I own a Cetus and am looking at the Q and the Greenlander Pro. Can anyone give me some feedback on the two and possibly even compare them to the Cetus. I want a straight tracking, good roller, with decent speed and glide. I mostly day trip and am 6’3" 245lbs. Any thoughts? Thanks, Bill
greenlander Pro
I am 6’ 1", 195 lbs. and love my Greenlander. It has all those qualities at my weight. You may want to go to a true kayak shop to see if your weight and size is in range. The rear deck is also frail around the day hatch so foam support is necessary. Test paddle your choices.
the Cetus
must be mighty snug for you.
Likely the G’lander for you.
– Last Updated: Aug-05-08 11:59 PM EST –
...provided you're size is acceptable for the craft. The Greenlander is known for its straight tracking moreso than the Q. The Q-boat (which I own and love) typically requires about 1/3 skeg deployment to be considered "straignt tracking" in anything other than dead calm conditions. I personally like this, and the boat is literally 2 boats in one. Skeg up, and she'll spin pretty easily. 1/2 skeg deployment and she's on rails. I'd like to own the G'lander, but it's definitely different than the Q.
ETA: 245 is OK with the Q-boat, but may be a bit heavy for the Greenlander?
Consider the Impex Outer Island
– Last Updated: Aug-06-08 7:45 AM EST –
"I want a straight tracking, good roller, with decent speed and glide."-moparharn
You are on the uppermost limits of weight, so will need to demo.
http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showReviews.html?prod=1449
http://www.kayakacademy.com/catalog/Outer_Island.html
http://mysite.verizon.net/gdwelker/id25.html
http://www.impexkayak.com/outer_island.html
Brazilbrasil on Pnet has one--email him for further input. G'luck, moparharn
Cetus is a big boat
– Last Updated: Aug-06-08 8:25 AM EST –
I spent a day on Muscongus Bay in a Cetus last summer. It is a very neat boat but big. I found the cockpit voluminous. I nearly fell out of the boat when rolling. I'm 6', size 11 feet and 180 pounds. It seemed a much bigger boat than my Aquanaut.
You might want
to check out the Impex Force 5. I know it will do what you are asking
Thanks for the feedback.
There are no Impex dealers in my area and as such I do not get a chance to see the boats very often. I like the Greenlander the best as far as the showroom floor evaluation goes. I wish my Aquanaut LV was composite because I love the boat. I fit well in my RM Aquanaut lv, but cannot even get into a composite Aquanaut LV. I know they say they are off the same mold, but they do not fit even remotely the same. I guess it is the coaming? The Q has a big front deck and I have heard it tracks similarly to the Cetus (as in not the rail tracker I want). The Anas is really nice and with seat changes could work for me and the same could be said of the Nordcapp. The Greenlander Pro seems to put together all my favorite features in one boat, but I do not know what it’s speed,glide and tracking are like and the dealer does not have a demo boat and none of the people I paddle with have one. I think I will try the Betsie Bay Manitou and try to narrow down to the BB, Greenlander, and a couple Valleys I mention. The BB is very tight, but if you saw the skin boat I am curently paddling you would laugh your A** off! Thanks again for the opinions and I would like to hear more.
they say they are off the same mold
The RM Aquanaut LV and the composite 'naut LV are different boats in their dimensions. According to Valley’s own measures the composite boat is 17’1" x 21.5" x 12.5", RM is 17’1" x 22" x13". The cockpit openings are also notably different.
I was parroting the dealers comment.
I should have just said I wish they had a composite boat that fit me like my RM boat. I did not question the dealer’s comments. Thanks for pointing this out.
Seda Ikkuma
– Last Updated: Aug-07-08 12:58 PM EST –
The Q and the Greenlander are both hard chined. If that is of interest to you, I would recommend you check out the new SEDA IKKUMA. The design came from the gang that brought us the Wilderness Systems Tempest.
Noteworthy benefits:
- light boat 42lbs when compared to the British boats.
- large cockpit entrance
- two seat size options (for you, get the bigger one)
- most maneuverable boat I've paddled without loss in tracking.
Reviews here:
http://www.northwestendeavors.com/ikkuma%20review.pdf
Paddled the BB Recluse and Q boat
The BB Recluse is a very impressive boat, but I simply cannot get my back flat on the back deck. My spinal surgery and general back ailments do not allow the flexibility I need to lay out on it. If I could get flat on the back deck, the quest would be over and I would buy the BB Recluse. The Q boat was an incredible roller in my opnion. I was not impressed with the tracking and primary stability. The boat tended to rock side to side in the 2-3ft chop I was in. I had a hard time generating the speed and stability to turn down wind and catch a wave. I think that it was more strange boat jitters than the Q itself, but I will need more seat time to know. The seat in the Q is too high and tight for me and I will have to cut it out for my use (this is also a likely cause of the poor primary). Before I buy the Q, I will want to test my fit in a few other boats, but I doubt anything but the Impex OI will have the rolling back deck. I had a chance to paddle an OI last weekend at the qajaqusa Frankfort Camp, but I chose to paddle with Greg Stamer out on Lake Michigan instead (glad I did as it was a great experience for me). The OI really has me wondering. Does anyone know if someone my size is going to be comfortable in it? Anyone own one near Detroit? The OI looks like it will be faster and still have a great lay back potential.