best all-around 16 footer?

Go to
your favorite shop, and sit in all the boats that roughly meet your parameters. You may find 3 - 4 that feel comfortable enough to sit in for an extended period of time. Paddle those few boats and buy the one that you like the best. Once you find a boat that feels right to you, it is unlikely that you’ll find one that you like dramatically more.

Best 16 footer
Mariner Express, go to marinerkayaks.com enjoy learning about touring kayaks.

Best
Final word. CD Gulfstream. Best Kayak ever. No arguments. VF

gee thanks
envyabull, thanks for the condescending attitude and assuming i’ve never touched a sea kayak in my life.

On hatches : I said preference, not must-have. So far boats i owned had neo/hardcover, VCP, and Kajak Sport hatches. Neo/hardcover has been my favorite because, for me, they stayed 99.9% dry, and they’re my preference for ease of taking off/putting on. K S hatches are my 2nd choice, but frankly not a huge fan of VCP,at least not if it’s on a plastic boat. That and typically boats with rubber lids tend to have 3 bulkheads,which puts the smallest lid over the deepest/widest part of the boat. now THAT is a dumb gimmick. My elaho had that too, and no i wasn’t fond of that ‘feature’. If anything i think Prijon got it right, with the neo/hardcover +screw-top neoprene sock compartment in front of the cockpit.

As to the whole demo thing…the bitch is, you never really get a feel for boat’s performance in 3-5 ft seas based on how it handles over a 1 hour long paddle on a pond. You get an idea of fit, but you get that sitting in it on the floor.

And like i said the 16 ft thing isn’t a solid limit either, i also pondered something like a Chilco or Tahsis, but for practical reasons i wanna stick to 15.5-17 feet.

The point of asking the board was that maybe someone comes up with the boat i overlooked, or why something i overlooked is a good/bad thing.

gulfstream
i paddled a sirocco, didn’t do anything for me. The fit was too big, and the speed felt…consistent with it’s waterline length of what, 14 feet?

The Siroccco
The Sirocco is more of a play around boat; I don’t see it as a long distance/camping boat at all. I have one and it is fun for day paddling and playing around with at the beach. Nice looking though!

out of the box
Old school tarpon 160 with hatches!!



#1 fit 6’1/180/ size 12 feet. i am 6,3" size 12 feet

#2 fit enough gear for a long weekend, including a warm sleeping bag and 2 person tent. EASY, done that many times.

*Must also be good in rough water for a upper beginner/lower intermediate paddler. I hace surfed 6-8’ waves with it.

#3 be quick/efficient enough to do 10-15 miles a day without being too much of a chore. anuther easy task for the tarpon.

#4 as little weathercocking as possible. it doesnt

#5 be reasonably manouverable and not rudder dependent. ANY boat is “reasonably” manouverable

#6 be a decent/good roller. No need to role this, and as a bonus you can clean your muddy feet off before you put them in the boat.




If I were in your shoes I would
seriously consider cutting of those swim fins you call feet just so I could fit in an Avatar.

feet
Funny you should mention, i do remember trying sitting in an avatar, and…NO. that boat is made for someone with size 9-10 feet max i think. boo.

Look at Mariner

– Last Updated: Apr-01-08 12:29 PM EST –

Mariner kayaks makes some sweet looking boats that can handle a lot, drive you to the putin themselves and then tuck you in at night later on. OK, sort of kidding, but I know they have a really nice 16' boat for guys with big feet, I just can't remember which model it is - they deserve a look.

Whoops, I realized that Dr. Bob already posted what my answer is supposed to be, the Mariner Express. Thanks Doc...

not for long distances
unless you want to cross the North Sea

Problems with VCP
A racoon can open one faster than me and I’ve had a porcupine eat one! I personaly think they suck!!!

perfect boat
after reading some of the other post on this site , ive come to except the Pamlico boats? as the perfect model of any true kayak.it can do anything!lots of storage for those long trips,easy to lift at 70lbs,will never oil can,and a choice of color too!just ask anyone-oh-theirs also a musical duet(in 8 track) that comes with every one sold! -------------- just stirrin the fire-bert

QCC 400X
If your criteria is that the length is 16’, the QCC 400X will do all of what you want. I bought one this winter to use (sometimes) in place of my CD Solstice GTS (17’ X"). Send me an email and I will explain the whole story to you.

Nighthawk 16 is my second choice
I went with the QCC 400X because it weighs about 10 pounds less (in kevlar). other wise I would probably chosen the Nighthawk over the QCC.



The Nighthawk is better looking. My wifes CD Squamish (15’8") is the best looking kayak, but is too small for you