I could see this being a good 'second boat/loaner boat' for me when I have non-kayaking friends come along and paddle with me.
How's the paddling position on the Conduit? From the pics, it looks like the deck is raised considerably near the front of the cockpit, so that you might be able to paddle with a bit of a 'knees high and close together' position (i.e. somewhat of a 'surf-ski-like' position).
If true, that would be great. I think subjecting ppl to the 'frog-legged/yoga' splayed-out position is tough on newbies' backs (a la boats such as the Tsunami).
If not true, oh well. The Conduit's still the most inexpensive front & rear bulkhead boat out there. =]
For me it’s 19’-2" When I first got into kayaking, I could never have imagined me having such a boat, but now I can’t imagine ever being without it. NC Expedition.
Ideal for what? You said Touring Kayak, but you didn’t really say what you want from the kayak. Do you want to cover a lot of distance? Camp from it? Fish from it? Take photos from it? Race it? Take it out on open seas?
The Great Lakes? The Great Lakes, where i do 99% of my kayaking have sunk a lot of big ships and can be just as challenging as the ocean ( minus tides and dangerous sea creatures).
Most kayaks 17ft+ can handle just about everything except narrow waterways and hard core white water.
Oh, yes! It has a pretty large cockpit, and the (I don’t know if they are knee or thigh) pads extend down into the inside so that if you want they can be used as thigh braces, but if you get cramped, you can bring you knees up.
In general, do you think it’s a semi-capable boat for a little bay/gentle-ocean-conditions action? At what point would you say, “Uh, I’m not going out in that with this”?
I have no experience on the ocean or a large lake, so I shouldn’t say anything, but it has very good secondary and initial stability, and I would be comfortable trying it in 1-2 foot swell. Not sure about the open ocean, but I don’t think so.
my own preference Having owned 10 solo kayaks from 9’ to 18’ (and every length in between) I can state that the two I use and like the best (and find most versatile) are both around 15’ long and 22" wide. Nice balance of speed and maneuverability in everything from rough lake and coastal waters to flat rivers and lakes and even up to mild Class II streams. I can keep up with any of my paddling buddies in longer boats and have a lot of fun on my own.