Indecisive Australian newbie needs help

Hello from Australia!

I am a total noob in hardshell kayaks. I have a couple of Gumotex/Innova inflatables that I’ve been using for ten years.
Two months ago I bought a Dagger Catalyst 12.8 on a whim for cheap and love it!

I now want a bigger and faster kayak but can’t make up my mind.

A bit of background. I’m 175 pounds and 5’10. My kayaking almost exclusively involves flooded river valleys, mangrove swamps, lakes but not much sea. I’m in Sydney so there are a lot of harbour/river options. No rapids.

There are three boats I have the opportunity to buy with my budget.

1, Riot Edge 14.5 plastic version, brand new

2, WS Tsunami 145, 2nd hand but still has the stickers from the shop on it.

3, Prijon Seayak from 2004, well looked after and in good condition.

I like the look of the seayak the most but probably overkill? The Tsunami is nice but is it boring to paddle? The Riot edge looks speedy?

It’s mainly for weekly car top day trips by myself and overnight trips.

I’m assuming that all three will be better than the Dagger for both tracking and speed.

No plans to go to sea yet but the option would be nice.

If anyone has any experience with any of these boats and can recommend(or not) any of them for my type of paddling your advise would be greatly appreciated.

Great forum btw, all the kayak forums down here are obsessed with fishing.

Cheers,

Pete

I can’t answer your question, but Welcome! You will get good advice here.

If I were you, I would keep looking. There’s got to be a lot more to choose from in your area. Don’t settle for something that doesn’t get your ticker going–just looking at it.

I’m about your size. The boats that get my motor running are a Dagger Alchemy (smaller) and a WS Tempest 165. Both boats have the seat moved back. Go rent or borrow or demo a bunch of boats.

Thanks for the replies everyone. The Alchemy is one that I was interested in, just doesn’t seem to be any 2nd hand ones available.

This being Australia, everything costs more, so I’m looking mainly at used boats.

I should also mention that 16 ft is the maximum length I can squeeze into my storage area. My preference is for plastic too.

There is a local manufacturer called Australis who make a model called the Gecko which looks interesting.

Any more advice would me much appreciated.

Thanks again,

Pete

Try both the large and the small Alchemies. I took out all the stiffening hardware on a small model to make it fit me. I think it’s a ‘do anything’ boat but it’s not very fast. Kinda like a Jeep. Very happy with mine. The rear hatch cover lets a lot of water in so a dry bag is a must back there. The price was so good that I don’t care. Got it used. Good luck with your quest!

Thanks Rex,

The more I look the more I want a 14 - 15 foot boat. I was wondering about the Tsunami 145 because a local guy is selling one he used 3 times 3 years ago. I went and checked it out and its brand spanking new. Not even a mark on the hull! He’s also chucking in a new aquaboound Stingray fibreglass paddle, a PFD that fits and some STS storage racks for about $600 USD.

I have read a few reviews on the tsunami that are mainly positive but I wonder if I am going to get bored of it quickly?

I am keeping my eye out for an Alchemy though. Any other suggestions for 14 - 15 foot lake-river-estuary kayaks?

Thanks again,

Pete

@Punterpete said:
Thanks Rex,

The more I look the more I want a 14 - 15 foot boat. I was wondering about the Tsunami 145 because a local guy is selling one he used 3 times 3 years ago. I went and checked it out and its brand spanking new. Not even a mark on the hull! He’s also chucking in a new aquaboound Stingray fibreglass paddle, a PFD that fits and some STS storage racks for about $600 USD.

I have read a few reviews on the tsunami that are mainly positive but I wonder if I am going to get bored of it quickly?

I am keeping my eye out for an Alchemy though. Any other suggestions for 14 - 15 foot lake-river-estuary kayaks?

Thanks again,

Pete

Jump on that deal.

@Punterpete said:
Any other suggestions for 14 - 15 foot lake-river-estuary kayaks?

Necky Looksha Sport
Dagger Stratos (probably S for your size)
P&H Delphin 150 or 155
Valley Gemini

The Tsunami 145 is a higher volume boat for bigger people – you are an average sized guy and don’t need that volume to slow you down (all the Tsunami line have a 5 suffix in the number to designate the “large” size of that particular model.) Tsunamis are boring to paddle and would not suit your stated purpose.

If you can find a Venture Easky 15, you would find that a nice boat. I have the lower volume Easky 15LV (I am only 5’5", 150 #) but my ex boyfriend who was your weight but a couple inches shorter, got the standard Easky 15 and loved it. I’ve taken mine everywhere from the ocean to mild whitewater – super comfortable and nimble boat that I can easily get to a decent speed, They are lighter than the equivalent length Tsunamis and many other models. One of my most frequent paddling buddies has a Riot Edge 14.5 – it has similar dimensional specs to my Easky (which is 15’ x 22") but weighs 15 pounds more! So she has to work a little harder to keep pace with me. Venture is a Brit company (the boats are made in the UK and it is a division of renowned sea kayak maker P & H) so I imagine they should be available for reasonable cost in Oz. Good looking boats with nice features and fun to paddle.

Of the choices you have at the moment. I would go for the Edge. But look for an Easky first. The company has discontinued them in the US but may still stock in other countries.

Thanks for all the advice!
I had a look around for the P&H Delphin but only available at full retail (yikes!) And in Melbourne which is 1000 km away. Nice looking boat though. Same story with the Venture Easky. I’ll keep looking though.

The advantage of the Riot Edge 14.5 is it’s readily available. Willowleaf, is your friend happy with theirs?

It’s a bit long but any thoughts on the seayak classic model? It’s a bit longer than I want but looks interesting.

Thanks for all your advice.

Cheers,

Pete

If the Tsunami is such a good deal perhaps you could get it just in order to have something to paddle for now, and then take your time finding one that really fits you. You should be able to read-sell it, right?

@Doggy Paddler said:
If the Tsunami is such a good deal perhaps you could get it just in order to have something to paddle for now, and then take your time finding one that really fits you. You should be able to read-sell it, right?

We all start somewhere and seldom get the perfect boat the first time, or second, or third or …

I am tempted, but I already own an old Dagger Catalyst 12.8, do you think the tsunami will be any more sprightly? The Dagger is 62cm wide.

Also, anyone used a seayak? Which is another option right now.

Pete

The Edge will be more “sprightly” than the Tsunami. FWIW, my friend loves her Edge and I have paddled it when we’ve switched off. It’s a nice boat. For one thing the Edge is 22" in the beam (57 cm) so it is 2.5" narrower than the 24.5" (62 cm) Tsu 145 – this makes a significant difference in performance (i have had kayaks from 28" to 19" in beam). Just look at spec photos of them also – the Tsunami is a barge and the Edge is much more sleek. Peruse these two side views. Like the difference between a minivan and a sports car.

https://www.wildernesssystems.com/eu/en/kayaks/tsunami-145

https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/product/868032/riot-edge-145-kayak

Seayak made a bunch of models so it’s not possible to weigh in on what you are seeing without more info. Generally they are sturdily built boats but a lot of the models are as stodgy as the Tsunamis.

It the Edge is in good shape and a decent price I doubt it would disappoint you, and it would be noticably faster than your Catalyst being longer and narrower.

There is a brand new edge for sale in orange for $AU1000 or about $750US. It will be about $700 US if I don’t take the paddle it comes with.

Seem like good value? It means it comes from a shop rather than 2nd hand so warranty…

The Seayak that’s around is the model Seayak Classic, I think it’s 59 cm wide and 490 cm long. Bit of a busy looking beast.

Thank you all once again for your real world advice. Much appreciated.

Pete

And particular thanks to you Willowleaf.

Any one have any experience with a Prijon Seayak Classic?