At this point
You need to paddle both and see for yourself.
I never got to test paddle the Squirmish because I couldn't get comfortable in it. The Tempest I did and liked it a lot. It's a "popular" boat, for good reason I believe.
Squirmish is a pretty dated model. I haven't seen many on the water nor many owner to offer opinions. Probably because not too many people fit in it due to it's odd shape (wide and low).
I rented a Squamish once
Owned a T165 and already wrote about that.
The Squamish was slower than either Squall or T165. I didn’t need or want the extra width, since 21.5" is already plenty wide for someone of my size. It was more maneuverable than the Squall but not more than the T165.
The main advantage of the Squamish, at least early on, was that CD priced it lower than most plastic kayaks. It’s an odd beast, with a nicely low foredeck but a way-too-wide beam.
yes…
I talked to the local shop owner, and he talked me out of the squamish…he said that they don’t regularly stock it and if he ordered it in for me I’d have to buy it…apparently they don’t sell. He suggested the Necky Chatham 16(poly), which I have been considering. I wonder if they have fixed their leaky hatch problem yet? Also, it seems like a boat more suited to rough water, and where I live I’m unlikely to see much of that. However, still looks like a nice kayak and I’m sure it would teach me a lot.
The search continues…
re: the search…
Perhaps consider road-tripping over to Calgary or Edmonton where they seem to have a much wider selection of boats.
Sure, it’d be a bit of a hassle, but you might just find that boat you’ll fall in love with…
NKD Pilgrim or Pilgrim Expedition
no time to read the whole thread so sorry if this was mentioned or ruled out. Great kayak for slim folks and Tom Bergh is a pleasure to deal with at Maine Kayak Company.
Lyn
Chatham vs Tempest
I paddled both for a day each. I like the Tempest a lot better.
Compare to the Tempest, the Chatham is still a barge! The Tempest fits more snug, has better maneuverability and generally felt more “lively” as an extension of my body rather than an appendix.
The Chatham can haul more gear and most people find it a tad faster, if that’s what you want. Otherwise, I suspect you might like the Tempest more. That said, if the dealer has it in stock, it a good candidate to worth trying out for comparison. Though I strongly recommend you try the Tempest before making any final decision.
Suggestions from someone your size
The boats I would suggest are:
Swift Saranac Classic (14’)
Swift Kiwassa LV (12.5’ & 13.2’)
Eddyline Merlin LT (13.5’)
Eddyline Fathom LV (15.5’)
NDK Pilgrim (15.6’)
I’m 5’4", 130 lbs and searched long & hard for kayaks that fit. I’ve paddled all of the above kayaks and finally settled on an NDK Pilgrim (after owning the longer Pilgrim Expedition for a year). The regular Pilgrim is the perfect boat for me. For the first time I feel like the boat is an extension of me, and I’m part of the boat. You may not need all that firepower, and the other kayaks are much less expensive and more suited to the kind of paddling you do. Good luck!
Tempest 16.5 vs Chatham 16
I don’t know which Chatham you tried, but my recollection from my outings in these two boats is that the Chatham 16 is slower and more maneuverable compared to the Tempest 16.5 - both in plastic.
This appears to be the opposite of your experience, at least maneuverability wise.
Did you, per chance paddle the Chatham 17 vs the Tempest 16.5? That would explain your experience.
My experience with Eddyline Merlin LT
is that it’s slow and hard tracking - a lot of work to turn. YMMV. I had one for a while and sold it.
On the positive side, it had a lot of foot room.
At the risk of offending the britboaters
You would fit in a QCC10x, which is a fine all around boat. It is now built and sold by Current Designs. It still comes with a guarantee: if you don’t like it you can send it back, no charge.
Possible though I doubt it
I believe I was given the smallest of both model.
Or you had tested the Tempest 170 instead of the 165? 
I spent 6 hours in a Tempest 165
during a kayaking seminar. Straighter tracking and faster than the Chatham 16 I paddled for a couple hours.
CD distributing all of QCC?
Just curious - I must have been asleep when that happened. It provides a nice distribution spine for QCC.
Merlin LT Hard Tracking?
That has not been my experience at all. I love this boat for surfing. It does have a V-hull, but at 13’6", it’s short enough that maneuverability is not an issue.
I believe QCC still ships direct - not
through the CD distributors. Pretty much the same as before CD/Wenonah acquired them.
Different perceptions of maneuverability
Nothing to surf in central IL.
For maneuvering along lake shorelines, the Merlin LT was much less maneuverable than my composite Perception Eclipse 17 / Sea Lion and Shadow 16.5 and not much more maneuverable than my Eddyline Nighthawk 16 that I owned at the same time.
I don’t think the Merlin LT was even as maneuverable as my 15’2" QCC 400, which isn’t too maneuverable on edge for me at 5’6" and 160 lbs.
My 16’ Epic Touring Cruiser 16 edge turns easier than the Merlin LT, for me, anyway.
I found the Merlin to be quite a lot of work to edge and turn.
In your environment, the Merlin LT may seem quite maneuverable.
I believe that most of the changes
are not things that the buyer would be aware of. The website is essentially the same. For example, the production facility was changed to another location in Wisconsin and the original staff was offered a job if they were willing to move. But the original policies on return have been retained so far. And I have not heard of any complaints of reduced production quality.
Sympathize
Katie, your situation is very much like mine over the last 3 months. I’m 5’3" 115lbs. I don’t have a lot of options to demo kayaks in my area. And I struggled to find a kayak that fit me. I had to do a lot of traveling, generally 5-8 hours for each demo, in order to find my kayak. It was a lot of work, but if you can swing it, it will be worth finding the right kayak for you. You can research all you like, but you’ve just got to paddle the thing to find “your” boat.
I’ve been kayaking for about a little over a year and prefer lakes and slow moving water. I don’t play in the surf! I want a boat that goes where I point it, but also allows me to play with manueverability, and yet be efficient since I’m a smaller paddler and need to keep up with my husband in his 17’ Solstice and son in his 16 1/2’ Fathom. That’s a tough combo = tracking, manueverability, speed!
I’ve had a poly Necky Chatham for the last year and wanted something that fit me better, felt like I wasn’t dragging through the water, and would allow for more fun. It has a cute upturned nose (rocker) but I always felt pushed around in the wind.
Over the last 3 months I’ve tried:
Current Designs: Willow, Slipstream
Valley: Avocet LV, Aquanaut LV, Anas Acuta
Necky: Eliza (composite)
NPK: Pilgrim, Expedition
Eddyline: Zamba, Fathom LV
Wilderness Syst: Zephyr, Tsunami
Epic: 18x
P&H: Capella 161
I didn’t try, but would have liked to, the Current Designs Suka. Although I much prefer the softer chines of other options.
The Eddylines, Current Designs, and Epic were cavernous. Wilderness Systems felt sluggish and cumbersome. P&H felt like a bobbing cork.
Almost all of these kayaks just plain didn’t fit - and not even close! I was often told that I’d have to “outfit” the kayak with foam to fit - and not to expect otherwise. But that’s not what I wanted. What I did figure out is that any boat over 21" wide, was simply too wide for me. The term playful means manueverable but not enough tracking for me. And lighter does make a difference to someone my size.
The Pilgrim has cool knee bumps but, in my opinion, would only fit a much taller person. My knees weren’t even close and I would have needed tons of foam to make it fit. I also felt like I had to “make” it move rather than it moves with me.
The only two kayaks that I tried and seemed to fit where the Eliza and Avocet LV. I was worried about the good/bad reviews of the Eliza. But I loved the Eliza composite (it is different chine than and dimension than the poly). I felt at home in the cockpit and it turned and carved like I didn’t know I could. It never felt too tippy. I felt light and fun and could go anywhere I wanted. The downside for what I wanted -it didn’t track well for me and speed was a bit sluggish.
The Avocet LV is what I ultimately chose for one - it fit great, for two - it was the best compromise between manueverability and tracking. It feels very stable but turns smoothly and easily for me. As I get more paddle time, I can tell that my carving will really improve. It has reasonable tracking - although still low on my scale. Speed is very good and keeps up with the Solstice and Fathom. I thought for sure I’d still have to paddle hard to keep up with my boys. But no. When they said they were trying to keep up with me, I felt they were just trying to make me feel good. But turns out they were actually serious - I can easily keep up, if not lead the pack. The Avocet LV is fun in the water, moves efficiently for me, and fits like a dream. I’ve paddled the Avocet LV now in strong cross winds and tail winds. Because of her very low profile deck, I don’t feel any push around at all. It was such an amazing improvement over my Chatham that I was grinning from ear to ear as I stroked through the wind. I really like that the cockpit fits perfectly. All I had to add was 1/4" padding on the knees for comfort rather than fit.
When I was researching Kayaks I kept looking for reviews of people my size that liked my water conditions. So I hope this info helps in some small way.
My other two cents is this. The fall season (September) you can find some great deals once you know the boat that you want. At the same time its harder to find the models you want to try because the dealers are clearing out inventory. Once I decided on the Avocet, I emailed every dealer in the US asking if they had an Avocet LV at below MSRP and could ship to California. I had a handful of responses and colors to choose from. Although I didn’t buy from them (found more local dealer with a color I preferred), Alder Creek Kayaks in Oregon was the best price offered on a new prior year kayak and also on shipping - no sales tax in Oregon either - and their customer response was very impressive.
Good luck to you.
thanks!
Thanks for the responses everyone, there has been such a lot of advice to take note of in here!
skolvoord, I do appreciate the first-hand advice! It does seem like most kayaks are just built for larger women and in particular, men! However…I’m sure I’ll find one that fits me well…luckily I’ll probably fit in a few more than you would!
I definitely agree that I need to paddle some different boats from different companies, and regardless of specs, pick what feels best. Too bad there aren’t more paddlers(and therefore used boats) in my area, but I will do some looking elsewhere!
I’ll report back when I do find one, but it might not be until spring.