I’m 49 years old, good shape, and been paddling for about 15 years. Mostly calm waters in Florida. (Springs, intracoastal…etc.) I own a Zoar Sport and a WS Tsunami 160. ( My “barge”). I’m more than ready to move up and have narrowed it down to Eddyline’s Journey, or Fathom, maybe the Fathom LV. My concern…even though most of my paddling destinations will continue to be calmer waters, I do have a desire to try some open water and multi-day trips. My skill set is minimal, for now, but I’m a strong paddler. I’m never in a big hurry, but I do feel ready for a “real” kayak. AND, I take a lot of photos.
Will I likely adjust to the less stable Fathom after getting used to it? It certainly is less stable when gliding slowly, such as when shooting pics. I like the stability of the Journey, but I’m wondering if after a bit of time, would I feel as comfortable in a Fathom and have a boat that my offer me more in the long run?
Thanks!!!
If you’ve been paddling for 15 years
then I suspect you would do just fine with one of the Fathoms, and ultimately appreciate its lower effort/higher speed. If you let new paddlers borrow your boat, they would be more comfortable in the Journey.
What you didn’t mention is your size. The Fathom LV is for small to medium paddlers, the regular Fathom is for medium to large paddlers. “Medium” is sort of hard to define, though. I’m 5’ 10", 155 lbs, and am comfortable paddling either one.
Eddyline journey or Fathom LV
Thanks george4908.
I’m 5’9", 160 lbs. I have sat in the Fathom LV and the journey and the LV seemed to fit well while sitting in the grass but I will demo both before making a decision. A lot of people mention that the initial stability of narrower boats is fine- once you get moving. I just want to make sure that I’ll feel comfortable in it for those moments when just going with the flow, drifting along observing wildlife or just chatting during a break. But like you said, I have this feeling that if I went with the Journey, I’d be wondering what I’m missing with a better kayak.
I have a Fathom LV for sale for about
1/2 price of new, but I’m in IL, so quite a ways from FL.
Do yourself a big, big favor.
If you are determined to go with Eddyline, you really need to consider the Raven. Why the Raven? Try one and you’ll figure it out.
Fathom good for photos
I have a Fathom and my wife has a Fathom LV.
She’s the photographer and has no problem – plenty of great photos! We both love our Fathoms. They move so nicely through the water. I do still notice just a bit of twitchiness when still, but as I said, it doesn’t seem to affect her photography. (I can’t comment on the Raven.)
Thanks folks
for the feedback. In reading what all I can find, it seems like once I got used to a bit less initial stability, a narrower kayak offers what the Eddyline Journey offers and more. ( Room to grow?)
I do seem to be stuck on an Eddyline. I think the materials fit what I can afford and they seem like a nice step up from what I’ve been paddling. I like the Delta 15s as well. I was trying to stay 16 feet or less or else I’d give more thought to the Raven. I still spend most of my paddling hours in “recreational” type waters, but just thought I might want to spread my wings a bit one day and wasn’t sure if I’d be sorry if I got the Journey.
Center of gravity
The LV is an inch narrower than the standard Fathom. Just keep in mind that a woman might find it to be more stable than a guy, since she is probably shorter and has a lower center of gravity due to the female anatomy.
Look at the lines
I would strongly suggest that you at least try the Raven before you make up your mind. From my point of view, all you have to do is look at the boats and–especially the profiles. The Raven even looks right and believe me, I’ve paddled just about all of the Eddylines and the Raven feels and paddles as good as it looks.
Sitting still in twitchy kayaks
With narrow and low initial stability (twitchy) kayaks you need to get used to sitting still with the kayak slightly tipped to one side just to the point where the stability really starts to kick in. When I got my first Greenland style kayak with hard chines and flat sides I had so issues. When the kayak came to a stop it would want to tip slightly to one side on the other and I would find myself jerking it back but then it went to far and I would jerk back the other way. Finally I got used to tilting it just slightly to one side before I came to a stop and then when it stopped it just stayed at that point.
It also helped (mostly with my confidence) to extend the paddle out to the side to which I was leaning. I could hold it with one hand or with my elbows if I needed both hands. With a slight tilt and an extended paddle I was quite stable for photography or eating a snack.
Mark
not all that way
I’ve paddled more boats than I can remember and believe me, very few are as you described–not wanting to sit level. I remember one particular boat that was like that and it was irritating. It probably would be less so if loaded, but I wouldn’t want a boat that had to be loaded to sit level.
test paddle the boats
with the gear that you are accustomed to carry when you go out. This may make a lot of difference in the initial stability- for relaxing and taking pictures, etc. I find that I easily carry about 15 lbs. of extra safety gear when I go out and that weight is low in the kayak. Best wishes for you and your new boat.