Would appreciate opinions on what you suggest in rotomolded/plastic sea kayaks around 17 ft. length for
an “advanced beginner”-225#/5’11"- for multiday kayak camping on large lakes and large rivers(some rough weather)…probably an occasional visit to New England seas.
Considerations: rigidity/speed/glide/stability…and any other that may come to mind.
Many Thanx!
Eddyline Fathom, Valley Aquanaut RM
suggestion…
Prijon plastics have a reputation for being xtra tuff…the kodiak model would be in line with what your looking for.
P&H
Capella or Scorpio should be on your test drive list. Plastic is rigid and light, customer service is first rate and the quality is excellent.
what have you paddled?
Rudder or Skeg?
Personally I like the Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 for skeg and Prijon Kodiak for rudder but I’m 50lb lighter than you and there are plenty of other options.
Current Designs Sirocco
Exceptional speed/glide for a kayak with its maneuverability. 225#/5’11’ is a big person compared to the average 145# Greenland male that used to hunt out of kayaks (I read that statistic somewhere recently I think?), and this kayak has a roomy cockpit that may be a good comfortable fit for someone your size, but try it on. You don’t want to be squeezed in on multi-day trips, but you don’t want a lot of excess room either.
Advanced beginner could mean a couple things. You could be new to kayaking working on picking up skills like comfortable edging and turning strokes and rolling as quickly as you can. Or you could be a long time kayaker not worried about more advanced type handling skills. The stability profile and the edging characteristics would be great for the former, and maybe not so great for the latter. The latter would likely never fully appreciate the maneuverability, but could still appreciate the nice cruising speed.
Quality construction. Good speed compared to most very easily maneuvered kayaks, yet can maneuver right with them. Handling characteristics on the performance end of things. I wouldn’t describe it as a stable boat, but not really one requiring constant attention either. Plenty of room for your multi-day camping. Very capable sea kayak in capable hands.
A couple to look at…
- Valley Aquanaut RM
- And two new boats on the market for 2011 - The Valley Etain RM and the North Shore Atlantic RM
Maybe Eddyline Nighthawk 17.5 . . .
. . . I used a Nighthawk 16 down the Mississippi but I am 5’9" 170. It took a lickin’ and kept on tickin’ plus tracked well, was efficient and carried enough gear for extended trips. You can also probably find one used.
Prijon Kodiak
Not my choice for rivers though …
plastic
The Eddylines arn’t rotomolded btw.
I second the Sirocco, nice boat, which I’d not sold mine.
Bill H.
prijon kodiak
I took my kodiak on a two week trip down the wabash and had no problems with it.
Sirocco
I love my Sirocco. I use it all winter and for rec paddling all year. I find it very stable but not every one does for some reason? I am 5’11" 195lbs. We also have a Tsunami 160 roto in the garage, I have only used that once in the last 2 years and hated it compared to the Sirocco. I also paddle a QCC 700 all summer for racing and training but always take the Sirocco for recreational paddles.
Prijon has the best plastic
Prijon kayaks are made of a superior plastic and pressure molded, not rotomolded. I have a Kodiak and love it. I’ve gone through an Aquaterra Chinook, Dagger Magellan, Perception Captiva and a Current Designs Storm. None of them can compare to the Kodiak. I’m keeping this one!
Kodiak is good
I like mine: tough, fast, lotsa space. But it is rudder dependent and I’m not the biggest fan of the Prijon rudder gudgeon, which is the weak point on the boat.
Valley and P&H plastic
Both Valley and P&H make very good stiff, strong, plastic boats.
Who said they were? The OP asked for
" suggest in rotomolded/plastic sea kayaks around 17 ft.". Eddyline is thermalformed plastic. IMO Eddyline makes the finest plastic kayaks money can buy. Rockpool and Valley, I think, agree with me (or me with them). If you do not put them through extreme abuse, they are the better choice for me versus other plastics and rotomolded boats. Lighter, better looking, stiffer, and better performance all hit home with me. I would include it in the search based on the OP. Bill
interesting
As someone who sounds like they’ve tried them all, thanks. I hadn’t thought of it as an alternate to poly, but now thermoform has me intrigued and it seems like more and more manufacturers are moving to this material. I’d like to try a rockpool TF kayak, it might just change my perspective shopping list.
Do you know how durable (impact-resistant) it is compared to poly, and how is it repaired?
Agreed on Valley
Very bomber construction and fun hull shapes. I like the fact that they weld their plastic bulkeads, but since no other manufacturers (that I know of) do so, one wonders whether they are ahead of the game or off on a tangent. I seem to recall that P&H used to weld their plastic bulkeads, but all the recent models I’ve seen have foam.
No, but they are plastic
nt