Looking for easy answers.
The new Carolina 140 or Cayuga 146????
5.9 Tall (Long legs)
River, lakes and the Connecticut shore including the Long Island Sound. (Nothing to call it serious)
Thank you....
P.S. Open also for other brands like Necky
Test paddle?
If you have a kayak store in the area or even within a short drive, I would go test paddle both, and others like them, thats the best way to find what works for you.
I will say first hand that the ZONE seat padding in the Perception is COMFY! I have it on my "Perception Rhythm 11: (Dagger element 11.2) rec kayak, and I could be out all day on that seat/backrest. But I’m not sure I would judge a kayak on just its seat…
All good boats
Add the Manitou 14 to your list and test paddle them all. Let us know which one works best for you.
You’ll fit the cayuga
I’ve never paddled a carolina, but i am 6’2" and i fit the cayuga 146 fine.
Cayuga or Carolina
I owned a Cayuga 146 w/rudder last year. Paddled it on everything from the Adirondacks to Long Island Sound. It’s a nice boat with moderate speed but does not turn to well without using the rudder, it has a roomy cockpit but not as large and open as the wide body Carolina which be a liability if you want to go on the Sound whereas I had the Cayuga out in 2’ waves on the sound and handled them well. I would seriously consider a Necky Manitou 14 w/skeg which has a smaller cockpit than the other two.
weight?
We know your height and that helps. Weight figures into displacement and where the boat will ride in the water. Weight’s a big determinant of what kayaks are likely good ones for you.
Add to your list:
CD Vision 140 in composite
Tampico 140s - prolly the L given your long legs.
Tampicos are great daytourers, easy trackers
and light to lift and load.
CD Vision 135 in rotomould if composite isn’t budget
friendly
CD Kestrel 140 if you want a wider boat w. more
stability that is still nimble, tracks great and like the Vision and the Tampicos and the Seaward Infinity, has full perimeter deck rigging.
Seaward Infinity 155 - light, fully seakayak outfitted, higher deck for leg clearance. Thermoformed
like the Tampicos, very stable yet more responsive than the more rec oriented Cayugas and Carolinas.
Also second the Necky Manitou 14- great nearly do it all boat. Might be easier than the others I mentioned to find and demo.
Fun choices
I ve paddled the Carolina and the Manitou… Of the two I would choose the Carolina. BUT … I own the Cayuga a 2008 model and find this boat with a rudder to be the better of the the three. It most definitely is better than the Manitou. Each time I paddled the Manitou I did not like the ride. I felt that I did not have complete control of the boat because I felt loose in the cockpit.
Diversity is amazing
ya know arctic… the Manitou was designed by the same team as the Cayuga. The Cayuga is considered the lesser of the two craft in terms of all round capability…by far. BUT, your comments are real and valid for you, and that right there is a great example of how it’s silly to categorize any boat as best or better etc. All depends on the paddlers head.
yeah
all we can really do is put some suggestions out there along the general lines of what the OP tells us as far as themselves, how they like to paddle and where… personal preferences rule.
There is no right or wrong, it’s just what ya like!
The Pamlico 140!!!
There just is no comparison when it comes to do-it-all polyboats in this size class --At least according to one distinguished paddler who(used to?)frequent these boards --But alas, they are becoming somewhat harder to track down used now, I understand.
That said, if Popeye is forced to content himself with broccoli instead of spinach, then I myself choose the Manitou 14.
I’m darn
fond of my Easky 15'. Had it on our Pacific Ocean, fast moving rivers, big water lakes, and it got me home safe. Last year in S.F. Bay, near Angel Island, I hit whitecaps and swells...I was talking to my kayak and whom ever the patron saint of kayaking would be...guardian angel on board that day. Test paddle one if you can...stable, big cockpit/storage..I'm 6-2/210 if it matters. PM me if you want some pics.
Silly
Maybe… I don’t care who designed it and where it rates I just know how it performed for me. I don’t buy a boat based on its popularity and neither should anyone else.
Not silly and kudos to you
for listening to “yourself”