? Are you asking about a kayak in which to travel point-to-point confidently through rough water, or a kayak that you can play in the rough water with?

Thanks for the imput.

– Last Updated: Oct-16-10 10:40 PM EST –

I'm an intermidate paddler and use my yak for fishing and transportation to fishing locations. I've been in some very rough seas with my Kaskazi sit on top but would like a Sit in yak for the rougher seas and distance.
It looks like the Qcc 700 or Aquanaut are at the top of the list. FishHawk

Avocateare?

– Last Updated: Oct-14-10 12:27 AM EST –

Lots of good boats mentioned in this thread. It seems the one noted by the most paddlers as the preferred boat for the specified conditions is the Aquanaut. Which sort of surprises me, as it is not a new trendy boat like the Cetus, nor sexy boat like a Nordkapp LV, nor is it the focus of a cult such as the QCC boats.

As is always the case, the 2 or so paddlers who have QCC boats are very fond of them. That more haven't noted the Q600 or Q700 as their preferred boat for the conditions specified may owe as much to few paddlers having had a chance to paddle one in conditions as anything.

In my decade of sometimes paddling big water I have yet to intersect with someone paddling a QCC boat. Even inland, where I have encountered QCCs, the only one I have had a chance to paddle is a 400 which, I have been told, is a whole different boat than the 600 and 700 boats. Thusfar no one whom I have encountered with a 600 or 700 has offered me the opportunity to paddle it - even after I compliment them on their boat...

Just my 2 cents.
My fastest boats on flat water were also fastest in rough water. That is why when I decided I wanted to go from point a to point b in rough water I always took my Looksha 2 or my Qcc 700. My senses told me they felt fast and my gps confirmed it. So instead of grabbing my Sirocco or Avatar which are good rough water kayaks my senses told me they were slower and my gps agreed.

I think I have owned all of the boats
mentioned so far. Without knowing who is buying the boat for what purpose, it is pretty difficult to give good advice. Based on my experience I would choose the Nordkapp to cover a long distance in rough water. No other boat (for me),once mastered, can give the feeling of oneness with the water like the Nordkapp can. It is a great “feeling” boat. I would choose a QCC 700 to race someone a long distance in rough water and the Epix 18x a close second. If I was going out in rough conditions for a longer paddle with the possibilty of increasingly deteriorating conditions and rescues, I would take the Aquanaut hands down. As WilsoJ2 stated “it is my go to boat”. I must say that my Romany Surf is getting very close to filling that role as well, but it is not as well suited to a longer paddle, and strangely enough it does not seem to surf as well as my Aquanuat. I can catch a wave more often in the Naut than the Surf. My Cetus was by far the worst performing boat in off wind and wave conditions. It could be that it was a very early production hull number, or who knows what, but I really struggled with the Cetus. One guy out of ? The kayaks that I am really starting to take note of are the Tiderace line. I have never seen this kind of build quality in a kayak. I have also never seen this kind of excessive weight in a kayak, although I expect the new Thailand made epoxy boats should weigh less. The Tiderace Expore-X was very interesting to me. It turns like no other big boat I have paddled, this also means that you must be less anal about holding your line as the boat is constantly going a little this way and a little that way. I am sure that given more time I could have adjusted to it. I will not buy another boat without checking out the Tiderace model that could fit my need, very , very impressive boats. After having said all of this, my conclusion is that if you needed to ask this question, go with the appropriate sized Aquanaut. It will do everything but paddle for you. Bill

A differing opinion
Allow me to profess my ignorance (and perhaps my agnosticism when it comes to kayak performance), but there are two things I can’t help but mention:


  1. Most every boat I’ve been in handled rough conditions just fine. The difference is in playfulness and (as noted above) ‘feel’. But if you don’t care about playfulness, but rather are intending simply to transit rough water safely, then a wider PNW style boat like the CD Solstice GT will do just as well, perhaps better, than the playful boats mentioned about.


  2. The OP wants to fish. To me, he needs a stable platform to reel in his catch, and he should probably consider a wide boat with a rudder. Again, a big ol’ PNW style boat is probably the best bet.

what model of Kaskazi?
those look like good boats

My experience has been the same
I consistently travel the same distance faster in my Current Designs Extreme or Kajaksport Viviane than I do in my Capella 169 or VCP Selkie, as examples. This has been regardless of flatwater, 4-6 foot waves, wind, or calm.



I’ve seen a number of QCC’s in this area. I was always surprised at the number that showed up to the Wrightsville Beach Challenge, a local race. I’ve never paddled one, but would like to give one a try. I never had one finish ahead of me, myself paddling a CD Extreme, Nigel Foster Legend, or CD Solstice GTS. But I’ve never figured that tells that much about how fast I would be in it. I’m no racer, and there are many much faster. I just have always figured the limit of my ability to make reasonable forward progress is the biggest factor determining the limit of the conditions I can safely paddle in. And I seem to favor kayaks that travel more efficiently when I start approaching 3.5 to 4+ knots, and that don’t hit a wall when I have to make runs against currents.

I’m a fan of the CD Nomad/Extreme. I think it’s a great kayak. Not a highly maneuverable kayak, but the positive tradeoffs are obvious and very appreciable when you get out there, and I find the maneuverability quite acceptable.

If you want a somewhat fast kayak with great maneuverability, and the size works for you (lot more room in this one than a Nomad), you should give a look at the CD Gulfstream. Rough water handling, and high maneuverability with lesser sacrifice of speed (compared to Pintail, Romany, Capella 169, Chatham 16). I think it proves too wide in the cockpit for many. But if you care about speed and a strong forward stroke, I think a good, necessary rule is to make sure there is a finger width between your hips and the sides of the seat. This allows rotation. And yes, you can still securely surf and play in rough water while allowing this important room. So if you’re a little wider in the hip area than I, I think D-Hutch came up with something exceptional with the Gulfstream.

Of course, I cannot dismiss a report of a Chatham 16 not too long ago winning a rough-water race. Just how rough it was would have been fun to experience, and fun to observe in terms of the differing kayak’s behaviors out there. As in all races, I also can’t comment on the paddler’s contribution vs the kayak, which is proven to be wildly significant.

3-rd This!
My GPS confirms that in both flat and rough conditions I am faster in my 'faster" kayak, the Rapier 18, than in other kayaks I’ve paddled. Not by much over a longer distance but faster.



The problem is that, if I get really tired, in “rough” conditions, a kayak like the Rapier (or the QCC700x or the Epic 18x, not the “sport”) require user activity to stay upright. That uses-up energy and if one is exhausted can be downright a scary experience even in conditions that when “fresh” would be fun.



Plus for fishing, I’d want something stable and comfortable, not something that would ask for a brace here and there. Plus, the cockpit of the QCC700x is short (I can’t get in seat first) and a spray skirt is required (roug conditions), and there is no day hatch (I think). Not exactly a fishing platform - no room for easily accessible fishing gear and fish, unless stuffed in the hatches… But I don’t fish, so what do I know…

"confused seas"
Confused paddlers maybe, but the sea is not confused. I like to use the term textured seas myself .

All of the boats mentioned are probably good boats for the conditions you are discussing, but in general terms I like “dumb boats”. That is boats that are not predisposed to any particular behavior without my encouragement. i.e. Neutral both above and below the waterline. Of course the only real test is for you to paddle the boat in the conditions you mention. However, I would recommend training in those conditions to become less confused before one decides on a particular boat. I must confess that I am the distributor of Rockpool Kayaks in North America as well as the producer of the Rockpool Alaw Bach TCC, and as such I have a particular bias for these boats. Good luck and happy paddling!!

handling qualities
For A to B travel in windy and choppy conditions, the first requirement is a boat that lets you hold any direction with respect to the wind, without excessive stroking, or sweeps, on one side. It must also be stable enough that you don’t have to interrupt your forward motion for bracing. You must also be able to turn into or off the wind without excessive difficulty. It is also very nice if it does not broach too quickly in following conditions.



Before a boat is deemed good in rough water it should pass these tests.



Rough tide race or surf play requires different handling qualities.

confused
The term ‘confused sea state’ is used in the scientific literature, so is a perfectly cromulent word to use.



I mentioned the Coaster above, but in general, all the Mariner Kayaks are famously wind-neutral, resist broaching and are generally well-behaved in dicey conditions. They’re hard to find on the east coast, however.

confused seas…

– Last Updated: Oct-14-10 4:56 PM EST –

wave reflections, wind waves at an angle to swell, add some current and rough underwater terrain..yoll get "Confused seas" of course they are not confused, but extremely complicated interactions. waves imposing fase interactions etc..i have studied analogue synths quite a lot..its similar..that being said, im looking forward to cheking out the rockpools! The shopowner where i bought my pintail are now selling rockpool too. We have become very good friends, so i wouldnt be surprised if i end up with an ISEL to compliment the drunk bordercollie
PINNY..fishing...i used to have a pungo: very nice kayak actually..

Marlin

– Last Updated: Oct-16-10 10:40 PM EST –

The Kaskazi Marlin is the boat I have used in 30 knot winds and rough conditions. I think the Aquanaut is on the short list. FishHawk

My
go-to yak on our Northern California coast is my 15’SOT with a full body wet suit. Have been in some nasty conditions where the chance of a spray skirt release is a major problem. And remounts are way easier on a big SOT

confused
CROMULENT ?

Neologisms embiggen us all…
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cromulent?rdfrom=Cromulent

Mariner Kayaks
Odd that you would mention Mariner Kayaks as wind neutral. I have never paddled a kayak more predisposed to lee cocking than a Mariner boat, although the Mariner ll is a very fine boat in other respects. Are you sure you mean Mariner Kayaks from Seattle?