Have one boat that meets my needs. Eventually might add a second one for family and friends and personal day boat use. Must handle 6'+ and or 200lb+ size paddlers. I have no short list, but have seen some Meridians available and didn't know if they would at least meet those requirements. I did paddle one a short distance on flat water some years back, but not enough to draw any conclusions. Opinions, suggestions, options?
Good boat
It's a slighly-tubbier version of a Romany (sort of). It's a very good boat. One outfitter I know loves hers.
It would be a good "day" boat (it's a manueverable 16 feet).
What do you currently paddle?
I like mine
although haven’t paddled it much since I got my romany - but occasionally do use it for camping trips (carries a bit more than the romany). Hmmmm - I know an outfitter who loves her meridian too…
NDK Explorer
I also have an older poly Avocet that I have kept so far because it came cheap by way of a Yankee swap. Great boat, but I am a tad big for its' optimum weight, plus two others in the household are over 6'. If I decide to move it, just interested in what other hulls might be a good replacement.
yep!
good maneuverable boat. would be a nice compliment to an EXploder.
move the seat back an inch or more for waaaayyyy better performance, in fact a Tempest seat works well! 
steve
Flatpick…
do you mind going into more detail what and why the seat adjustment would make for better performance??? I am very open to suggestion (and how would I do this?). And I still haven’t heard back for these AT guys about my ferrule replacement on my paddle… any suggestions,are they out paddling or do they just not listen to their messages? Thanks
balance
if we look at balance in the three rotational planes of YAW-ROLL-PITCH moving the seat would affect which plane? PITCH, which would also affect YAW. move weight fwd which will bury the bow and it tracks more fwd, move it aft and it lightens bow and buries stern which tracks better. especially in wind.
the boat will have a lighter bow and deeper stern. weathercocking will not be as strong and bow steering better.
to do is a bit of a job. there are 2 bolts and a bunch of glue holding her in. the bolts are a no-brainer…remove. the glue is best busted loose with a flat putty knife driven under the seat and ‘lightly’ pried. once it starts you can then pull it up/loose. The bottom and front part of this seat pan is too high, IMO. lowering it affects roll, the boat will be a bit more stable.
can’t tell ya what’s up w/ AT. send me a email to them and I’ll forward it to 'em with a message.
steve
Might work
The Explorer isn’t any bigger in the cockpit than a Romany. Clearly, the Explorer would hold more weight.
If you are OK in the Avocet (weight wise), the Meridian should be a bit better.
If you are planning on camping with the boat, a boat with more volume (like the Explorer) would be more appropriate.
couple people
I know a few people that have them, mostly bigger guys actually that love them. I prefer the Kajak Sport Viking in that size range though
Steve…
that makes sense - maybe this will be a chance to try my hand on carving a foamed seat… and having the stern more firmly in the water may help - since this boat has no skeg, and there have been some times were a little help would have been greatly appreciated. I think that is one of the reasons I like it as a camping boat as I can weight the stern of the boat deeper. How would a lower seat affect rolling ease? hmm I will have to play with this.
In so far as the AT guys - I will get together an email and fire it off to you - thanks for your help
Dagger boat
I had a SKS or one with a skeg for a while . It was
a nice little boat . I have gained some weight so it sat low in the water .
I was told It was too small for me yet bought it anyway in a mixed up deal .
It would be fine for some lakes and stuff , but
may not be right for rough water . Im told you could roll over easy
in waves if you weigh to much .It’s to bad Dagger gave up on composite boats.
I also had a Sitka in kevlar , a second yet in good shape .
Though the Sitka was tough at times I still
miss it .Between the Sitka and the Meridian
there was the Latitude . It would be a better
boat for a larger person .Its about 17 feet long as opposed
to the 17 10 of a Sitka .The two larger
daggers had integrated rudders . John
A few tweaks here and there …
and rebranded under the WS logo. Hmmm … might make a nice complement the Tempest line …
makes sense to me
it would be a good boat inbetween the 170 and 165
rough stuff
even with a good sized load the boat will handle rough stuff well. a top heavy person may feel less than stable, given the higher seat mentioned earlier in the thread. lowering the COG greatly reduces ‘roll’ tendencies, but can actually make it harder to edge. 2 way street of compromises.
steve
rolling ease
it will be a fine lineto walk. lower COG (seat) makes the boat more stable and in reality harder to roll. but…it also gives you a stopping spot and keeps you from rolling over and over.
The meridian is an EZ roll with the lower seat, regardless.
good luck in your carving adventure.
steve
why…
re-brand???
=:-0)
steve
Meridian is great boat, but small…
…for a 200+ #er. If you want a day boat for playing, it might work OK, but a big person cramming a weekend’s worth of gear in a Meridian would have it way overloaded. I’ve done it, and I’m only 185#. God for the Latitude instead. Basically the same boat, just bigger.
God for the Latitude
is this a new religious cult? soundz fun…
actually the Meridian and Latitude are considerably different but…like you say BIGGER. The Meridian is a sport boat, not really intended for expedition work. It IS only 16’ long and quite loose. I weight 180 and have packed it for 5 days worth and I don’t trravel extremely light. size capability is a bigger issue than weight limit.
steve
Meridian
Whether the Meridian will meet your needs as an all around boat depends on where you will be paddling.
I have paddled a Meridian Sk for several years and enjoy the boat. It is a good fit (I’m 6’ and 180 lbs) and even paddles well fully loaded. It was fine for inland lake and large river paddling.
On the Great Lakes I find it has a tendency to broach in steep following wind-driven waves, even with the skeg down. I got tired of fighting it and bought an 18-footer. I may need to try flatpick’s recommendation to move the seat back.
I still have the Meridian and use it when I need to load a boat on the van (it is Kevlar and only weighs 45 pounds), when I want a maneuverable boat, or when I want a boat that rolls easily. I have camped with it for a week-long guided tour with little problem, although I had to pack lightly.
where in the North East are you?
i know of a new one in CT…