I’ve heard good things about the piccolo but I haven’t been able to find many specifics on it as it’s been discontinued. If I remember correctly it’s a version of the tchaika, and is there a newer version of it by a different name?Does anyone know the deck height?
I’d love to hear about small women’s experiences rather than childrens.
Thanks in advance
Not really a version of the Tchaika
At least, I never saw it advertised as being such.
The Piccolo is slightly narrower (20.5" beam??? maybe it was 20") than the Tchaika, and slightly shorter. Deck is quite low for an adult.
I rented one and really liked it. Compared with my own 16.5’ kayak, it was easier to turn and get moving in a hurry. But while it felt much quicker to accelerate, it wasn’t so hot at cruising speeds, compared with the longer kayak. The long glide wasn’t there.
If you buy one, get some flotation bags, because the Piccolo has no bulkheads.
The EpiSea
by EMC is still being produced. It’s 14’x20" which is a 1’ longer than the old piccolo. I actually like the G-Style hull design of the EpiSea better than the piccolo. But a matter of personal perference. At 5’3"x140 lbs, the plastic seat of the Episea was tight for me, but so was the piccolo and the umiak. Need to add on aftermarket thigh braces to give you better control though.
Every once in awhile you find a piccolo in the used ads.
sing
here
– Last Updated: Apr-03-07 6:07 AM EST –
is what an Episea looks like.....
http://www.superiorsurfsystems.com/html/kidsboats.html#Episea
here is what a Newt looks like
http://www.islandkayaks.net/IKProductsNewt.htm
quite a bit of differance in outfitting and features.
If the new/proposed Valley Avocett LV actually ends up at or around the 20 inch width with a lower deck (numbers I've heard) you also will want this on your "Must try" list Peter said that it should be ready by the GLSKA Symposium.
Best Wishes
Roy
Quite A Difference In Price Too…
I am glad there is a Newt for smaller paddlers. I think that 18.5" wide it would be tough first boat for a small adult beginner. After learning to scull, brace and roll, it would be a heck of a fun boat.
sing
How narrow to go…
Hard to quite imagine exactly what it’d feel like to be that 20 pounds lighter again - my healthy weight has been doing that 5 pounds a decade thing since I was 16 - but I have had the thought that as you get to smaller than me the range of the comfortable widths could narrow. So while for me there may be a one and a half range that is essentially a sweet spot of width in a hull, if I were at my teen weight an inch might be the max variance to have a boat that is reasonably forgiving but still able to provide good performance.
Just a rambling thought…
I
am not so sure about that size thing…I am 205 pounds and there is nothing out there I haven’t been able to paddle yet. (factory produced Glass)
As a first boat maybe…but my first Sea Kayak was the old venerable Sea Lion (22 1/2 " wide)
from there I went to a 1983 Nordkapp HM now known as the classic
for my size as a guy with high center of gravity (5’11") compared to a woman , with a low center of gravity and only weighing in at almost 100 pounds lighter…I have a very dificult time believing tha a 20 inch wide boat would feel all that unstable. and even smaller would fit better for “skills” work and as stated…improving skills.
If I hang my arms down at my side , when in a boat, If my hands hit the boat top…then the boat is too wide…for me, that line is crossed around 21 inches wide.
For a person of a smaller stature, I believe that , in order to have the same challange, they need a much smaller boat.
This is as much the trend to build SOF and S&G boats…lots of smaller framed people trying to finally get a boat that fits. There are also the ones that just enjoy the building. (Not all builders are small)
The 2 boats that I paddle are a Valley Nordkapp Jubalee (My do da boat) for camping, and an Anas Acuta for playing…They both fit me…and feel stable …of course to get enough room under the deck I have removed the factory seat and gone to foam. so that lowered me into the boat more.
So if someone smaller asks “what should I look at” I tell them that it should be smaller than anything that I paddle or else it is only a beginner boat for them and that to truly get something that fits…well…there really isn’t much on the market yet… The Newt looks like a solution to the problem…too bad there has only ever been one shipped to the US …ever
my hopes at this time are riding on Valley, and the proposed Avocett LV…time will tell. at least the sizes Peter mentioned to me, were on the smaller size and not just another 22 inch wide boat for the already overfilled 22 inch wide catagory.
Best Wishes
Roy
Picollo Thoughts
My daughters and friends daughters have all enjoyed our Pic. Samantha quit paddling it when she was around 5’ 3" and 130 lbs. Said it was too tight. Elise paddled it until she was about 5’ 6" and 130 lbs at which point I got nervous about her ability to exit and refused to let her. I doubt she will ever forgive me. Casey is roughly 5’1" and 115 lbs and paddled it happily last summer.
It’s clearly faster and more responsive than the other rec boats but not than longer composite boats. No bulkheads means float bags are required, mine came with. The day hatch will hold your lunch but not much more. The seat has a hard, high back. I never liked that but the kids never seemed to mind. The plastic is typical Wildy soft and thin. Makes me wonder how much better a nice stiff composite of the same design would be. The kids don’t give it a second thought. The flip side of that is this is an older boat which clearly has not been pampered and has never needed any sort of repair.
I paid $300 for it (well used) some years ago. For that price it’s hardly fair to compare it to a longer composite boat. I’d be suprised if I couldn’t get that back were I to sell it today (no it’s not for sale).
I’ll try to remember to measure it and post back here when I get home tonight.
Tommy
Pic dimensions
I just threw my tape measure at the Pic.
ROUGH dimensions are 20.5" beam, 13’ 4" length overall.
The center of the deck behind the seat is 8" the coaming is 9". The hard seat back is 10" high. The center of the deck in front of the cockpit is 9", coaming 10".
Tommy
Thanks for the input
Everyones’ advice has been really helpful in developing my “short list”. I started with a list of about forty boats, but it’s gotten a lot more managable.
Impex
You might want to look at the Sea Breeze, Gale and Mystic. I think they are all the same boat with different trim levels. 14’x20.5"