Puget Sound
Puget Sound IS serious open water. Not the place I would take a rec boat, even one as nice as the Equinox. Considering where you live I think you need to allow for eventually being tempted further off shore.
More ideas
Dagger Alchemy a good choice for where I’m at? I may be able to store a 16 foot boat if absolutely necessary to satisfy the need I would just prefer to stick with 14 if I can get away with it. I like the Feathercraft idea but cost is a huge factor, I’m trying to get boat and gear for $2,000 or less. Also, I would like to grab the boat a couple times per week after work and would prefer to not have to assemble it multiple times in a single week. Wish the Journey wasn’t so spendy, can’t swing a new one
Alchemy would do fine, but…
Look at some of the other threads - a true little sea kayak with all the safety features.
That said, if willowleaf says that the Puget Sound is BIG water there’s a lot more to the paddler side than you seem to know now. Like solid skills in bigger waves, self-rescue including at least trying for a roll etc. You really need to incorporate some kind of work to learn this stuff - as in lessons - as well as a decent skirt and other gear if you want to make that a regular event. Or find others who can bail you out of trouble o paddle with.
Nifty
Check out the Nifty 430. 14’ by 24". They’re surprisingly well-made, well-designed, and good quality for the price. New they’re about $1000. It has a huge cockpit, is very stable. It can edge quite well, so you can develop more advanced skills in it. It has sealed bulkheads, good deck rigging, and foil-shaped rudder with gas pedal-type foot petals, thigh braces. The plastic is thick and overall construction seems tough. It’s playful and can catch downwind waves fairly well.
The downsides are that it’s heavy (thicker plastic) and slow (as any 14’ x 24" kayak will be).
Huge cockpit can be a problem
It can let in enough water to really destabilize you if a nylon skirt gets collapsed by waves, or you pay a bunch for a neoprene skirt that may be tough to pull off.
Weight; speed
"The downsides are that it’s heavy (thicker plastic) and slow (as any 14’ x 24" kayak will be)."
At 58 lbs the Nifty 430 is unusually heavy.
There are quite a few exceptions to a 14’ x 24" kayak being slow. For example, the Current Designs Kestrel 140 in TCS has great glide and yet is a whopping 26" wide. The original Old Town Cayuga 140 (24" wide) in Polylink 3 had great handling qualities. I haven’t paddled the Current Designs Vision 140 (24" wide) but I suspect it’s another example of a 14x24 that has good speed. I bet there are many more examples of good kayaks in this length and width. In fact 14’ x 24" is a great beginner to intermediate size and can have good speed if well designed.
Sidenote: This is a terrific forum
– Last Updated: Aug-04-11 6:38 PM EST –
To be OT for just a second: This is a pretty terrific forum. Lots of ppl with lots of knowledge, and willing to SHARE it. :)
This contrasts with other kayaking forums I've been on (*cough* SeaKayaker Magazine *cough cough*), where, with a few notable exceptions, it seems like most folks are lurkers, not posters.
Kudos to paddling.net and the ppl here! =]
Elie Strait 140XE?
Elie Strait had been mentioned earlier, worth a look? Seems to me I should be looking at that or a Dagger Alchemy 140L and just buy new.
The buying strategy…
I’m in the same boat as you… I’m new-ish to the sport too, and will be buying fairly soon as well. =]
The best approach seems to be to get some skills first (i.e. classes/lessons), which puts you in position to be able to evaluate well the boats you try out.
Then work off your short list of boats to try (forums such as these/input from experienced paddlers can be helpful, but know your own needs first), and demo or rent said short-list boats and use your skills (edging, bracing, rolling, manuevers, powering along at speed, dealing with somewhat unsettled water) to see what boats are heroes and which are zeroes for you.
Also strongly consider things like fit, comfort, storage capacity (if you’re eventually going to be multi-day touring), rigging, rudder vs skeg, etc.
Eventually, you’ll come to your dream boat(s)- at least that’s my hope, since the above is the path I’ve started down.
If, after identifying your dream boat(s), you can find them used, so much the better… but be able to look at a used boat and see if it’s worn-out/damaged/used-up first.
I’m sure ppl here will have great suggestions on what to watch out for in a used boat. Nothin’ wrong with saving $$$ when possible, especially in this economy.
Fathom LV for maneuverability
and enough quickness. I have a Nighthawk 16 and would like to trade for a Fathom LV.
I’m 5’6" and 155 lbs.
Equinox would be fine for you
I used to sell Eddyline and have paddled the Equinox and the Skylark, from which the Equinox evolved. Although fairly wide, both are nimble boats. The Equinox really does combine the best of both worlds; it is a rec kayak that performs like a sea kayak with sufficient paddler skill, which means you won’t outgrow it soon.
One thing that wasn’t mentioned in prior posts is that both the Equinox and the Skylark have hard chines, which contribute to primary and secondary stability (edging the boat makes it turn easier, and the Equinox is very stable on edge).
The Equinox doesn’t have perimeter lines but they’re easily installed. If you have a deal that includes a boat that’s been used 6 times and a Werner Shuna plus other gear for $1,700, I’d say go for it.
I get it that
you like Eddylines – I have two myself, a Skylark I bought last year and a Samba I bought couple of months ago because I wanted something sleeker/faster, but still lightweight. I have not paddled the Equinox, but it’s basically a scaled-up Skylark and would fit you well. Stable, light for its length, should track well and a it’s high-quality, good looking boat, but it’s a sedan, not a sports car. It could last you a lifetime or you could outgrow it after a year or two if you get serious about the sport. But a used, already depreciated Eddyline in good condition should hold most of its value, so if you do decide to trade up at some point, you’ll get most or all of your money back to put towards something else. Since there’s really no way to predict what the ideal boat for you will be later on, I’d probably grab the Equinox now and get on the water while the season is still favorable.
Yes…
It’s a beast to carry. Almost seems bullet-proof, the plastic is so thick.
Not sure how it compares to those other boats. I usually paddle a Q700, Nordkapp or Seaward Chilco, so it feels slow compared to those boats.
It has quite a bit of rocker and hard chines, so not really designed for speed.
Nimble?? No way
The Equinox is definitely not a nimble boat. I don’t know why Eddyline chose a width of 25" for the Equinox. In my opinion it would perform much better at 24" wide.
The difference between the Equinox and the Journey is immediately apparent on the water. I agree that the Equinox is a great recreational kayak, but I wouldn’t say it performs like a sea kayak. That’s stretching it.
there’s nothing wrong with the Equinox
It will hold your weight, but at your weight it’s be low in the water. It’s not a fast boat, and surprisingly unnimble for its length. Eddyline toutes the “rudder free” design, but what they don’t tell you is that they build a keel – a virtual skeg – into most of their older boats (the Equinox included), only one that can’t be retracted. So they will track fine but give up something in maneuverability. The problem is your requirement to stick to a short boat. The Equinox would be a good first boat (stable, reassuring) and it fits your needs lengthwise. Just so long as you understand that there’s a tradeoff: You say you want to go to the San Juan Islands, but it’s a pretty slow boat. It would handle the conditions fine, but you’d put in more work to get from A to B, and if you’re with others in faster boats, you would struggle to keep up. I got one for my wife (who only likes to paddle lakes) and she loves it. Eddylines are light and look really nice.
I bought my wife an Equinox
– Last Updated: Aug-05-11 7:56 AM EST –
Didn't like the high seat back, so I swapped it out for a backband. Slow but very stable which is comforting to some. With a good spray skirt I've found it's even comfortable in the surf, although the skeg-like keel pretty much rules out going backwards; you lose control.
Edit: In reply to willowleaf's "Puget Sound IS serious open water" comment: Let's not get hysterical. With a good spray skirt, the Equinox would do just fine. I would add perimeter lines, but as far as floatation is concerned it's fine. I would have (and have had) no hesitation paddling it in big stuff.
Strongly agree
There is nothing wrong with the Equinox as a recreational kayak—but there are better choices within Eddyline. I agree that the Equinox paddles slowly for its length.
I think the 14-footer is an important model in any manufacturer’s lineup. And I think Eddyline missed the mark a bit with the Equinox. They tried to correct that with the Samba—but the Samba is too far toward the other extreme (narrow, small). If they had made the Equinox 24" wide they would have hit the mark.
I don’t fully agree with your point about the keel. I find this design turns fine when edged.
Great kayak to start
– Last Updated: Aug-06-11 6:43 PM EST –
My wife had an Equinox and loved it. She eventually traded up to a Kevlar Avocet, but still has fond memories of the Equinox.
I would not call it a recreational kayak. It has watertight hatches front and rear. It's water line is relatively long compared to its LOA. She paddled it on many club paddles. She is a stronger paddler, but never had any issues keeping up. She has paddled it in high winds and rough water and a good chop in San Francisco Bay and it was always great.
I paddled it too and found it very friendly. In winds up to 30 mph it does not weather cock much and is easy to turn to any direction. It holds course fine even in a swell or chop or wind. It does not need a skeg - at least up to the winds we have had it in.
I thought it was one of Eddyline's best designed and most pleasant kayaks. Personally, I would rather paddle it than a Journey. One of our newer club members asked me to paddle his Journey last week. He thought it was pulling to one side. it wasn't, but I didn't care for the fit or overall response of the boat. Maybe I would change my mind with more time, but I thought that it wasn't nearly as much fun as the Equinox.
The Equinox should also hold its value OK when you are ready to get to a more advanced kayak - but IMO it is a great kayak to start with and to develop skills. We loved it while we had it.
Eddyline is a good company, and since you live in Washington, that is a good fit geographically. The Equinox is also good to repair. If you can find your rep (Ethan - ask a store that carries them) he may show you how easy to repair.
“Nimble” depends on the paddler
As I said, the Equinox can perform like a sea kayak with sufficient paddler skill (and the right fit). Get that baby on edge and it spins like a top and carves like a dream.
Nimble
– Last Updated: Aug-07-11 1:33 PM EST –
Well, paddle the Equinox, Journey, and Fathom back to back and see what you think. That's the only way to tell, really.
To me the Equinox felt OK, but not much more than OK. The Journey was noticeably faster at demo.
When I say "nimble" I'm including speed.
I think if you're going to spend over $2000 for a kayak it has to stand out against other, cheaper brands. I'm not sure the Equinox fits that bill, though Eddyline certainly is a standout in general.