I’ve been sea kayaking for 20+ years. For the type of paddler I am, I learned to roll right away, got started kayaking after moving to the east coast, and so have owned and paddled all of these kayaks in the ocean. The existence of a skeg vs rudder doesn’t move me at all, as I rarely use either and like to know the pure hull design. But I have nothing truly against using a skeg or rudder. I really enjoy surfing waves, and I really enjoy speed and glide. These can go together in downwind situations, which is really great fun. And they can be at opposite ends of the spectrum, such as playing in the surf in inlets with all of the varying shoals and currents and breaks that make a more maneuverable kayak with a rockered and higher volume bow advantageous, or participating in a flatwater race, where what is by far most pleasing is a kayak that will yield the best speed gliding across a fairly flat water surface. And a lot of days, I find some combination of both desirable. The last two evenings after work for example, I paddled off the beach in a Maelstrom Vaag into the inlet, out into the ocean around Deveaux Banks, surfed a few small waves, and continued back into the inlet. I didn’t go out with a goal of playing in waves, but I didn’t go out with a goal of not playing in waves either. I was just enjoying sea kayaking, if that makes sense.
I’ve tried many other kayaks in addition to this list, but these are the ones I’ve owned.
Impex Hatteras, Impex Assateague, North Shore Ocean, Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk, Wilderness Systems Echo, Seaward Endeavor, Seaward Passat, Seaward Nigel Foster Legend, Point 65 Nigel Foster Whisky 16 Rocker, NDK Greenlander, NDK Romany Surf, NDK Triton, Valley Selkie, Valley Aquanaut, Dagger Halifax 17, Necky Chatham 16, Maelstrom Vaag, Boreal Design Fjord, Boreal Design Ellesmere, Tiderace Xtreme, Zegul Arrow Play HV, KajakSport Viviane, Epic 18x, Epic 18x Double, Stellar ST21, Current Designs (CD) Solstice GTS, CD Solstice GT, CD Extreme/Nomad, CD Caribou, CD Stratus 18, CD Andromeda, CD Gulfstream, CD Suka, CD Willow, CD Cypress, CD Gulfstream, CD Sirocco, CD Sisu LV, CD Unity, P&H Sirius, P&H Capella 169, P&H Bahiya, P&H Quest LV, P&H Capella 163…
I think that’s pretty close to all of them that I’ve owned.
In my experience, many folks get to know the fit and feel of a particular kayak, and then just don’t like it when a kayak feels in any way different. I’m talking right down to the most subtle of characteristics, such as the precise degree of resistance in primary and secondary stability, where anything even slightly less or slightly more is simply no good. If they’re used to a high deck, most other decks are too low. If they’re used to a low deck, most other decks are too high (I’m just swimming in that cockpit!). There’s value to this. You really get dialed in to the feel of edging in that boat, to the precise feel of your kayak rolling, to how broken waves tend to act on it, etc. The potential downside is that it often leads to unmerited criticisms of other hull designs that may not be particularly related to potential performance. It’s a part of why it’s common for 2 different people to decide 2 different kayaks are easier to roll than the other. My problem is that I generally find something to love in most designs.
For covering some rougher water miles quickly and unloaded, and then for weekend to 10 day loaded mini-expeditions (or full on expeditions if I ever get that much time off!) to this point the Current Designs Extreme/Nomad is my favorite. When I think of my most adventurous outings in a sea kayak, I’m quite often paddling the Extreme. For surf play, at this point the Current Designs Sisu LV is my favorite. Two very capable kayaks with a lot of personality (unique yet very pleasing feel) that somehow make them almost as enjoyable on flatwater as they are in the waves are the Nigel Foster Legend and P&H Bahiya. I could probably justify my appreciation for these two by recording and reporting my own anecdotal data, but sometimes when you really enjoy the feel and the performance of a particular paddle craft, you just do. I could say the Legend is quite fast and quite easily maneuverable for its speed, and also say it gets pushed around by whitewater waves like an expedition kayak typically does because of its volume and rounded bottom when empty. If you’re loaded, no big deal. If you’re not encountering broken waves, that part doesn’t matter at all. The Bahiya gets pushed around very little by broken waves. It really sticks its ground. And I’ve found it is exceptional at efficient ground speed into wind and waves. Some standouts that come to my mind that push those boundaries of compromise between rough water handling and maneuverability while still maintaining efficient speed would be the Boreal Designs Ellesmere, CD Caribou, & P&H Quest LV. Just pure speed, the Epic 18x. Having said that, if I were somehow left, for random example, with the CD Stratus 18 for speed, the Valley Aquanaut for all-around, and the Tiderace Xtreme for wave play, I would kayak just as much and still love it. Maybe I just have a particularly curious & adventurous disposition? I’m definitely with Wolf in that I don’t really have a clear answer on a favorite.
