If there be only one criteria
Very little mention above of the butt-in-seat comfort aspect that Salty speaks of. A place where (his) experience shows. I love a lot of things about the P&H boats but I can't sit in their standard seat all day without major pain towards the end. I can do so for days on end in my NDK boat. But I know many for whom the exact opposite is true.
;-)
here’s one
http://www.bodyboatblade.com/else-expeditions-iceland.php5
but I think others have done it as well
I know where you can get a Chilco cheap
one of the local paddle shops is going out of business.
no better
seat than in W/S boats with the patented/registered? seating system
I think NDK boats
have gone around bigger things than Iceland
Iceland = 103,000 km²
New Zealand, South Island = 151,215 km²
oh, that super comfy grey foam seat
in the Chatham would give your buns a run for their money!
Greenland not Iceland
Iceland is one thing…Greenland is quite another…To my knowledge no one has circumnavigated greenland in a kayak…but i’ll keep looking
aha
green, white …
better
one’s own carved minicell seat coated with rubber tool coating. I find the WS seat has a hard protrusion at the back of the seat.
Great post. One thing I like about an
alpine approach is by the time I get my mesh duffel up the beach and follow up with my boat I’m done. My gear whore pals are laboring over their circus tents, 4" thick air mattresses and that Coleman double burner. When I was in a 15’ sea off Alaska, I really appreciated the handling of my boat. Having 50 pounds less stuff enabled me to “handle” my boat better.
Dogmaticus
Yes, but…
According to SK magazine, the Ch16 has more volume than a Nordy and close to an Explorer so its not like a low volume boat you are using...Sorry..I just thought it might be fun to try to put you in sync earth orbit.
Seriously, When you talk of putting food in day hatch to locate weight, are you talking about trips where fresh water for the trip does not need to be carried on board? In the NE, we need to carry at least a few days of water and its about as dense as anything carried so it goes in cockpit or day hatch. I tend to put food next to forward bulkhead if forehatch, but then only talking about 10-20# for up to 5 days for food while water takes about 10#/day. The importance of keeping food safe is a big deal and your comment gave valuable food for thought concerning keeping in different hatch. Which leads to anther question, do you have an opinion about stove fuel? My current thought is one or two days butane in warm weather, but otherwise white gas. Still the thought about leaks i hatches is a worry given pressure and temperature. Just an old 123 guy I guess.
Frankly, I only have met a handful, if that, who have gone more than a few days without resupply. Not sure where all these "expedition" folks are.
So true about weight and stuff makes a huge difference in terms of ease of handling on and off water, let alone having time and energy to enjoy why we are out there to begin with. Not sure kayak folks understand what you mean by "alpinist" approach. BTW, ever notice how 4500 cu in used to be a full bore internal expedition pack..now what..7000...yikes..if you cannot go a few days and climbing gear in 3000 what is the point?
Tarp over the tent? I think of a tarp instead of tent, but that's a location thing perhaps. In Rockies, who needs a tent..so I still hate tents and love a tarp in NE....In NW coastal ranges, who doesn't need a tent I suspect and a fly for shelter to cook and talk as well. Just shows how location, etc. can affect how we look at things and the gear we find useful. As does where and how we paddle
practicality of chatham volume
I have a 17 and it does have a bit of volume. The problem is that there isn’t much clearance between the hull and either the front of rear hatch.
The hatch is a nice size but the clearance beneath it can make for tricky packing.
I did keep water behind my seat and forward of the foot pegs. But I have a different kayak now so water goes in the rear hatch (right behind the day hatch bulkhead), in front of the foot pegs, and in the front hatch against the bulkhead. That is for 7 or so days of water. If I need more water I find a reverse osmosis pump takes up less room.
When packing I also think in terms of what I need to get out first, because that goes in last. Otherwise you end up pulling a bunch of stuff out before you get to what you want. The two tarps is a great idea. They go in last (sometimes in front of the footpegs) because they go up first. This is important in rainy environments. The tarp over the tent is great for rainy/humid environments as well. Although I tend to leave the tent at home.
My
wife and myself have done several 15 day trips with no re-suply. We carry lots of extra. and good stuff. If we were to try to get the most out of our space we could do 3 maybe 3 1/2 weeks before needing to resuply. We paddle Lake Superior so don’t need to carry extra water. We both paddle Nordkapps for trips.
Best Wishes
Roy
that seat
with the protrusion was updated about…oh…3 years ago.
steve
that explains it
people should be buying new boats every three years!
that is curious
Don’t know why they made the plastic one with such a low front hatch. I think the glass one has about an inch more between the bottom of the hatch and the hull.
Try …
Washington
Adventures Through Kayaking, www.atkayaking.com
2358 Hwy 101W, Port Angeles, WA 98363
Tel: 360-417-3015 Email: tammi@atkayaking.com
Back of Beyond Outdoors, www.tothebackofbeyond.com
195 Winslow Way, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Tel: 206-842-9229 Email: udowald@earthlink.net
Body Boat Blade, www.bodyboatblade.com
PO Box 1487, East Sound, WA 98245
Tel: 360-376-5388 Email: info@bodyboatblade.com
Cascade Canoe and Kayak, www.canoe-kayak.com
1060 Nishiwaki Lane, Renton, WA 98057
Tel: 425-430 0111 Email: itsfun@canoe-kayak.com
Mountain Goat Outfiters, www.acmeclimbing.com
12 W Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99201
Tel: 509-325-9806 Email: sales@mountaingoatoutfitters.com
or British Columbia
Comox Valley Kayaks, www.comoxvalleykayaks.com
2020 Cliffe Avenue, Courtney, BC V9N 2L3
Tel: 250-334-2628 Email: info@comoxvalleykayaks.com
Ecomarine, www.ecomarine.com
1668 Duranleau St, Granville Island, Vancouver, BC V6H 3S4
Tel: 604-689-7575 Email: sales@ecomarine.com
Kelowna Kayak and Outdoor, www.kelownakayak.com
2079 Enterprise Way, Kelowna, BC V1Y 8R6
Tel: 250-860-3361 Email: info@kelownakayak.com
Expedition Boats
My wife and I take very long unsupported trips of 400 -800 nm. My Romany Explorer was replaced by a Solstice GT as I came to appreciate the advantage of deck space above my feet – wearing Muck boots doesn’t work in an Explorer unless you are small. The Romany’s skeg box limits the useable volume in the rear hatch. My other concern with the Explorer was its great weight. Mine tipped the scales at over 75 lbs. And with 20+ foot tidal changes that is a lot of hauling. With the Solstice, there is nothing as sweet as throwing bags in the back of the boat as you load in the morning.
Your weight and height beg for more room; buy a used Solstice GT or any of the comparable Seaward Boats. If you really want to risk ridicule in these posts, take a look at what may be the most practical touring craft ever built, the Mariner XL. Its way old school, but the distance paddlers here in Southeast Alaska all have one in their quiver. If you are thinking about Vancouver Island, stop by Ocean River Sports and speak with Bryan Henry who founded Current Designs and has a good variety of used boats for sale this time of year.
In answer to your query about repair of plastic and fiberglass; I’ve had to repair both in less than ideal conditions and I’d rather slap some epoxy on a glass boat than try the same on plastic. We once had to fix a rudder assembly on a plastic boat on the Baffin coast with a fire, hot nail and some plastic plates. It worked, but wasn’t pretty.
In the end, just buy a boat and paddle. It will all work out.
Me bad
My dyslexia about names is showing. Wrong island in my original comment above.
But it’s still a bunch bigger than anything I’ve paddled around.
comfort, Telkwa
i agree that comfort is paramount. you gotta love your boat, and your body has to love it, with near ideal ergonomics. the rest is mostly academic. as far as volume, sure some of these guys can go ultralight, but you don’t want to skimp too much. if you are comfortable on an ultralight thermarest great, if not, bring what you need to sleep on and be happy. but you don’t need a huge boat, you DO need to think your gear choices over very carefully. the Telkwa is fine in the rough, it’s more you than the boat. the Telkwa is also incredibly well made and will withstand more beating than any comparable composites. no problems with a plastic boat, if you find one you like. if you live on the Island or in the lower mainland, you have a HUGE array of used boats to choose from, you won’t have to have one shipped from some far corner of the US.