Into Greenland Fun!
I am in the latter category. Greenland is my thing. Don’t care much for certificates. Not planning on teaching. I just want to learn all I can and become proficient enough to have lots of fun. My idol is Alison Sigethy and I want to be just like her when I grow up. LOL! So I guess that puts me in the Tahe Marine Greenland camp. Hear they are amazing…would love to try one myself. Someday…Sigh!
It that’s the focus
Build a SOF (or a few). Not hard, extremely rewarding, and nothing is more custom or more suited to G-Style fun (or more “legit” in those circles).
Tahe G is mighty purty, but if you’re small it’s quite long (even if cockpit fit is OK). If you like it’s looks (hard not to), get Black Pearl plans and the adapt to SOF. A few already have done this so you should be able to get decent help/info.
Building a SOF
Would be ideal and would love to…but…do not have the time (work schedule), space (nowhere to build it) and experience (no one in in my neck of the woods that can conveniently mentor me while I am building my first one; don’t want an expensive lawn ornament…would actually like it to float). Will have to plan one of those vacation building workshops one of these days.
Come out to SE MI
Say Ro, you could demo the Tahe Greenland, the Avocet LV and my Suka all in one day! We’d stop by RKC for the first two and then put the Suka on the water. You could paddle the Suka while I tried out the Tahe… couldn’t get close to it all weekend at Grand Marais, to say it was in high demand would be an understatement.
The CD Rumour is a rolling machine and the cockpit is actually a modified ocean cockpit at 14.5"x24… At your size I’d guess you’d have no qualms w. that or the stability…
Avocet LV
Hello. I have had my Avocet LV for about a year now.
I am a smaller paddler (about 105pounds and 5’7") so I instantly fell in love when I sat down. There is still room for me to move around comfortably, and I can wear my drysuit with many layers.
I work and instruct at a local kayak shop, so I have had the luxury of trying countless boats.
It’s a sweet little boat that is responsive, yet it still tracks well considering it’s length. On those really windy days, the skeg is nice. The Avocet LV is awesome for surfing and playing in rough water, and it’s usually pretty forgiving. Rolling, sculling, and static bracing are really easy in this boat (low decks and coaming).
Would this be your only boat? or a day/playboat?
Packing was one of my concerns when I purchased the boat. I ignored this however, the fit was too good to pass up. Two months ago, I went camping with some friends who had a Nordkapp and a Nordkapp LV. The bows and sterns (especially the sterns!) are so fine that nothing but tent poles could fit. On my boat, I was able to fit my air mattress behind the skeg box. The bow and stern of the Avocet LV has a lot more volume than expected. I’m sure if you packed wisely and used compression sacs, camping shouldn’t be an issue. Also, if you camp with people who own large boats, they can carry the big heavy (and unnecessary) items ; )
Photos
I also have a bunch of photos of when I got my boat. Valley’s quality is solid.
http://beachpebbles.blogspot.com/2009/04/christmas-in-april.html