Yep…
I contacted them because they “might have something on hand”. I didn’t expect they would. Yes, REI can bring in any boat they feature online, to any REI store, at no charge to the customer. I don’t know if they have a normal selection of kayaks that can be ordered regardless of what is shown online. This was not expressed to me, though it seems logical if it were the case. REI would be a low risk option for me but they don’t appear to sell a kayak that I’m interested in.
In a perfect world, I’d be able to jet on out to the shore and test a bunch of boats until “the one” becomes apparent. It’s not a perfect world and I won’t be the first person ordering a very well regarded kayak without ever having sat in it myself. It’s good advice of course, but that doesn’t change my situation.
The River Connection is Marshall’s
store and paddling instruction headquarters. It’s in Hyde Park, NY. He and Dorothy stock all model’s of Ceti.
I picked up my Cetus LV from them two years ago. At 5’ 9" and 155 it’s a wonderful fit for me. P&H offers the boat in four sizes (LV/MV/HV and the original Cetus) so one can get a pretty tailored fit.
If it was a perfect world, the only change I would would make would be to order a Cetus LV with a custom forward bulkhead and color scheme.
I can’t recommend The River Connection enough. Good gear and great instructors who know and use what they are selling.
Eddyline Fathom
Seems to fit all your criteria: 16.5" x 22", 50 lbs., slim cockpit, some rocker for maneuverability and a skeg for straight tracking. Lists for $2700, but you can often find them for a few hundred dollars off. I have not paddled this one, but I have paddled the slightly smaller Fathom LV. Very nice, very high quality boat.
http://www.eddyline.com/kayak-models/fathom/
Considered this one.
Thanks. I think the Fathom is an interesting boat but there’s not enough online to make me feel as though it’s performance characteristics are well known and echoed by many owners. This is important to me since I cannot test the boat I’m buying. The Fathom has been out for a while now but there’s not much talk about it online.
As mentioned previously in this thread, the WS Tempest is such a touring boat, though I’ve read that their glass isn’t on par with the best.
Given the shipping issues I’ve come upon, I’ve added the P&H Scorpio to my short list. It’s like a plastic version of the Cetus and comes in at 55 pounds. It doesn’t appear to handle as nicely as the Cetus though, but it is $1,700 less and most dealers will ship the Scorpio. Hmmm.
Hurricane Tracer
As long as you’re making your decision based purely on what other people have written, how about the Hurricane Tracer? http://hurricaneaquasports.com/kayaks/tracer165.html
Weight: 50lbs.
Price: ~$1750
Hey river mouse
Hey River Mouse. I’ve looked at the CD offerings and the only one I might be interested in is the Caribou if you have that in stock and the price is in line with the rest of the nation. It’s clearly a solid all-round performer and I think I’d probably fit in it pretty well, though its volume is a bit low for touring.
That one…
…just doesn’t speak to me and a number of reviewers have called it twitchy with regards to initial stability. I’m a photo guy and don’t want to drop my D700 in the drink.