145
I am the same size as you and have a size 11 1/2 shoe. I tried many boats before settling on the tsunami 145. I am 55 and at my age comfort and ease of entry are my primary concerns. I got out of the need for speed many moons ago. I have had my 145 for a couple of years now, I use it in flat water, tidal rivers, and some protected bays and ocean. The differance in the bows deck hieght over the 140 make all the differance in the world. That extra couple of inches makes all the differance in the world getting in and out. I can enter and exit with no problems, in the 140 I always found my self struggling to squeeze my knees to my chest to get in and out. At the price point your going for you should have no problems. I got mine used for only $900.
Tsunami 145
5’11" 230# I can squezze into my wifes 140 but it ain’t easy. I can stay comfortable in my 145 all day long. Both use the same spray skirt, you’ll see the difference immediately when you look at the profile. Costs new $1,200 +Tax
Very true!
Some general guidelines on depth:
15" Can feel cavernous unless you’re very large and may prevent good knee contact.
13-14" Comfortably large for someone 200 lbs.
12" and less: sea kayaks and might feel restrictive to you.
At least, those are my perceptions. Maybe others have a different take.
You can’t really trust depth measurements at websites much because you don’t know where the measurements was taken.
The comfort of the depth can also depend on whether the kayak has built-in knee braces, their shape, material, and how they’re angled. Sharp plastic angled downward can be uncomfortable. Old Towns have removeable rubber braces on some models.
Your budget
For $1300 you can get a good rotomolded kayak with a rudder if desired.
. . . But you can also hunt for a good used Eddyline Journey and do some negotiating. A friend just bought one for less than $600 (lousy cosmetically but structurally functional).
My only question about the Journey is whether you would be comfortable with the depth. If you get a chance do try one just to see how it feels and handles compared to other possibilities.
Pungo 140
The Pungo 140 is a good all around boat, that I enjoyed at 6’ 0" and 260#. I’ve dropped weight by getting into racing, but kept the 140 for swamps and creeks. At 235#, I find the Kayakpro Marlin (18’, 21.5",36#) has a comfortably wide seat and is very fast for racing. My Solstice Titan LV now feels cavernous, and if you are looking for a big touring boat, this one is hard to beat. It also takes rough water very well. However, I wouldn’t take it down any creeks.
Kayak for a big guy
I have a Necky Eskia and I like it. When I have all of my gear next to it that I am going to pack in, you would never believe it would all fit. Very stable boat. Not the fastest ship in the galaxy, but I am never in a hurry to begin with.
Thanks mutan
Glad to see some other Clydesdale paddlers my size liking the 145. I’m looking forward to checking one out, and seeing the difference between deck heights with the 140 and 160.
Great suggestions.
Thanks again, all, for all the suggestions and info. Tomorrow I will be using a Tsunami 140 and we'll see how it goes. Then I plan on at least sitting in the 145 and 160 at the shop to see if I can get a sense of fit.
Thanks for explaining that the cockpit depth is an important factor in fit.
I did find an Eddyline dealer not too far from me, so I will see if they carry the Journey.
I am also liking the look of the Necky Chatham 16, although it's a ways beyond my price range. I'll do a search for a used one.
Swift Saranac 14.5
Should fit and be quite stable, 34-40 lbs dependent on laminate chosen.
My experience with the 140
I went out with the Tsunami 140 w/ rudder for a few hours today. While it's a very nice boat, my legs were very cramped.
I have pretty long legs, not to mention size 12 feet. As far as I could tell, the foot pegs were as far down as they could be, but they didn't feel down quite far enough for me, and my heels were touching one another when my feet were on the pegs. It almost felt like the rudder cables were preventing the pegs from sliding down further, but I could be wrong.
So, next I plan on sitting in the 145 as well as the Perception Carolina 14, as well as a few others, including the Necky 14 footers.
Thanks again for all the great feedback.
Moose
old town
Dirigo 140 has a large cockpit
Tsunami 145
I would be willing to bet you would not feel cramped in the Tsunami 145. There are people much larger than either of us using this boat. I am 5'7"/215#/size 11 feet and own the 145. My wife owns the 140 and that boat is actually a better fit for my body but I like having the extra weight capacity for me and for our camping excursions. I installed the Harmony hip pad kit in both boats to snug up the cockpits for better contact and control. I also replaced the high seat backs with the Wildy backband (used in the Tempest series) to avoid seat fold down during self-rescues and to make spray skirt attachment easier. The 145 not look much bigger than the 140, but looks are deceiving. Lots of foot and leg room. After paddling my Nordkapp RM these past few months, the 145's cockpit seems huge. Personally, I would not want it any larger. One of the reasons I bought this boat instead of others like the Carolina.
These boats may not be full-on sea kayaks, but I am surprised at their versatility. We use them for camping, river excursions, local lakes, and general paddling on the Lake Erie coastline.
Can’t find a d45
So far I’ve checked 5 kayak dealers in my area and no one has the 145 for me to even sit in. The last place I called said, “that’s because it’s not a great paddling boat because they blew out the hull too much.” For whatever that’s worth.
How frustrating. However, I will continue to search.
What B S
I hare it when a salesperson bad mouths a great boat just because he wants to sell you what they have in stock this week. Do not buy from that store!
The pungo 140 & Tsunami 145are great paddling boats!
where are you
that seems insane you cant find a 145 they are extremely common. just blow it out and get a 175. I love tank boats.
Ryan L.
I agree…
I thought it was pretty lame that he bad mouthed the boat.
I’m in…
...southwest New Hampshire. I've called stores in my area as well in western mass...no dice anywhere.
update: I think they have them at the Kittery Trading Post in Maine. Will call tomorrow.
Re: What B S
He may be just trying to sell what he has in stock, but it’s also possible that the salesguy honestly believes what he’s saying, i.e. is a ‘boat snob’.
Either way though, doesn’t sound like someone I’d want to buy from.
Boat snobs never get that your needs might be different from theirs. =[
Perception Carolina 14’
Just bought one of these and I love it. Very spacious, even for a larger guy. The cockpit opening is about the same size as my rec kayak.
Finally got a Tsunami 145!
Hi all,
Thought I'd give a quick update on my search for a 14ft light touring boat from earlier this year.
Well, I found one down at Charles River Canoe and Kayak in Boston. What a great place, right on the river.
They have an end-of-season sale on many of their rental boats, so I went down, pulled on a wetsuit and test paddled a Tsunami 145 with rudder.
First, the cockpit is perfect for me...much roomier than any of the other closed boats I've tried. I guess the higher deck is the key, but it also feels a tad wider than other boats. I sat in the Dagger Alchemy 14L and I could barely get myself in the boat, and once I got in, I was crammed in there.
Second, I've never used a rudder before, and I was amazed at how easy it was to use and effective it is in helping to turn the boat.
Finally, it tracks beautifully and feels very maneuverable. I paddled around the river for about 20 minutes and was sold.
The beautiful thing is that the boat is a 2011, so it only has one season of rental use. Some hull scratches aside, it's in great shape. The seat and the rudder don't even look like they've been used.
I guess the only head scratcher is the lack of a bulkhead between the day and rear hatch, but I'm hoping that's not too big a deal.
The price of the boat was $840, and they threw in a set of foam blocks for my car for free.
So I'm pretty stoked. Unfortunately, it's now winter here in New Hampshire and I have to wait till spring to really put the boat through its paces.
Thanks again for all the information and suggestions!
Moose.