My .02…
make sure you try the Wilderness Systems Tempest 165.
I don’t own one, but it seems a fine multi use poly craft that you could grow with, for a wide variety of conditions for the lighter paddler.
T
Steering w/control devices
– Last Updated: Jan-06-08 11:04 PM EST –
You steer a kayak primarily by edging it and using a sweep stroke. In a boat that is skegged, you tend to want to have it up for more facile turning, down for more tracking.
Unless you are racing or doing huge crossings, there is no argument to limit your boat choice to a skegged or a ruddered boat. For casual use, again find the boat that works then take whatever device comes with it. You will find that insisting on a ruddered boat will take a number of boats that are well-suited for your size out of the mix.
Also, length of boat per se doesn't necessarily mean harder to turn. A 16' boat for example can come out anything from being a straight tracking machine to being as manuverable as boats much shorter depending on the amount of rocker.
Tempest 165 or…
I think an even lower volume boat is in the works. Zephyr is it?
Kayak & car shopping are alike
you have to give and take …but then you’ll find the one that catches your eye and the rest is history.
Paddlin’ on
Richard
Or the most common solution…
1) Buy boat that seems right.
2) Take boat to some really cool place to paddle.
3) Discover you need a different boat.
4) Get another boat.
5) Repeat 1 thru 4 above (note that sell boat is not necessarily in the mix) until the garage is full and you have a boat that’s right at least some of the time.
When all the advice is shifted thru, it’s what most of the folks here have done.
yak garage
lol…i agree celia …i have 2 already, and i am looking for my 3rd one now . but in all honesty the WS cape lookout 155 is up for sale. I also have a CD solstice GT i’m keeping.
Keep renting for a while
Take classes, too.
You need to narrow down the assortment to a handful whose traits you like. The reasonable way to do that is to borrow and/or rent.
Start first by simply sitting in them inside the shop. That’s just to rule OUT the obviously poor-fitting ones. A small first step. Actually, for smaller people (I am one), that’s not such a small first step, because most sea kayaks sold in the U.S. are too wide and/or tall for us.
Take your time. When you have on your list a few that you like that have similar handling traits, you’re in a better position to seriously shop. Take the sales people’s advice with a huge grain of salt. They will, almost unanimously, try to sell you something that THEY sell. Normal tactic, but if you have by then formed a good idea of what YOU like in a kayak, you are better armed to say, “No, that’s not what I’m looking for.” Assumptions will be made about you–assumptions that serve to boost the seller’s sales. Do not be too trusting.
Hey, watch it!
– Last Updated: Jan-07-08 11:30 PM EST –
That's hitting a little too close to home!
My 2 car garage is currently a 0 car garage that houses 11 boats. The 12th is in the woods (Aluminum rowboat), and the 13th is stored at a friends house.
The 14th is looking likely to be a SOF still hiding in lumber, and the 15th probably resides at some dealer shop or in some other pnetters garage or shed.
hehehe
Pretty much anything in the range
from 12 to 16 feet will be appropriate for what you want. Longer often means faster and better tracking while shorter is likely more maneuverable, lighter and cheaper.
Plastic boats are common and pretty darn durable. Fiberglass and kevlar are strong and light, but pretty pricey.
The price and a quick look at a boat can give you an idea of the quality. A new 14 footer in the $600 range is probably a cheap boat without a lot of rigging and a mediocre seat. A $1200 boat is more likely to be outfitted better and have more thought out features.
Learn a little about hull design. Do you want to learn to lean to steer? roll? Some boats are better than others for such things. Do you care if you stay dry? Some nice boats are a wet ride, even on flat water.
I have similar interests and tried out a handful of boats before buying a 14 foot Manta Ray - the SUV of sit-on-tops. The seat is nice. It is very stable and dry – a good all-purpose boat for flat water and class I or class II (maybe). Heavy at 65 lbs and the high sides take a little getting used to (no biggie).
jim
Austin offers Town Lake (now Lady Bird
Lake) right in town. Nice flatwater paddling. Lake Travis is nearby, can be an in-land sea in high winds, but offers great scenery. The cost is only a 4 hour drive away.