Chatham paddlers, how does it surf?

Retention in big thrashings

– Last Updated: Nov-23-09 12:39 PM EST –

You hear that complaint with the 16 which to me is funny because at 210 lbs. I pad the sides. It's more snug than standard but similar to many surf kayaks. Again, the 16 was never a mass market kayak. If the opening is too tight then the person is too big for the kayak....simple as that. I seem to recall you being 230 ish from a previous post. You're too big. 17 is, once again, the boat for the market, and you'll note it's bigger fit.

I think people should paddle what they like. If there's a trait in a kayak one doesn't like rest assured there are many good choices.

I hope not
I’m a fat 200lb 5’ 9" person. I think the hull is great.

It’s just that the interior coming/seat hanger width seems to be much narrower than most kayaks even though the original straight seat hanger was replaced with the present one what bulges out to the sides. I saw a composite one and the seat hanger width is about 14" apart with the big pan head seat hanger screws about 13 1/2" apart.

Most white water kayaks have wider cockpits and folks still stay in. It seems anomalous and would cut down on the number of possible buyers who would try it at demos.

should be a mass market kayak
it’s an excellent 16 rough water kayak for 175-200lb paddler. It just seems odd that it has a 14" wide coaming when nearly everyone else has coamings 15"-17".

Chatham 16.
The Chatham 16 is a great boat. Frowned on a wee bit in my neck of the woods, but great tracking, rough water handling ,surfing. I liked mine so much I widened the cockpit (fairly major surgery) to 16", rather than switch to a counterpart, like the Romany. Also, mine is the best built boat I’ve ever paddled, fiberglass, about 51 pounds, and has taken hits that would have crunched other hulls. Great skeg system too, although I never need to use it.

if I may be so bold
why did you widen it?

My guess is
they would make the hole wider if they re-did the deck based on market feedback. Still, I’ve seen hundreds get in and out of the boat including some big boys and never saw this be an issue in real life. But I’ve sure heard a lot about it on P-net which is legitimate feedback. For me it’s a perfect fit.

Chatham 16 cockpit
I widened the cockpit because it was too narrow for my comfort and in all other respects I liked the boat. I paddled a Romany for comparison and vastly preferred the Chatham 16. My tape measure showed the Chatham 16 cockpit to be about 14 1/4 inches wide, which is quite narrow, to me, by any standard. So I widened it to 16" ( e.g. Romany cockpit width), outfitted the whole cockpit and seat with minicell and now it fits me perfectly. The Chataham 16 is not an especially low volume boat, so I don’t think it should be restricted to smaller paddlers.

I can see how it could win a rough water race. It feels slow to me on flat water , but is so efficient in bumpy water that should thnk that in an environment were handling and using swells & waves for speed & acceleration is critical that it would gain an advantage over some other boats. I don’t liken the Chatham to beng on valium. On the contrary, it would be my boat of choice when looking for adrenalne and mayhem.

The Chatham
surfs pretty well. I’ve had and paddled a RM 17 for 4.5 years. Its become something of a second boat for me after I got a glass Nigel Foster Shadow (which surfs ridiculously well,) but I did use the Chatham to get a rough water ACA L4 certification. I’d say one of the best things about the Chatham is how easy it is to control, kinda like its hard wired to you, and how predictable it is in rougher water. Its also easy to fine tune the boat using the skeg, drop it all the way down, and the boat wants to go down wind\wave practically on its own. This makes for fun down wind wave action. I’ve had some great fun with the boat in the surf zone, so I’d have to say its a blast to surf…

I think I made a pretty good decision,

– Last Updated: Nov-27-09 9:41 PM EST –

Last Saturday I drove about 3 hours down the Delmarva to check out a fiberglass Chatham 17. I wasn't in a hurry to buy another kayak, but I saw the ad online right after it was placed, and the Chatham was on my short list of kayaks to check out. After a short demo on calm water, (I don't own a drysuit so that's the only paddling I can do right now), I just couldn't pass up the deal. The boat is 2 years old, but new, never paddled. It was bought right off the line before it was completed in the factory in Washington, and still needs to be outfitted, including the seat, hatch covers, skeg, and so on. I read your responces and it sounds like a good match for what I was looking for. Phrases like confidence in following seas, and surfing, excellent tracking, good initial and secondary stability, etc. I know it's not going to surf like the 16, but I'm Joe average paddler, basically looking to go from A to B in salt water, and enjoy the journey.
Thanks to those who contributed to this thread and gave me your honest impression of the 17. And thanks to those who contacted me privately and gave me some much needed info.
I plan to have it outfitted and be paddling the kayak on Barnegat Bay in Jersey by the end of April!

Cool
You could consider a minicel foam seat like the ones Redfish Kayak sells. Don’t know how it would work with the Chatham thigh braces, but could be sweet and not horribly expensive.

Minicell seat works fine…
…with a Chatham metal frame.

http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2267404530086659951FhNeOo

Yeah, I’m concidering alternatives,…
To the stock seat, mostly to save some coin, as long as the boat looks 1st class and is real comfy when I’m done. I’m going to look into foam foot rests also, maybe give that a try before I drill into the hull for foot pegs. I guess all the other items will be standard, off the shelf items,but that’s fine.

I’m pretty excited and can’t wait until I can get it on the water. Hopefully we’ll be able to go camping at Assateague this spring and I can put some miles "in Conditions"on the kayak.

Thigh braces
If you don’t have thigh braces installed yet, I would spring for the Necky white water braces over the stock plastic ones. Broke a Stock thigh brace recently, would like to upgrade to the hardier ones…

Zero,…nothing,nada,…
is installed yet. Correction, the skeg cable housing is in. I’ll definately look at the Necky white water thigh braces. The hatch covers will cost me, but once and done.

For a sea kayak it probably is one
of the better surfers. But still, it’s a sea kayak in the surf. If you want to surf something, try a Mega/Wold/Island/Johnson/Valley/Murky Waters product. They actually surf, not “get surfed”.



Dogmaticus

Bingo
Surfing sea kayaks is Special Olympics all the way…

What’s not to love about a 16’ wide
waterlogged bulldozer plowing its way to the beach, with a guy with a strobe patched to his PFD backstrap and a Pro Tech helmet waving his arms.



Dogmaticus

help me Mr. Wizard!!!

I only waved my arms,…
After I got maytagged.;>) Some people call it boring, some call it reassuring. Living to paddle another day is my idea of fun.

LOL!