Yes, i know, it’s old and discontinued. But it’s a pretty good boat for very little money.
But I have never seen one up close and I need to buy something by Oct 16 to join my daughter at Juniper Springs for her 40th birthday.
There are a lot of choices in the sub $150 market but many are crappy boats that will not give me a sense of how I feel about kayaking. I want something light well designed even if it’s old and on it’s last season.
I’m a boat guy and the Walden Vista is one of the best looking kayaks I’ve seen in my search.
The only concern i have to buy one sight unseen (daughter picks it up in FL) is the leg room. I am 5’ 8" 200 lb, with size 12 feet. Of All the rave reviews i’ve read (from 2004) the only recurring complaint was from tall people with big feet. (i’m not tall)
I would be grateful for any informed insight, or even uninformed wild guesses.
And if you have the subject boat for sale between Norfolk and Gainesville, message me.
Max capacity is 260 lbs? At 70% capacity, that makes the safe load 182 lbs, so at 200 lbs, its a close fit. I paddled the 125 Tsunami x 26" wide, max capacity 300 lbs, which is 2" wider. I was 255 lbs at the time. There was plenty of footroom with size 13 shoes, but the width was 2" wider and deck 15.75". You theoretically overloaded the boat by 45 lbs. I eventuall switched up to a boat with max cap of 350 lbs, then one more in my class woth a 400 lb max capacity. That was so I could manage harsher condition and avoid being overwhelmed by unexpected worsening conditions.
You can probably use that boat, but it would only handle relatively docile conditions, so consider your purpose and the conditions you think you’ll encounter. The ride could be wet when paddling into waves higher than 18". Also anticipate waves that height from the sides or rear quarters to breach the cockpit and slap your kidneys. Even so, you can wear a spray skirt. change direction and speed, or use body English to mitigate the issue, but that changes the ability to roam freely.
I don’t know about the Vista, but if you get it and the foot room is a little tight, you could make a foot bar that goes between the foot pegs. That gives more options on how to position your feet. Here’s a simple one, made from a 1x2 piece of wood with little loops of bungee cord going around the foot pegs to hold it in place. You could make one in ten minutes if you forgo the paint.
I don’t know Vista model but I own Walden Passage for 25 years, From a distance looks like expensive boat but it’s plastic so, it’s take abuse on the lime stone down here in Florida. I am 5’10 guy with shoe size 11 and I have been inshore and the ocean, day and camping trips and no complaints at all. It is heavy /55lbs/ has skeg for good tracking and perfect balance between primary and secondary stability. For easy loading/unloading I use Sherpak tool with suction cups on my hatchback window and Thule saddle/always prefer low cars than SUV/. I am 72 and most injuries happen during loading! but there are tricks of the trades to be on the safe side you need to learn. Keep looking on Marketplace. Life is short and definitely better on the water.
Unfortunately, a very different boat that’s three feet longer with a 325 to 350 lb max capacity (depending on whether its 20" to 24" width, with fore and aft hatches.
