Two Types
My girlfriend is 4’ 10" and 100 lbs and she fit like a glove in the Tsumani SP. The issue with that was nobody else but her would have fit into it, so I could never bring anyone else with me. We ended up buying two Perception Expression 14.5’s and she was just as comfortable in that as well. I fit very nicely also and I’m 5’ 8" 220lbs. Granted they are not really a start price but they did fit her.
Tchaika - notice about inseam length
– Last Updated: Mar-26-13 4:10 PM EST –
My wife has the Tchaika - it is a great boat, even better with a few small modifications!
Had to change the high back seat to a seat pad and back band so she could do rolls. Added retractable toggles, perimeter lines for safety...and get rid of those 2 cleats in front of the cockpit...
A note about inseam length - the wife is 5' and cannot reach the foot brace/pegs and have good thigh/knee contact with the boat. A quick fix that seems to be holding up is "bolting on" a small chunk of 2x4 to each of the pegs - giving about another 1.5" - a better fix would be moving the foot braces back about 3", but that would involved drilling the hull, filling holes, etc....
Tsunami SP
– Last Updated: Mar-26-13 6:01 PM EST –
I work for an outfitter that does tours for kids and families, and we have had great success putting small-framed people (i.e., mostly pre-teens and teens) in the Tsunami SP. Ahh but I see you already have a couple!
Some of the older kids (along with slim, smallish adults) with a little experience will paddle the poly Avocets and do well. I have seen a few of these for sale used recently in the $1000+/- range.
A good friend has a Tchaika...it is a nice boat but has only 1 bulkhead...I paddled it one of my first times out EVER and did just fine...and it felt like a "real" boat, not a plastic tub.
I happen to have an Alchemy S...in fact it's for sale ;-) but I think it most likely would be too big. It's not a tight-fitting boat but I have plenty of contact at 5'7" and 133 lbs.
boreal boats
I ran into similar issues last fall while searching for a boat. I’m 5’8", 115lbs. After a ton of research and some test paddling I went with the Boreal Design Baffin p1. It’s 16’6’ long and 21.5"wide. They also make the Epsilon in a p1, which I believe has similar dimensions. I was looking for a longer touring boat so didn’t look at the WS Tsunami SP, but with how petite she is it might be worth checking out.
kyak size
People carry things when they paddle like dogs, lunch, clothes, etc. The market for a small boats with no dunnage is to small to worry about.
Wrong
I have a smaller person’s sea kayak, sub 16 ft, and have spent a day here and there in ones for smaller paddlers than my boat.
I am leaving aside the the dog because there should never be a dog in a closed cockpit craft to start with, which is what this conversation has focused on.
My standard kit for a long day paddle is up to two spare changes of clothing including a spare dry or semi-dry suit, lunch plus snacks, two dry bags of medical stuff, two spare water bladders, spare gloves, head cover, emergency tarp plus bivy, a variety of rescue stuff including VHF, GPS, lights and more that I am forgetting. What I load up includes the basics to be stuck somewhere overnight, and I still have room to add the tent, poles, sleeping bag, a couple of pots for overnights on purpose.
There is absolutely no need for a small person to be put into a big boat for carrying gear unless you start to talk extended trips that only a small percentage of paddlers ever undertake, or you have impractical demands like big stoves or chairs that won’t break down.