Eddyline Fathom Info?

Reviews for this boat are few and far between even on this site, mostly because it’s a new model. I haven’t demoed it yet, but I’m looking for some feedback? Is it as fast as they say, cargo capability, dry hatches, skeg function, etc. etc. I’ve been staring at an ad of this boat all winter and can’t wait to try.



Does anyone have any pics other than the couple that are on the eddyline site, which are the same ones on every dealer site on the web.



I’ve seen the review in Sea Kayaker and Canoe & Kayak magazines, but I’m looking for some real user reviews.

I definately
want to demo one when I get back to the mainland. I saw one at my local dealer there and it looked very good, much better than anything else EddyLine has.

How close the nearest dealer

– Last Updated: Mar-29-07 10:28 PM EST –

Where roughly do you reside? What is the schedule of the next demo day by your local Eddlyline Dealer? Make it into a road trip. I did, and am now the happy owner of a Falcon S/18. (3 years ago, still pleased)
Cheers, Mark

We have one at work
I paddled it in december (I think it was december). Its a very roomy boat, outfitting is very comfortable. The deck is quite high and has very large theigh braces. I am about 5’7" and 195 pounds, 30 inseam. I had plenty of room to get my feet of the pedals and work my legs around. The deck outfitting is nice, plenty of decklines, has a bit of a cluttered look due to the ridges the deck has to stiffen it. The new hatches are just press on and off and they seem to work quite well, easy on easy off, give and audible poppig and sucking sound so they seem pretty watertight.

Performance wise it isnt a boat that blew me away, it has pretty high intial stability, and pretty strong secondary. (just as a side note I also paddle surfskis so stability is a relative thing for me.) It responded well to edged turns, bow rudders, high and low stern rudders, and sweep strokes. Speed wise it was about what I expected for a boat of its size, easy to reach a cruise speed of about 3 knots, easy to hold at cruise. Tracking was pretty good, I was out in roughly 15-20 mph winds, It did’nt seem to weathercock to to much, and the skeg easily corrected this. The skeg and slider were very well put together and the slider and its connections were very beefy and well glued in-no leaks there. Overall the fit and finish of the boat was very good, much on par with what I have seen from eddyline in the past.



bottomline: The fathom is a no nonsense comfortable day boat, with enough room for shorter trips.

Thanks
Thanks to everyone that has responded. I currently paddle a perception eclipse, so I’m used to the high volume deck. I’ve been looking for something mid-volume, but am finding that I’m right on the boarderline for the suggested paddler weight on many boats. I’m a tweener, I’m 6’2" and 210 lbs. So I’m not 150 lbs, but I’m not 250 lbs either. I usually end up in big-boy boats, which tend to be slightly too-big.



Out the gate the Fathom is 15-16 lbs lighter and sportier than the eclipse. I like the upgrade in materials and it seems like the performance characteristics are closer to a composite boat rather than a roto-molded boat. It seems like the carbonlite can take some abuse and hold up well.



Over the years, I’ve also found that I don’t need 2 weeks worth of carrying capacity, like the esclips offers. I’m cool with the slimed down storage / bulkheads in the fathom. On paper, the fathom looks like a mid-volume boat, except from the front hatch to the cockpit. Any thoughts?



I also race a couple times a year in my eclipse and the last race just about killed me. I did well, but the boat is still too heavy and slow. the eclipse is a good long distance hauler, but my needs are changing. A more rigid and lighter boat will save a lot of wear and tear on my body. The shorter 16’ length is also appealing, because it doesn’t seem to lose any speed.



I have some dealers near me that carry the eddyline line, but don’t have the boats in stock to demo. Once they have a model to test, I’ll be the first in line.

Eddylines quality…
I work for a shop that sells and rents eddylines and I have had to replace or repair their boats far more than the others in our fleets, They dont seem to hold up to abuse very well compared to fiberglass or other similar material boats. Im not impressed with their designs either. Try it but just know that the bulkheads if they are the plastic one could pop easily, the seat back can crack and snap, as well as the hull easily punctured. These are all the damages I have seen and we update our boats every year.

Seat back
In photos I’ve seen the seat back on the Fathom is a back band, what cracks, the side supports? What models does your shop rent and what kind of conditions are your renters paddling on? I also assume that rental boats take a lot more beating than a personal boat, whats your opinion?



I’ve read about people puncturing the carbonlite hulls and wondered to myself “what the heck are are people doing to puncture a hull?” I’ve been kayaking more than 10 years, mostly with roto boats, which can take a beating and can’t remember an instance where I’ve skewered my boat, or rammed it to the point where it could have been punctured? I’ve also read reviews where people say that carbonlite takes a beating without hardly a scratch? What gives?



I would assume the bulkheads are made from carbonlite, but I’ll inspect closely when I get my hands on one, thanks for the suggestion.

traded mine
I had a fathom but after a few months traded it for a tempest 165 pro. This was because I felt the deck hieghts were higher than I wanted, both front and rear decks. I am 5’ 8" 155lbs the kayak was comfortable but to much volume for me.

The fathom is very well made, there were no flaws in the one that I had, the seat was comforable and I don’t think you would break it, I think the other poster was reffering to a different seat that Eddyline uses in other kayaks, speed wise I think that it and the tempest I bought are very close, I have no gps.

I don’t see how you would put a hole in it.

Yes unfortunately the bulkheads are plastic.

It is a very stable kayak both primary and secondary, handles well in the wind, but I never had it in big seas.

I think some one your size would fit ok.

The only thing I could find any fault with would be the plastic bulkheads.

I don’t know want your limits are money wise, but if you can I would also try a tempest 170.

Dennis

Eddyline quality
I have paddled an eddyline Nighthawk for 4 years and can testify to the amount of abuse they will take. They are easy to repair when you do manage to break somthing using similar methods to composite repair. The Eddyline customer service is second to none. It really is a family bussiness and they care that you enjoy their products.

fathom
I’ve had an Eddyline Phoenix for 3 years. No problems with construction. On its maiden voyage, I ran over a submerged rock at full speed. I watched the crease in the hull travel under my legs toward the stern. I expected the worst, but the damage was minor. With respect to the hard plastic seatback, which I believe is standard on their other boats but optional on the

Fathom, it’s the first thing I’d get rid of. Hope this helps. Incidentally, I traded in my Phoenix for a slightly used Fathom yesterday. Haven’t paddled it yet.

Fathom info

– Last Updated: Apr-04-07 5:30 PM EST –

After a few trial runs, please post something in this message string or in the product review section. Any additonal info would be much appreciated!