To me it looks like the Hatteras from Impex is after similar characteristics in rough water that the Pintail is known for. Has anyone here paddled both? Any comparisons or contrasts?
Fun; different
I suspect I’m the wrong size for the pintail as I’ve only had it out on flatwater and for me it had a snarly non existent secondary stability that made the time more a bracing practice than anything else. Accepting our irreconcilable differences I chalked my time in the Pintail up to a kayak model specific allergic reaction. I’m sure that enough fans of the Pintail will chime in it’s support so ‘nuff said.
The Hatteras is a neat kayak. How’s that for a non quantitative assessment? Fit range is designed for paddlers thT fit a Capella 167, Currituck, Chatham model. Design wise the buoyancy is concentrated around the cockpit like a modern ww playboat. This makes for an extremely confident feel to the transitions from primary way up on edge to the end of secondary. The other half of making for thinning the volume out of the ends is that when on edge it’s very easy to break the stems clear shortening the waterline and making it very easy to turn whether in rough or calm water.
Neat 16’ boat that fits my 6’ 185# size 11 shoe frame well that is super nimble, confident feeling and not a bad cruise speed to it for someone who tends tike longer boats for speed (like my Cetus MV)
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
www.the-river-connection.com
thanks for that
I like the Pintail but functionally there are a few things I like better on the Hatteras. Sounds like it’s as fun in the rough stuff, which is what I’m after.
Compared to other c.16’ playful boats?
How does the Hatteras compare in feel and personality to other c.16’ playful boats such as the Romany, Avocet, Chatham 16, etc…?
The liveliness of a Pintail can be a blast or a pain. The lack of defined secondary is a trait of earlier hull designs such as the Pintail and Nordkapp. One of the changes Aled and Nigel made from the Pintail when they were designing the Romany was more defined stability. As has been noted, Nigel showed that you could have a fun boat that also has high and easily felt stability. As with all such decisions, there are trade-offs.
do you find the romany less lively?
…as a result of the increased secondary stability, do you find the romany less lively? It seems people place the pintail in a class by itself when it comes to liveliness and playfulness in rough conditions…or perhaps a pintail is more entertaining where a romany is simply more proficient?
Romany is more assuring
The defined stability of the Romany allows those of us who are not supremely confident paddlers to play in more challenging conditions than we might in a boat whose stability is more amorphous. One of Nigel’s goals was to design a boat that intermediate paddlers could paddle in advanced conditions. He also noted that he couldn’t see the point in designing a boat that only 10% of paddlers could paddle without falling over…
The roundness of the Pintail hull gives a sense of the boat constantly moving with the water. To me it feels very fluid. I’ve only paddled a Pintail in moderate chop and found it a blast. I might very well long for my Romany if I were in longer term more challenging conditions.
hey…
ive never paddled a romany, but i own a tempest165 and a zephyr 155+ the new pintail. They are very different.
The tempest very defined edge and seconary stability, fantastic in strong wind. The zephyr is very playful and a great surf and rockhopper. The pintail is much rounder in all directions. To me, and im no expert, it feels as if the pintail is very easy to edge, it responds quickly to every little input, and thus is a boat that must be paddled,as someone in here said. Even though its not a fast kayak on flat water, its very easy driven. Ive only had it out once in “conditions” 1-1,5 meter breaking waves and Bf5 gusting to 7 or something. Enough to get a few quite hairraisingly fast surfs. It felt downright fast in the bumpy conditions crisscrossing the waves to take them from every direction. I might be that my pinny, built this year, a “mk2” pinny has more defined edge than older ones. I guess fluid and responsive are keywords. It suits me and my style of paddling perfectly well, even tough i love the two other kayaks as well. The zephyr being a typical modern seaplay kayak, and a very well designed one too…very light in the plasticversion, easy to reenter,it turns on a dime
its a very nice rolling kayak…if i where to go out in conditions on the edge of my capabillities i might have reached for the tempest165…that might change after i get to know the pinny better. plus ive only been doing this stuff for about 6 years…i guess the pintail is like the grateful dead. Not everybodys cup of tea.