My Friend is looking for a Kayak, probably the fastest (non-surfski) kayak for someone at his incredible height, no limitations on materials etc… Does anyone have some good suggestions ?
There’s a list of “tall person” boats often mentioned here… By @Peter-CA , perhaps?
I’m “only” 6’2" and my Impex Assateague has been great.
Maybe a QCC 700x. If not a stock one, then have the foot rails moved out farther. The front bulkhead has plenty of space left for the rails to be moved farther out. Order it brand new that way. Or buy used and move the rails IF NEEDED farther out. Fast boat.
Is he experienced? I am guessing not due to the question. You might want to add his weight and shoe size to this query?
Being very tall with a high center of gravity in a fast narrow boat will be “tippy” if he is getting started. I am 6’4” and am getting used to this (slow going as my paddling location is on an island that I visit intermittently). Being tall without heavy legs and a thick belly is going to add center of gravity issues that might need extra training time in the seat. Something that shorter paddlers never have to deal with.
I followed several threads before picking the Dagger Stratos 14.5L which works quite well but is no speed demon though. I also have a NDK Romany Surf which is made for larger paddlers. NDK has a larger boat than that called the Explorer HV which might be worth a look…
You have 2 issues you need to settle - finding a boat that fits you, and then within that getting one that is fastest but has the other attributes (level of stability, amount of storage, etc.) you want.
On fitting, here is a list I got from a kayak instructor friend (so someone who has paddled lots of boats) who is 6’ 7" and maybe 180 pounds:
I don’t think there is a kayak greater than 17’4" that I’m not able to fit into.
I would be able to fit into a fair amount of kayaks in the 16’-17’ range IF I drilled and re-mounted the footrails/ footpegs further away from the seat.
Here is a list of kayaks, shorter than 17’, that I can fit into WITHOUT any modifications:
- Current Designs Sirocco
- P&H Delphin 155
- NorthShore Atlantic LV
- Valley Gemini SP
- P&H Hammer
- Dagger Alchemy 14.0L
- Dagger Stratos 145L
QCC-700, Epic 18, or a Steller
The lightest and fastest will be made out of Carbon .
The Epic 18 might be a tad twitchier than the QCC-700
Just FYI there’s a QCC700X on Craigslist in Ann Arbor. It looks like a skinny telephone pole with sharpened ends.
Check out the NC Expedition. This boat is 19’-2" and it is fast, stable and just doesn’t care how rough it gets. When I ordered mine, I had the seat set back 1 inch from standard. That 1" made all the difference for me, but I’m not 6’-7".
Go to nckayaks.com to get particulars.
There was a QCC-700x in carbon Kevlar that just sold for $1800 in NJ.