No, there is no hull slap in a Tarpon.
There was the time I got caught in some confused surf with wave heights of 3’ plus. The boat would ride up the wave and smash down the back side. I would call that boat slap and hope I never paddle that stuff again.
It is a very quiet ride. I have owned 3 T160 and one T140.
Why? The first was sand color, ie invisible; the first and second were the old style with no seat drainage. I didn’t like sitting in a puddle. The 140 was too slow for the group I paddled with.
The current 160 is a dry ride and you can’t beat the seat for comfort. I think the longest Tarpon now is a 140.
Thanks. Yeah, the hull slap I meant was on flat lakes; when the wind kicked up little wavelets any more than about 2-3" high it would be popping at me; also if I paddled aggressively in any wind.
I’m sure just about any SOT (except maybe surfskis) is going to slam coming off a 3’ wave; BTDT in Lake Erie.
Wet seats don’t bother me; I always dress for swimming anyway, and they drain well enough. Wet feet bother me worse, and the OK was bad about that, where the Tribe’s footwells are always dry.
The only time my feet get wet is getting in and out of the boat. The heaviest load I’ve ever carried was my 230# plus my 45# dog. She rode in the tank well and her toes got wet.
I picked the Skimmer 140 over a Tarpon 140 mostly because of the weight. Tarpon 140 is 72 lbs., Skimmer 140 is 45 lbs. So far I’m liking the Skimmer. As I mentioned above I did have to tweak the seat bottom. I also had to add a rudder as the Skimmer weathercocks more than I liked. No problem when paddling, but with a fishing rod in your hands it was annoying. I know the Tarpon 140 paddles better than the Skimmer, but I use the Skimmer mostly for fishing.
I did the same thing. Now I’m back to my Tarpon. Friends and relatives use the Skimmer.They are how the Tarpon gets handled out of the water.