I have very little experience with ocean kayaking and took the advice off this board and purchased a Prijon Kodiak. I had it on a lake for the first time today. It leans about 5 degrees to the left at all times. I thought maybe it was the wind, but it didn’t matter which way the wind was coming from. The Kayak was empty, so it wasn’t loading. I had a friend try it, and she noticed the same thing. When I got it home and set it on a concrete floor, it did the same thing and could not be made to lean to the right. My question is: Should I be concerned and take it back (it’s brand new) or is this no big deal. Thanks for the inputs.
Leaning
I have owned two Kodiaks and a plethora of other Prijons, and I have never experienced a leaner. You describe a lean to the left even when you are not in the boagt–simply looking at it resting in flatwater? Not typical. I would do as you suggest, wuss, and bring it back to the dealer asap.
I don’t kayak , but it sounds like …
… something has gone asymmetrical in the hull shape somehow . It wouldn’t surprise me that much if it’s a plastic boat , but even at that I wouldn’t tolerate it for the price you paid . It’s not a cheap boat is it ?? … I say you should expect perfect symmetry in that hull !!
I looked a some pictures of it on the web. , and the hull shape should ought to be perfectly “symmetrical” and sit on a level flat surface exactly correct with out any tilt to one side . It also should have a perfect centerline , easily enough checked with a tight string along the length of the bottom . I say take it back and check the next one well before bringing it home .
You did what???
You set the kayak on your floor and it leans to the left and won’t lean to the right.
I must be missing something. Is the bottom of the kayak flat? Never seen a flat bottom kayak or one that would set level on the floor.
Sounds like you might need more seat time or maybe I am missing something. Sometimes us folks in Georgia miss things.
Paddlin’ on
Richard
turn it over with its hull facing up
– Last Updated: Jul-29-08 2:45 AM EST –
and do a 360 walk around and inspect the hull to see if it is in any way deformed looking. if it looks assymetrical, take it back, and perhaps order another kodiak??
You might try…
putting the boat in still water, completely empty of any gear. Measure from the water’s surface to the sheer on each side. You’ll want to do this early in the morning on a very stillwater location.
If the above test does not show any glaring problems then get an assistant to do the measuring while you sit in the boat. If this shows a problem, examine the seat mounting for manufacturing flaw.
Do you, by chance, carry a rather thick wallet in one hind pocket that may affect the way you weight your ‘sit bones’?
Prijon really makes some very good boats and their plastic is of excellent integrity. This does not mean of course, that problems do not exist in their production at times. An improperly handled boat during the cooling process could probably result in a situation such as you describe.
Hope you get it figured out as painlessly as possible.
Check the seat
I don’t know if this will make sense if it actually leans while on the ground, but when I bought my Kodiak last year and went to adjust the seat I noticed that they hadn’t tightened the seat bolts and that it was angled a bit. I had wondered at the time if that was enough to throw off my weight and the boat.
If you can’t see something obvious looking at the hull from above on the ground, I think the idea above to measure waterline is a good one. Good luck.
Get a McCain sticker…
…and balance out the lean to the left.
Just sayin’.
Because it’s plastic???..
…what would THAT have anything to do with it?
If merely being plastic was the cause, and damn near
all WW kayaks are plastic, then you’d see a lot of
leaning WW boats right?
I’ve never seen a single one.
L
You would need more then a Mcain sticker, more like an Old W sticker or two… L
Spend some more seat time
It is very common for inexperienced kayakers to think their boat “leans.” Most likely, it is you that is leaning and you don’t even realize it. Also, if you try to correct a perceived tendency to veer in a kayak, you lean left to go right, and vice-versa. Leaning in a kayak has the opposite effect of leaning on a bicycle.
Spend some seat time in the boat and you will find its center, and your balance.
prijon kodiaks
georgie,
prijon kodiaks have a straight keel with no rocker.
the design also has a flat area on the hull. so it should sit solidly on a flat surface with no leaning.
bill
Take it back
Before it gets too used, take it back to the dealer and perhaps compare it with another of the same model. If you live with it or try to compensate with other things I think it will always be bugging you. At least if you can compare it with others, then you will know if it’s yours or a defect. But do it soon or call your dealer today and tell them. KeepÊit spotless.
Second the boat in calm flatwater…
and don’t forget to take photos of it as it sits in the water…it’ll make your case a lot better than just telling the dealer that it leans…and make more than one set of prints, so you have a copy for contingencies…
never take the advice of this board
Modern German boats are infamous for their left-leaning tendencies! (They used to lean right)
Swap it end for end…
…and it willlean the correct way.
I agree
Try Holmes’ suggestion first. With the Squall I used to own, it sat lopsided very obviously on calm water (no tape measure needed to assess it), from the first time I took it out. That little bend to the left only got worse with time. It had other problems, too, one of which manifested itself much later (it had been repaired with a plastic stick despite its being sold as a new boat). Insist that your dealer examine it, at the very least, and hopefully he won’t BS you.
Cock ur head opposite way to compensate
They’re blow-molded rather than roto
molded, so that a small variation to the left in plastic distribution is possible.
I have also seen Prijon cockpit rims with thin places in them caused by plastic distribution variation.
That said, I’m not sure how one would judge whether a lean to one side on the garage floor or on the water would be a significant problem. I think it would need quantification and relating to some real-world functional deficiency. Is it something that placement of a water bottle couldn’t correct?
rroberts often leans to one side, until he switches his drink to his other hand.
I duct tape a water bottle…
…to a blade.