Does anyone know of a tourning kayak in the 15’/16’/17’ ft. range with a large cockpit?
38x21 or so.
cockpit
That’s kind of a conflict in terms. Touring kayaks have touring cockpits, rec boats have large cockpits. It’s very hard to get a skirt to seal on a cockpit that large specially in rough water, the reason you don’t see them. They tend to implode when waves wash over them.
Bill H.
Venture Easky 17
comes relatively close - it’s cockpit is described as 20.5x35
Cockpit size is just one factor that describes boat fit, you definitely need to try and spend some time with it.
Need it that big?
Here are few of the bigger ones:
P&H Capella 166 RM 31.5" x 17"
Romany Surf and Excel 32" x 17"
If you are in a mind to build, Pygmy’s Borealis XL sounds like a nice big-guy boat with a coaming of 19" x 36".
What’s the story - are you big, tall, stiff, chicken, what?
Alan
I’ve gone to SOT’s
because my knees make it difficult to get in and out of a small cockpit. The thing is, almost all my paddling is inland flatwater, but I want something with more performance than rec boats. I’ve also had a hard time finding performance SOT’s, but they’re out there.
Length VS height
The height of the front of the cockpit is just as important. If you raise it up it can make getting in a lot easier with a shorter cockpit. My VARDO design has a 34" cockpit but I raised the height at the front of the cockpit and it made a huge difference in getting in and out. It feels bigger than it is and it’s a good performing touring/all around boat.
If you’re interested in a skin boat this one could be modified to a 36" coaming really easy. Drop me an email if I can help
http://kudzucraft.kudzupatch.com/designs/vardo/
not quite 38" but close
We’ve got a Pakboat XT-15 and the cockpit is quite easy to get into – I believe it is 36" x 22". My boyfriend, who has rather large, muscular legs, can plop his butt all the way down in the seat first and still swing his legs under the cockpit with no problem from that position (and gets out the same way, swinging both legs out and over the gunwales before standing up.) They make a 17’ model, the XT-17 that only weighs 44 lbs. I think you can paddle it either as a single or tandem:
http://www.portablekayaks.com/product/PAK-Fold-XT17
Our XT-15 performs quite well in tracking and handling – comparably to our other boats which are 15’ to 18’ sea kayaks (hard shell, higher end folders and a skin on frame)
Wilderness Systems Zephyr
35.5" X 19"
'nother one
not quite 38" (that’s huge!)
P&H Capella 173 15.5"x 20" OD of cockpit coaming.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
Equinox and Journey
by Eddyline are very high quality boats with 35" X 18.5" cockpit. They are easy to get long legs in and out of but small enough for a tight spray skirt fit.
David
Define "touring kayak"
Is the touring on flat water? I have an old one of these http://www.natureline.com.au/wanderer.htm which are a Struer design with a sprint kayak sized cockpit for a knees up paddling style.
reverse engineer
You could go to your local kayak shop that carries Seals sprayskirt products and look through the fit chart. Seals breaks their skirts into size groups. The size you are after sounds like their size 1.7 skirt. Look through the chart at boats that take this size spray skirt and you should have a feel for which ones to look at.
Brilliant suggestion
1.7 is too small
– Last Updated: Dec-02-10 10:46 PM EST –
38x21" would be a 2.2 at least, similar cockpit size to a LL Remix XP10.
prijon
has a few 36 x 18 cockpits in touring boats.