in the Long Island NY area? Im considering this model. I am 5ft10" and about 170lbs.I presently own an Impex Mystic (14ft 21.5") which is a little tight and small for me. I did take open water lessons with it and rolling class and its a lively fun boat boat Im looking for a little more room and stability.My toes didnt clear the underdeck (11"depth) and my knees didnt clear the coaming unless I lifted my butt and go one leg at a time. In leans I had to brace or else I was going over.So Im considering the Saranac 14(23.5"width) ,the new Eddyline Journey (15’6"/24"),or the QCC400x .I live on Long Island and would love to see /try any one of them. --Corrado ps- must be less than 50lbs and less than 16feet.
Several in my area of NY
I’ve got one of the first production models in my fleet. I’m 5’8" anf 170, but used to paddle this when I was 205 ish. I don’t think you’ll have any trouble fitting. Most likely it will need to be padded out.
The new infusion boats are much nicer and lighter than the one I have. Some are in the 28-32 lb. range. My hand layed up fiberglass weighs in at 44lbs., but has composite hatch covers. Skeg and KajakSport hatches probably add about 4 lbs., so the best you could do would likely be about 32-34lbs. in carbon\kevlar.
Collinsville, CT may be your best bet to try one out. The shop there is co-owned by Bill Swift’s sister, so they usually have a good inventory.
You would also fit in the QCC 400X. I used to own a Swift Caspian Sea which is basically the same hull.
fitting into the QCC400x/Saranac 14
I thought I would be swimming in a 14.5" deep cockpit that has a hull 24" wide. The Saranac is at least only 13" deep and 23.5" wide so it should fit me better. I can say that when I was in the impex Mystic once in the fit was darn good and close.Slightest movement anwhere was translated to the hull which is nice for a while but after 4 hours of lessons it works on you. I know I tried a Merlin LT years ago ,it was the very first kayak I ever tried and it fit very well for me nd paddled very well too. Its a 23" wide hull and 12" deep. So Im thinking I really shouldnt go more than 13" deep and more than 24" wide .I tried the Eddyline Equinox and I didnt like the huge cockpit for me.That was 25" wide and 13" deep. So Im trying to bracket myself with the fit.Proof of the pudding would be if I could see and try a QCC400x . How did you like the paddling charactersitics of the Saranac? Leans and tracking,rolling etc?
Well …
having owned a Caspian (my first boat) and now occasionally paddling a Saranac, I have to say I like the Saranac better. It’s a very good all around boat - has good speed and turns nicely with edging. The Caspian/400X tracks very hard and also has good speed, but is a bit more difficult to turn. The one thing I don’t like about the 400/Caspian is the foredeck. It is quite high - significantly more so than the Saranac. I swapped my Caspian for a Bering Sea which I still own. It is faster and turns better than the Caspian. I learned to roll in this boat. The Bering is probably a little too long for what you are looking for at 15’ 10", but my kevlar hand layed up boat came in at 45 lbs. New ones should be lighter because of infusion technology. A Caspian will have the same feel at a Q400X, so if you can get to Collinsville you could likely paddle all three Swift boats and get a real feel for the Q400 as well.
Collingsville testing and Eddyline
IS there a lake or pond there to try them out? Water is probably cold by now,I dont have a wet suit.Sounds like you like the Saranac 14.It has a shallow arch hull and soft chine. Have you ever tried the Eddylines hard chined boats? They have a new one out called the Journey.It looks nice and its 15ft 6" long with a long water line of 14ft 4" moderate rocker and a 24" width 13" depth. May alos work nice for me.But I dont know how the hard chine would do in edging compared to a soft chined boat. Its also that Carbonlite 2000 thermoform material.Isnt glass or kevlar still a better choice in strength and long lasting?
Swifts and Eddylines
I haven’t paddled the new Eddylines except for the Fathom and Fathom LV which some people love, but I didn’t. I like the Nighthawk 16 and I’ve paddled the Merlin LT which is also a nice boat.
With many hard chined boats it seems they are easier to edge, or I should say hold the edge. Many kind of park up on the chine which can be nice if you’re paddling into winds abeam and don’t have a skeg option (my Anas Acuta is like this). Sometimes there is a noticable small hitch when rolling these boats as they come around and hit the chine area of the hull, but frankly, I don’t notice it on most hard chine boats anymore, so that may have been related to my earlier, less precise technique.
The thermoformed material is a good choice and seems to be quite durable. It is not as light as the compostie boats, but other than that, seems to be quite popular and considerably less expensive. Swift also makes the Saranac in a thermoformed plastic.
As noted, Collinsville Canoe and Kayak is on a wide, slow flowing section of the Farminton River. It’s a great spot to demo boats - right out their back door.
For the record I currently have three hard chine touring kayaks and three soft chine (rounded hull) touring kayaks.
Changing boats
While you are probably overweight for the Mystic thus causing some tenderness in its stability that a scrawny woman wouldn’t have, it is also a boat with nice low decks and, for you, a very active cockpit fit. As you move into other lines you may find that the decks get higher (like Swift or QCC) or that the leg position to catch a thigh brace gets a little “froggier” (a bunch of boats). You may like or not like these kinds of changes - in any case one other option re the stability thing would be to go to a boat more similar to the Mystic but just sized for a larger paddler.
Yes that thought has crossed my mind
The next closest is the Montauk 16ft 22 width and 12.5" depth. A friend of mine has one I could try. The problem is Im not sure if I want such a reactive lively feeling kayak or one that is a little more in the comfort and stability side . I guess Im trying to find a model that has a decent amount of both of these qualities and I think that Swift Saranac 14 sport may be one of them.I know I know , why not buy both types!
We carry Swift kayaks
– Last Updated: Nov-15-08 10:16 PM EST –
I think the Saranac 14 is Swift's best all-round kayak. It fits a wide range of paddlers - I put six-footers in it, yet it fits me well enough that I surf and rock garden in it, and I'm 5'4".
It's highly maneuverable and has good primary and secondary stability. Rolls like a dream.
I think thermoplastic is the best all-round material for most uses of kayaks. It's much stronger than Swift's composite layups, which are engineered for lightness. And you never have to worry about patching like you do with gel-coat - the thermoplastic is so tough that most scratches are very superficial.
We still have a couple Saranac 14 Sports in Trylon, one with a skeg. They are on sale. Ocean State Adventures, Bristol, RI. See our sale page at www.oceanstateadventures.com.
No sales tax on boats & accessories in RI. You can demo for free right outside our shop in Bristol Harbor. The water's still pretty warm (can you believe this weather???), but you can borrow one of our livery wetsuits if necessary.
Saranac 14 kayak
Hey thanks Trilliumlake for the invite.Yeah the weather is balmy although I think thats about to end real soon! So you think the ABS is stronger than fiberglass goldFusion)? I didnt get that impression from reading about it on the web.Actually, I thought the Kevlar is the strongest of all .Your sale price is very tempting but I want strength with lightness and cost in last place. You know Ive never been up to R.I. ,sounds like i need to make a trip. --CV Oh thanks for including the rolling review ,I was concerned about this as well.So when you lean it to the cockpit you can feel a stiffening up before it goes over?