Hey!!!
I SAID Tempest 165. Go try one. And remember, after you buy it you’ll move the seat back 2 inches. And don’t waste your time with a Euro. Get a GP.
2 suggestions
1. Read up on thermoformed plastic as an alternative to fiberglass, and especially look into Eddyline.
2. If I were a beginner at any sport, I would never spend $4000 on my first piece of equipment. Your skill and interest will evolve rapidly and the boat you fall in love with this year might not suit you next year. I agree with the recommendations to buy used until you know what you want from a kayak and you understand a bit about materials and design.
quick thoughts
Impex Cat 5 is a big boat -
at your dimensions try a Cat 4. The Cat series is a very nice all-rounder for tripping and agility. I loved the smallest version,the Cat3.
Aquanaut also seems too big for you. Every man i know who paddles a 'Naut has at least 30 lbs on you and some are in the 230-240 lb range. It’s a fine boat and much loved, just seems like too much volume for you unless you want to go very big for tripping.
Eddyline Raven is a tender boat. They added a skeg acknowledging that, and it can still be a handful.
…substitute a demo of an Eddyline Fathom LV - it’s low volume for an average sized man. Kinda high on the rear deck, but if layback rolls aren’t gonna be your thing no worries then.
Others you could consider:
Artesan Millenium - harder to find but worth it.
Beautiful and fast. Ask Andy S here about his.
Current Designs Extreme aka Nomad - long fast boat,
higher deck, gear hauler. You’d find this used
but many are lightly paddled '-)
P&H Bahiya - niche boat, a little twitchy, but responsive and speedy w. good technique. Pretty deep V hull means it tracks well. Hard chined, easy to edge.
NDK Silhouette - fast, graceful, Greenland style, hard chines again. Efficient enough that i could make one move and I’m much smaller than you.
Aquanaut
I’m 5’9 and 170 and paddle a standard Aquanaut and it’s great. An LV would also have worked for day trips, but the standard is just fine for day and great for longer tours.
contacts
If you’re coastal NH, get in touch with these folks:
http://www.nspn.org/
Good shop:
http://www.nesmallcraft.com/
Event:
http://www.carpediemkayaking.com/symposium.htm
If you want to crank off miles, the Avocet isn’t the best choice – but the personality might be a good fit for you. The Aquanaut is a better cruiser.
It’ll all make much more sense after you try some boats. Keep us posted!
Why would you want to limit his coach
possibilities to the minority that are proficient with a GP? You can carve a GP for less than 20 bucks and a few hours. The strokes are aptly described in easily available books and videos. With the modern blades, any coach knows how they work and it doesn’t get in the way.
Dogmaticus
Euro & traditional
Note I said “&” and not “versus” ‘-)
For where I’m at now, the Euro blade feels better to me for surf launches and it accelerates more quickly over very short distances, for example, when I take rescue and towing classes the Euro gives me an extra gear to get into the scenario quicker.
I just took up traditional a couple of weeks ago and for sure am a rookie. But I’m lovin’ it. The stick has a beautiful touch and feel of its own and it can do as much as you ask of it. And show you some new stuff you didn’t imagine. I get quietly energized paddling traditional at moderately quick pace w. it.
Certainly it’s superb for a relaxed pace. Very easy on the body, too, no small thing there.
But if I were to throw in my two cents to the OP I’d say go w. Euro first bec. if you go the class route the Euro still dominates and instructors teach from what they themselves know. After you are in the paddling community awhile you can better link up with traditional paddlers and learn from them, formally or informally.
Then switch to the stick when you’ve been paddling for a while and can be more informed as to your style and boat preferences, as Greenland paddles are infinitely more customized than Euro, so you need a bit more feedback from your own body and boat to discover the optimum one, whether it is one you make or have made for you.
No need to choose sides! I paddle w. one and carry the other as a spare. Go out w. one and come back w. the other. Variety is the spice…
I use both
But the amount of time I spend using the Euro keeps dropping. Mostly it sits on my boat as a backup. I do have it unfeathered so the transition back and forth is easier. I can still use it feathered and like to keep up those skills but I have to say I do not like paddling a feathered paddle. I also switched from a bent shaft to a straight shaft, again to make the back and forth easier.
preferences
I enjoy a feathered paddle, and go anywhere betw. 45 and 60 degrees, sometimes 75. I think it’s good for me to practice w. different feathers.
An unfeathered Euro feels strange to me, but I know others have moved to it or a very low feather, so it’s all what works. I remind myself to try unfeathered from time to time. I love going into the wind digging hard w. a nicely balanced feathered Euro. There is no right or wrong as long as there is good technique.
My point is that neither style is “a waste of time”. They are both worthy of learning. Took a lot of what I learned in Euro and modified it only slightly for bow and stern rudders, sweeps, pivoting in place, etc. The biggest diff by far is in the forward stroke.
It’s very engaging and very fun to see what you can do with body/boat/blade. No need to put one down, either physically or verbally!
Just Sharing My Experience
Wish someone had introduced me to the GP earlier so I wouldn’t have… I’m gonna say it… wasted so much $ on Euro paddles. The poster specifically says he wants to try to avoid the beginner stuff and learn and grow quickly in this sea kayak thing. My experience is that the Euro was a ‘beginner’ thing.
I’ve got a big, ugly Werner San Juan sitting around collecting dust. I need to sell it.
agree with jackl
on the Q700x. Very fast, stable, big hatches, light, and pretty cheap too.
One peeve I have about many kayaks is that even though they have ample storage room in the ends, the hatches are too small to fit bulky items in. You could get a Kevlar 700 for about $3500.
The next paragraph always seems to be kind of a touchy subject…
On the subject of paddles…I have given up kayak paddles altogether, and paddle my QCC with a Zaveral Powersurge canoe paddle. I have a rudder on my boat, so I don’t have to switch sides. I can easily get 5 mph on calm water, and recently used it in a local 10 mile race for a final time of 1 hr,42 minutes. Kayak paddles for 12 years, but never ever will I use one again.
Good luck with your boat hunt!
as we all share ours
I like using both and I don’t consider time spent with either a “waste of time”. It was for you and in that respect I am sorry it happened that way. Your experience is one thing and very valid for you. We can agree there. I hope you will extend the same standard of reasonableness to other experiences.
“waste of time” sounds pretty judgemental. I prefer not to make those kind of pronouncements and leave it up to the paddler to decide where his/her priorites and goals are.
I mean, one time you posted that you wanted real, genuine tasting ice cream and Breyers etc was reissuing flavors w. a lot of additives. I suggested you try frozen chocolate yogurt. I didn’t declare it the absolute answer for you. I just said try it.
anyways, that big ol’ San Juan maybe was the wrong choice not cuz it was Euro, but bec. it was just too big a paddle for ya! maybe if you had come across something a little smaller, for example a Werner Cyprus or one of the Swift paddles. I know, I’ve made the same mistake and happily offloaded my Epic Active Tour, which paid for my winsome new stick.
Anyways, Kudzu, YOU were actually an influence in getting me to TRY traditional - just let a girl have fun. Why decide when you can have both? It applies to many things in life…
I appreciate that. As the owner of a few
– Last Updated: Jul-22-09 10:49 PM EST –
GPs and an Aleutian I have great respect towards traditional paddles. My preference for modern rec blades in the sea, rivers and surf only suggests my limitations as a paddler. I keep going back to the traditional stuff, but what I like now is what I like.
However, my point is that if someone is entering the sport, what chance will he have of getting great instruction by being equipment specific if he locks down on what a forum message suggested? He also suggested some offshore goals that tell me seamanship and boat control would be highly suggested goals to shoot for, rather than minor paddle variations.
Dogmaticus
Many Thanks!
The chocolate frozen yogurt thing has worked out great. No joke. I make shakes with it.
source for Artisan Millenium used
– Last Updated: Jul-23-09 4:52 PM EST –
http://www.maineislandkayak.com/
as well as many others.
Maine rocks and Peak’s Island
– Last Updated: Jul-23-09 5:38 PM EST –
It is surprising how solid a fiberglass boat can be, even with fools aboard. In a decade of coming to Maine to paddle in the summer, most of that with glass boats, the rocks have added one crack and the trip on the racks one more. The rest are scratches and one larger ding that we managed to get without going anywhere near Maine.
Peak's Island - you are talking about Maine Island Kayaks, and Tom Bergh. Definitely worth a stop to try some boats if you can get there at all. He runs mostly NDK and some Valley boats. In our experience he's been great about demoing boats.
For P&H boats, if you are in the area, try Sea Cliff Kayaking out of Boothbay. That's John Carmody, has the boats and is a nice guy in general.
By the way, friendlyfire or whoever said it above is right. The same body is not going to be happy in a lower number Capella and an Impex Force 5 - you are at most a 4.
Any reason the Necky boats aren't showing up on your list, the Chathams? Is is what dealers are near you?
First boat
– Last Updated: Jul-27-09 4:54 PM EST –
If you are interested in developing boat handling, self rescue, etc... skills I would suggest to buy a used Romany, Tempest 165, Chatham 16, or Avocet and enroll in classes and meet-up with skilled paddlers in your vicinity.
You will paddle more if you own a boat and any of these boats will be very supportive of skills building.
After a year of trying an array of what you wish to do in your boat, you can assess whether it meets your needs/desires or is deficient in some way. If you decide it doesn't meet your needs, you can sell it for about what you paid and buy a boat you like more.
Oh yes, do not get caught up in the responsive boat (i.e. Brit style) syndrome if you want to go straight very fast as opposed to play in lumpy water ;-)
“‘beginner’ thing”
"My experience is that the Euro was a ‘beginner’ thing. "
Not if you’re into surfing, which the OP said he might get into.
There’s nothing “beginer” about surfing. And there’s nothing “beginner” about surfing big waves with euro paddle!!!
"beginner thing"
neither style is a beginner thing. They are just different things.
if I ever…
get to paddle down your way, Kudzu, we will make frozen chocolate yogurt shakes. I think maybe after the rolling session? '-)
p.s. I like mine w. black cherries and almonds.