Impex Outer Island

Advice
#21

8 inch hatches
The small hatches make packing more like backpacking. I’ve completley adjusted to the 10 inch hatches on the explorer. Do you now what types of hatches the new kayak is going to use? Any word on the skeg cable type, rope or cable? How about an expidition layup? I guess I should direct these questions to the maker.

Bob

#22

Impex will do expedition lay ups
but it’s not an expedition boat, unless you are already thinking like a backpacker. I bet they’ll not go for a rope skeg, they never have. I do not work for them, so we’ll see.

#23

Impex only uses cable skegs…
…so I would assume that will be the case with the OI. Jay’s boats don’t have skegs and the design really doesn’t need one.



Only on the bow and day hatches are small. The stern has a large oval hatch.

#24

Desire expidition layup
more for rock garden play than expiditions. My explorer works fine for extended trips. Not sure this new kayak will be all that different. The hull design of the other impex line appears to offer similar profiles, mabe a bit more rounded, to the explorer. Soft chines, shallow V.



Anyone here paddle the kayak that this new glass one in modeled on?

Bob

#25

Original Outer Island
I’ve paddled the very one that Impex made their plug from that Jay built. Great kayak!



It has a lot of the forgiving qualities that the explorer has in rough water, and is a little faster than the explorer, IMO. It also tracks so well that a skeg isn’t at all necessary.



It also rolls as easy as an explorer – I can hand roll it with no problem.



I’m really looking forward to demoing the glass version, just to see how faithful the Impex version will be to the original. Jay tells me it’s really close.



Wayne

#26

Impex Outer Island sans skeg?
In a follow-up question to both Wayne and Brian’s comments, can one order an Impex Outer Island without the skeg? Based on my own paddling experiences with a cedar-strip model it does not appear to need one. This would also drop the weight of the boat and free up some needed storage space in the aft compartment.



Thanks and safe paddling,

Joe