Best SOT for small person

Any recommendations for a SOT that is good for slow moving to Class II rivers, lakes, and flatwater bays for a 5’2", 120 pound female? Looking at probably a max. of around $700.

Thanks y’all.

SOTs Tend To Be Heavy

– Last Updated: Apr-18-05 8:40 PM EST –

SOTs tend to be heavy. My Ocean Mars is only 49#. That is light for an SOT. At 13'4" it is easy to handle. The flat hull would do well on slow rivers.

You might even fit an Ocean Kayak Venus. Only 11' long and 38#.

Down side they are relatively slow, and niether tracks very well. They do not go in a straight line without corrective strokes.

Try looking here
www.sit-on-topkayaking.com



A great site for SOT info and be sure to check out the “forum” ask there and you will receive many informed answers. :slight_smile:



As an aside, seems like many on this board have a “fetish” about kayak tracking. I have never had a problem having a kayak go where I wanted it to. Though my Eskimo Diablo does requre more attention than most I own :slight_smile:

My fiance’

– Last Updated: Apr-19-05 8:29 AM EST –

is 5'4", 125lbs, has an OT Sport H2YO and loves it. Extremely comfortable, one of the most comfortable kayaks I've ever sat in. We took it down some Class II and she said it seemed to do it all on its own. Coosa River Outfitters in Alabama uses them in its rental fleet for the Class II-III Coosa River run. Its not as fast as some of my longer sea kayaks, but everything's a compromise. Listed weight is 42 lbs. Its the same boat as the Dimension Typhoon.

Second the H2YO !!

– Last Updated: Apr-19-05 12:15 PM EST –

Bought one for my wife last year and she loved it !! The boat is light by SOT standards and is very stable on the water . The hull design allows the boat to track great yet be able turn easy . She had it out on class II water and stayed reasonably dry . The star quality of this boat was that it gave my wife the confidence on the water she needed to learn the ropes of WW paddling in a Sink ! gale

Wife’s favs
My wife’s favorite SOT was the Islander Moku, which has been reincarnated as the Perception Koho 11.5. The brochure for both of these boats says they are for larger paddlers because they have more weight capacity than their shorter models. But they are also more efficient than the shorter models, which is what my wife liked.



She is now paddling an Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro and doesn’t feel like it’s too much boat - it’s even more efficient/fast/easy to paddle and still one of the lighter SOTs. She is 5’3" and not a strong paddler.

Huricane Aquasports
They have a new SOT in polycarbonate. Looks like glass but is a plastic and lighter than the regular plastic boats. I have only seen pictures but it might be worth looking at if you can find one to demo.

Maybe an Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro
I rented one in Baja and was surprised at how well it performed in conditions varying from calm to long streaking whitecaps and swells, plus some small surf. The boat tracked very well for its roughly 14’9" (or whatever, it’s 14’ and something), yet was still fairly easy to maneuever. Despite lack of thigh straps, I could edge it a little. The small seat depression and tall wrap-around backband helped make up for the lack of thigh straps.



At 26" beam, it is one of the narrower SOTs out there. I am 5’2" and 110 so this kayak should work well for you, too.



If OK made this kayak about 2" narrower, I’d run right out and buy it as an all-rounder. There is so much stability that people our size could easily give up some width for less weight and a bit more speed. The front hatch is big enough that you could actually camp with this kayak.

WELCOME TO THE COMPETENT SOT!
There’s quite a few out of them there these days, as well as the strictly fun boats. I’ve lauded the Old Pro based on my years in my own S-Pro TW, and we still find our Scuppers good boats even after having gotten SINKs.



They’;re not for everyone, and while they can be used for everything, even cold water paddling, it takes a bit more in those conditions than it does to stroke a SINK. And SOTs ARE generally slower than SINKs.



But there are some out there that work to your specs -how about an SOT, and NOT a ski, NOR a racing yak like my Isthmus (17’ X 21") -that runs around 17-7, and is maybe 23" across, and is glass, and is pretty stable…?



AT any rate, if she’s going into water that isn’t really twisty AND really fast, an S-Pro might do the trick for her.



A friend of ours who’s maybe 5-0 and maybe 110 came down to selecting a P-13 over the S-Pro TW, and she couldn’t really articulate why, as both worked quite well for her even at her rather diminutive stature.



It’s a pretty decent SOT for many sizes of folks to



Paddle On!

-Frank in Miami

Don’t Forget The Scupper Classic, Frank
They are no longer made, but plenty of used ones out there.