Charles River Canoe and Kayak
I will probably test paddle one at Charles River C+K. It’s pretty close to work so I can pop over after work. Running out of daylight though.
mixed conditions
So you really don’t need a faster kayak, you need to feel more comfortable in rough conditions. If you’re falling back in rough water in a relatively stable kayak it’s not the boat. Can you roll your kayak? That will make a HUGE difference on maintaining speed in stuff.
This is really demo time. You could go make a blind purchase but it takes a lot of parsing terms to get useful answers.
If you don’t know how to roll you’ll have to learn to take advantage of the hull changes that make for “faster”. In the T165 with your weight you’ll definately need to be able to roll in bouncy stuff. If you want fast look around for a used CD Caribou, the foredeck height would be good for your size. Your weight would keep it fairly deep in the water.
I paddled a Mariner Express in rough stuff with folks in stiff tracking solstices or Caribous, even though their boats were theoretically faster I had no problem keeping up because they weren’t comfortable and slowed down.
caribou
The Caribou is actually a pretty stable boat in big water…and fast.
yep
I went on a camping trip with a friend, me in my Express and him in his Caribou. I was pretty slow when the water was flat compared to him and he slowed down considerably in the waves/wind. I’ve paddled his boat and know it’s faster, if it’s faster it’s faster. He wasn’t as comfortable in the waves so he expended more energy bracing and less going forward. Even though his bow went under more I know his boat could have continued flying past me. Which makes me think the poster needs to improve skills as much as find a more comfortable cockpit ergonomics more than find something “fast”.
Agreed
There is plenty of room for skills improvement. A better fitting boat will help I am sure. Speed is not my primary concern just a potential added benefit.
Thanks to all for your input.
Storm is too big for you, then
If the thigh braces are at your knees and you cannot move the seat forward (or don’t want to), plus your legs are splayed wide, the boat is simply big on you. In my Squall, the thigh braces were positioned adequately for fore-aft, but the tall deck required adding a lot of padding to the existing minicell. My legs were splayed too wide, also. I got used to it, but since paddling narrower and lower boats, I greatly prefer them!
When I say “too big” I am talking strictly about the cockpit area. The length may be fine.
T170
your weight is fine for it. I’d suggest checking out a Chatham 17 also. The big question is whether you want to jump to a maneuverable skegged boat.
Thanks
Thanks for all the input and feedback.