Can not decide on Necky Chatham 17 or P & H Capella 166. Can anyone help? Thanks.
easy
sounds like either one is good enough to hold you hostage. Pick one and be done. Or get both.
Cappella (NM)
Depends on color!
But really
-what are your numbers? - weight/height
-for what do you intend to use that boat?
decide,
Get the gear that you’ll probably paddle with (important) and the paddle and vest you’ll probably use (important too), then go and paddle the boats with that equipment loaded and worn. If possible, have a friend paddling his or her boat with you for the demo. One or the other should stand out or not be quite right. I normally carry about 20 extra lbs. of safety gear and comfort stuff to be ready to spend the night out in an emergency… and my failure to test paddle with this extra gear resulted in me not buying the boat I now want to purchase. The boat I now would like to own behaves much differently with the extra gear inasmuch as it settles down in the water abit more…
Where are you located?
If Pittsburgh area, we have a Capella 166 you could look at if you havent seen one. It is a very nice kayak but you do need to be somewhat large to do it justice. It is a bigger persons kayak - guessing upper 180-90s or 200 plus pounds. Of course that is just a guess. My son uses it - a string bean and likes it but it really doesnt fit him properly and does struggle somewhat.
test paddle
These posts are getting silly. No one else can pick your boat for you. Go paddle them and pick the one you like, geez.
Bill H.
nope, can’t help
both are good. Both fit the “do all” touring kayak. But it’s good you’ve got it narrowed down to two.
You have paddled them both right?
The red one.
some things about the chatham 17
I have noticed over the past year and a half since getting my chatham a few things both good and bad about the boat. In the reviews section, Johnnysmoke was dead on in his review. When there are waves, and moving water and all sorts of nasty things going on, this boat is fun. It’s lively and playful and just plain fun to be out in.
If the water is completely flat and no wind, i find it’s fine, nothing exciting, but fine. But when the water is kinda flat, but windy, with small ripples or little waves, it feels slow. I find when i am out on days like that i never seem to be going as fast as i feel i should be, and tend to constantly push myself harder than i normally do, so i get tired quite a bit faster.
So if you plan on being out on wavy windy days, it’s a great boat, but if you want to do more flatwater paddling, you might be dissapointed.
I’ve never paddled a capella, so ican’t compare, but for the chatham i am 6’2" and 215lbs size 11.5 shoes and 34 in inseam on pants. I fit, and you could possible go a little bigger, but not by much.
Sounds perfect
"When there are waves, and moving water and all sorts of nasty things going on, this boat is fun. It’s lively and playful and just plain fun to be out in.
If the water is completely flat and no wind, i find it’s fine, nothing exciting, but fine. But when the water is kinda flat, but windy, with small ripples or little waves, it feels slow. I find when i am out on days like that i never seem to be going as fast as i feel i should be, and tend to constantly push myself harder than i normally do, so i get tired quite a bit faster."
What more could one ask for?
how big are you?
both the capella and chatham is suspect have limited weight capacity.
i am on my third capella: one move (a change of continents), one car crash and now i am on boat 3.
at 5’ 6" 140 lbs i have no difficulty but a friend 5’8" 180 lbs found the same boat slow when loaded for a three day trip. it was very slow.
the capella is a great day tripper for anyone up to perhaps 200 lbs with appropriate gear for a days paddle on the ocean.
capella and chatham are both great rock hoppers and are super for rolling, turning and dealing with weather: neither surfs very well as their hull speed is a little less than explorers and the like.
you will enjoy either boat, you have not chosen scrap.