I figured Flatpick you’re the man to talk to about this, i know i haven’t been the biggest fan of WS on this board but I also think the tsunamis have been better thought-through than the capehorn i owned.
So here’s my question.
How is a Tsunami 120 as a poor man’s Coaster/boat for playing in rough water,overnighting shorter (under 10 miles) distaces ? how does it roll? Assuming i’d replace the phase 3 back to a backband and perhaps a whitewater style footbrace if the factory braces are too short. I’m 6’1 and 180. I tried the 140 on FLAT water once and thought it’s slow but livable and manouverability somewhere between a 12 ft rec boat and something like a CD solstice. how does the 120 compare to the 140?
Thanks for your time dude 
dude
you HAVE badmouthed the heck outta WS and glad that you can see some light!
it’s OK as a ocean play boat. tracks too good and is too wide for serious work. see my comments on the 140 in powerwasher thread.
i have a f/g proto of the 12’ and use it a bunch for surf play and rock gardens but it make my hips sore (too wide) and it’s a bear to turn (tracks like a train)…the 2 things that sell the bejezzass outta it to the bubba crowd.
steve
I’ll buy that as well…
hey now
I only really badmouthed the cape horns(i’m sure you know all their issues) and duralite(that most people that seen/touched it badmouth)
I looked at the Tsunami today at a store and it fits me pretty good and seems pretty well thought out though the hull was surprisinlgly flexible? Good to know about the too-stiff tracking. Thanks
playboat/Coaster
I talked with Matt Broze a couple of months ago about the Coaster. According to Matt, Mariner is being resurrected, sort of, on a low production schedule. You can get your name on what Matt calls his “hopefuls list” and, when your turn comes up, someday, you can send him some money and he will make you a boat. I would be interested but it seems that Matt is reluctant to ship a boat to the east coast, has not found a carrier that he considers reliable. Anyway, Iam getting old and I’m not sure that I’ll still be able to paddle by the time my spot on the “Hopefuls” comes up. Isn’t there anyone out there making a producton boat that qualifies as a playboat rather than a beamy barge?
Several
ok seriously
There should be like a short list of “ocean playboats” out there. i know there’s been threads about this before. I know Romany came up for it’s short waterline and somebody mentioned an outfitted Manitou 13(may be the way i’ll go though i’d rather have 2 bulkheads-but no skeg)
List not needed
– Last Updated: May-08-07 8:16 AM EST –
Look for boats that have a lot of rocker, are of moderate length more like 16' rather than over 17 and are rated as extremely manuverable and/or good for surf. The Chatham 16 is one that is so described. Pick a material based on the shoreline features and your interst in maintenance - poly or composite.
But a lot of these are up to 16' boats. And by and large these 16 footers are a lot less beamy than the 12 ft Manitou you seem to be considering.
I am not sure if you really want what people would call a sea kayak that'll be playful, as much as a sea kayak that'll handle waves well as part of normal paddling. These are not the same thing.
As below, the next step down in length has some interesting stuff too, but by and large these are more specialized boats with more manuverability than an all-purpose boat like a Manitou 12.
It might be a best first step for you to get some lessons, get into some of thsee boats and find out for yourself why something like a 12' Manitou could be a considerly less apt choice than a 16' Romany or Chatham.
weight is a factor
My ‘long boat’ is a Caribou S and even though it’s only actually about 15 feet on the waterline and about 50 pounds, I wouldn’t call it a playboat. That needs to be something shorter and lighter. The Pygmy Arctic tern 14 might qualify but that’s a DIY project with lots of messy, toxic epoxy to fool with. John
my choice
http://picasaweb.google.com/corgimas/RockHopperTesting
http://picasaweb.google.com/corgimas/Green
still writing up a review…
turns on a dime!!!with change back…flat aft hull so it can spin (almost)…
very comfy…
had a 6’4" guy WITH room to spare sitting in it…
plastic= rock???what rock???
rob
Rock Hopper
Looks like a very interesting boat. Reminds me a little of the Ursa Micro prototype that Robert Livingston developed using his Bearboat software program. I understand that Cam Broze took the Ursa a step further and came up with the Coaster. John