I am looking for a used 17’ x 22" wide (or so) kayak with a rudder. The big catch it that I need a long cockpit. I had a CD Solstice SS that I loved, but the cockpit was small and I had trouble getting out of it.
I keep seeing Eclipses for sale and the numbers seem right, but I have seen mention that it is the same as a Sea Lion. I had a plastic Sea Lion years ago and it was a horrible pig. I sure don’t want to get into that again. As I recall, the Sea Lion was very full in the bow and stern, so it didn’t cut through the water very well, despite being narrow.
So… is the Eclipse the same as a Sea Lion?
Thanks.
Looking them both up in old catalogs, the Eclipse has a longer and wider cockpit and it heavier than the Sea lion in poly. Don’t know if they changed it, or just remeasured it.
Can’t answer you about the Sea Lion versus Eclipse. But I do know a lot of the Aquaterra models were pigs. I had an older Chinook and a Scimitar and both had performance issues. By the time Perception dropped the Aquaterra brand and put their touring boats back under the regular brand I think they had resolved the design problems.
But how about considering a Wilderness Systems Tempest 170? 17’ x 22" with a standard 34" x 18" cockpit. I do see those for sale used occasionally.