boat for her
She is not just a small paddler, but an extremely small paddler.
There are several very recent small paddler threads in the Advice Archives that mention a lot of models incl. new intros of the last few years. Thing is, the majority are not in rotomould.
Then again, checking the MSRP of the Marlin - $2795 easily gets you a composite on sale, a minty demo or a nearly new used boat. And for hundreds less depending on what it is and how you barter.
I just checked the specs of the Marlin. Not here to do an exhaustive critique of a boat, esp. one I haven’t paddled (and she has).
She is on the extreme low end of the suggested weight range for this boat. Not that this is bad, but it does say Prijon designed it for much bigger people to use so the proportions like beam, cockpit size and deck height are canted towards that.
Here is a quick review from someone who works at AquaAdventures, a superb outfitter and class resource in San Diego.
He is taller and heavier than she is yet found the fit loose & the thigh braces farther away than he liked for contact:
http://100boatsin100days.blogspot.com/2009/06/day-57-prijon-marlin.html
fit is very important to a good seakayaker, and small paddlers have a few more challenges to get it. But w. patience it can be done.
Check the threads, check w. CCK and AquaAdventures. It seem like she is open to trying some other boats - in composite and in plastic - and see how they compare to the Marlin.
My last thought is she may like to paddle with friends, join a club, take a trip… y’know, paddle without you on occasion.
The Prijons are among the heaviest of plastic seakayaks. There are other brutes out there. When I was looking (I’m 5’3" and 115 lbs) I pretty much eliminated roto and blow mould on weight alone. I felt compelled to go composite and found a great used fglass seakayak in mint condition on paddling.net. It took me two months of diligent search to find it.
One of the beauties of kayaking is the independence. Don’t burden a short, light person w. a heavy seakayak if you have options.
Great response
My partner is checking this thread, I am sure she will love it. 
One of the beauties of kayaking is the independence. >Don’t burden a short, light person w. a heavy seakayak >if you have options.
Makes sense.
My last thought is she may like to paddle with friends, >join a club, take a trip… y’know, paddle without you >on occasion.
Actually, she is already looking into that.
heh
I like her already.
If she wants to email me for some ideas that’d be fine. I don’t make people’s decisions for them, just be a sounding board… I know pretty much what she is gonna be dealing w… the boat selection I mean '-)
that should be a lesson in lack of
experience kayaking, not experience with one type of hatch extrapolated to all hatches of a similar type.
Current Designs Raven
while it is 12’ and theoretically not “fast” if you never paddle faster than 3.5mph she will be putting out less effort in that kayak than any other kayak. In glass it costs less than any of the plastic boats you’re looking at and weighs half as much. Research the boat for her well as 95% of the kayaks you’ll be looking at are designed for your weight.
Raven needs fixes
Will match the size, but note that it needs thigh braces built in and a good look at switching out the seat back for one that is lower. If you guys are already out doing rescues, you are being more aggressive in terms of skills than the usual market for the Raven.
is there ANY poly sea kayak
that’s worth getting for a 110lb paddler? I just don’t see the rational in getting a kayak that weighs 1/2 as much as the paddler. A 13’x22" wide Pygmy Osprey13 would be a killer boat, albeit very stable and somewhat boring as a straight tracker, for a light person. It could be built up into a very strong under 33# sea kayak.
The weight is not that big a deal
A kayak cart is useful for many people, regardless of size.
I’m glad I bought the roto Tempest 165 and used it frequently. Small people can and do paddle faster than 3.5 mph in plastic 16-footers.
weight of a rotomould
can be 20-30 lbs more than a composite or composite hybrid of near approximate dimensions. (there are other materials out there - wood, SOFs- I’m just sticking w. the OP’s original query regarding plastic seakayaks. And from previous posts it sounds like they want production models))
It’s not just toting it to and from the launch in a cart - a good thing to have. Yeah shouldering my boats is possible, but it still means a second round for miscellaneous gear. Anyways because I am a runt, I spare my rotator groups for something better - like paddling.
The real advantage over roto comes on the water. There is significantly more mass to move. That expends more energy to get it moving and then to keep it moving. That is overly simplistic but the heart of the matter is very succinctly summarized in the Matt Broze letter in this June’s Seakayaker, previously referenced.
If a fit athletic small paddler is able to move a heavy roto at a decent pace,then think what they could do w. a boat 20-30 lbs less. This could be a real advantage whether a day trip or the long weekenders the OP and his partner want to do.
I agree w. Lee: especially for the very small paddler, traveling light has big benefits on the water - even more than off the water.
the weight is important…
…let’s face it, 17’ of anything is unwieldy. and wrestling a 68 pound boat off a truck roof can be a chore.
It’s not for me. I do fine.
but short light paddlers can have an issue.
Weight is a bid deal for me -
especially after paddling and I’m worn out.
My preference is for a boat 45 lbs or less.
Rent some more
If you only rented one time, it'd be useful to rent at least a few more kayaks and compare. Don't get hung up on plastic vs. composite, because the shape of the hull makes more difference than the material it's made of.
Seems like nobody chooses really great for their first sea kayak, so you are right in that choosing a plastic one at least cuts the loss on boats that you may end up selling within a few years.
Based on your handle, it sounds like you are or will become very fit, so speed for touring will not be an issue. And if you want to race, you'll need different boats anyway.
I just read above what your partner's height and weight are: identical to mine. With my Tempest 165 (plastic), I added 1/2" minicell foam between the seat pan and the seat cover, then reglued the whole "sandwich." It has held up fine (the seat and the whole kayak). This is ONE plastic, relatively narrow kayak that would work well for her. It's also easy to roll, if she's interested in learning.
It matters, but not to the extent
…that’s being implied here.
I always bring the kayak cart in the truck when I go paddling alone. It’s there if I am too tired to shoulder it, which has happened one time. Also good in case the wind becomes strong enough to turn that kayak into a 17-ft back-tweaking lever if shouldered. But normally I shoulder it for the short carries.
Look into the smaller sea kayaks
like the Necky Eliza for your wife. Anything over about 15 feet is gonna be a lot of boat for her.
jim
If you
want to paddle a heavy rotomoulded Tempest 165 bec. you otherwise really like the boat, then it's a good decision for you. Truly, no sarcasm intended.
Its catalog weight is 56 lbs and water ready (seat, footpegs, skeg components, rubber hatch covers, rigging etc.) will put it in the mid 60 lb range. All mfgrs. play a shell game w. true weight and each boat made will differ a bit in final weight regardless of how it's made.
I'm not here to change your mind if you have found a way to work around the weight but I disagree w. your pronouncement that weight is being overemphasized in making a boat choice for the small paddler.
I have seen and paddled w. plenty of women who are taller and heavier than me - and who are not spudettes or plagued by soft tissue injuries- who cannot manage boats in the mid 50 lb range.
Above 60 lbs they are pretty much stuck waiting for help.
For that matter, I've helped guys carry and load their plastic boats, esp. at the end of a good day's paddle and a long carry to the car.
For the ones who do manage with it, I've yet to meet one person of either gender and any weight who has lifted a truly lightweight composite boat (for seakayaks I define as 45 lbs and below) and who has not expressed delight at the ease of lifting and carrying such a reduced weight. If they can take it on the water it immediately registers how much differently it paddles, too. Most find the difference in turning, response and acceleration appealing.
Weight is what it is. Human nature is that we would prefer to heave, carry, move or otherwise deal w. less of it...
I'm just asking the OP's partner if she wants to be that person w. that kind of a purchase. If she does, fine, have at it and soldier on.
Matter of fact, pikabike used to own a CD Squall whose catalog weight was 59 lbs compared to the catalog weight of 56 for the Tempest 165.
She posted how she had pretty much had it with a male paddler who belittled her for struggling w. a heavy boat that he could manage easily. She concluded that he should talk only if HE were being asked to deal w. a boat that was over 50% of HIS weight.
Pikabike,it was a great point you made then, and it still is now.
CD Sirocco
great boat! Good for large paddlers and for carrying gear.
Weight can be a safety factor
I’m a full size male paddler and can heft 60+ pound Aquanaut - it is only about one third of my body weight.
However, it is not fun hauling it and I have done more damage to my body and car when moving this boat than either my 45 pound Romany or 50 pound Nordlow.
Weight can be a safety factor.
Define interest in “fast”?
Answers are all over the place, partly because you are not clear on some of what you want. So seriously, how fast does “fast” need to be? Holding a steady pace of 4 plus knots, just being faster than a rec boat so maybe 3 knots? That kind of thing.
Well said. That’s my issue with heavy
boats. I like paddling my 56 lb composite Sea Lion, but I despise getting it out of the garage, loading it on and unloading it from the car and carrying it to and from the water. Therefore, it rarely comes out of the garage.
The likelihood of a hernia or other injury is much greater for me the heavier a boat gets.
Ladies
Friendlyfire and Watersprite
I thought you both might enjoy this!
http://tinyurl.com/y8u9jy
Andy