Moving the seat back… yeah, you might have to saw some excess plastic off the seat base to get it back far enough. It hurts nothing. I’ve done this and it works very well. I’m not owning a boat that makes me feel like a bobber nor will I scrape my shins every time I get in or out. It’s really not hard to fix… at least with the boats I bought.
The Current Designs Sirocco was mentioned earlier and it’s a really great boat. I’m 5’8 and there is plenty of leg room left for someone of your height. I suggest you paddle one and determine if the volume is more than you want. If you don’t plan on tripping I would recommend less volume, personally. I also have a Boreal Design Baffin that I really, really like. The bulkhead is placed quite far forward so I can assure you leg room won’t be a problem. The cockpit is a bit smaller so be sure to check fit. I imagine Boreal places the front bulkheads farther forward on most of their boats so give them a go (the Epsilon series has a good reputation and I recently ordered one for my daughter. I can offer more input on that boat when it arrives next week.).
@grayhawk said:
@Sparky961 said:
@PaddleDog52 said:
I would not like to drag weight I don’t have to in balast. Tried it in my Nomad CD felt more stable but slower too end and acceleration was bad.If you are of average or greater weight, there’s no need for ballast. In fact, to rely on ballast otherwise shows a lack of skill/experience. The OP has very little mass for the given height and thus it makes sense to at least try the very simple experiment to see whether it helps. It could mean the different between finding a good used boat locally that can be made to function well, and a very expensive specialty boat that provides exactly the right fit.
There are some expedition boats that are designed for loads and can be a handful to paddle empty…
The Wenonah Voyager for one.
Tall Skinny Guy-- we did our test paddle of Eddyline. We are going against the general wisdom here regarding length as we have decided that we shall be transporting inside the van versus trailer or roof top, so that does effect what our final outcome will be. Maybe in the future this will change.
My cohort, who is 5/8 and has a +30" inseam, demo’d the 12 ft Skylark and the 10ft Sky . I demo’d the Skylark and attempted to try the Sky . My legs were to long for the Sky., He actually preferred the shorter Sky overall, said it was a matter of all the dimensions and the fit just felt better. I still had a few clicks of footpeg adjustment on the Skylark.
The Eddyline 12 ft seat was comfortable despite a 95 mile road trip to get there and a lot of yard work the day before. Nice and light at 32(10ft Sky) and 40#(Skylark) which was also part of our selection thoughts. Also the double bulkheads/hatches will also be a decision factor and get bonus points.
I guess from what I learned today and you being even taller than I at 5/10-11, you might find a 12 ft confining as I did the Sky 10ft. The other thing I learned today is that most of these people here know what they are talking about. I say that despite probably purchasing smaller boats than most recommend.
In a couple of weeks we are going to try the Hurricanes. May also try to get the ourfitter up here to let us try the Pungo liteweight he has in stock.
It was breezey today and we were in a sheltered harbor, Despite inexperience and poor technique it was a very enjoyable demo paddle. The Eddyline 12ft reminded me of the 87 Honda Accord 5 speed manual trans I had for many years. Nice easy responsive fun car to drive.
I hope the boats you pick out will suit your paddling, but I must stress that you will probably find in a short time that short boats can be boringly slow and an absolutely tedious pain if you find yourself paddling against a current. I would even go so far to say that you will need to be quite selective about where you paddle and under what conditions. But as long as it gets you on the water and active, it will be a good thing. Concentrate on paddling technique and enjoying the experience.
Have a look at the Stellar skis. Especially the S14S, S16S and S18s. Stable , sit on top, hatches and can be fitted with a trailing flip up rudder if under stern rudder doesn’t suit.
By the way, I have a spare 20lb you can have.