DuraLite Kayaks
Does anyone have any experience with DuraLite? I’ve been shopping for a duralite Wilderness Systems kayak but I am concerned about the durability. The weight reduction is nice but are there any compromises (other than $$)?
Preaching to the choir Salty
– Last Updated: Oct-08-08 3:38 PM EST –
You seem to have this idea just log-jammed into your head that my argument is that the Explorer LV is necessarily faster than a boat like the Vela. I am not sure where that came from, maybe I sounded like that sometime, but if I ever did argue that for myself it's been a darned long time. I've had the Vela for a while now and have long since sussed out where I find it to be the more apt boat. To try and lay this to rest (if that is possible) -
My Vela is faster off the start, and makes it a bit easier to have a good forward stroke. It also hits a wall somewhere above 4 knots, and at that speed it is easier to keep the inertia of the Explorer LV going than fighting the Vela's bow wake. It takes more energy to get the Explorer LV up to that speed than the Vela. I think this is entirely consistent with any test results out there.
Over distance - someone else is going to have to care about parsing a few minutes. I don't. I get home timely and was not cut from a recent training on ability to maintain pace in the LV, the only other trainee female was.
The Vela is my boat of choice for group paddles on local flat rivers, or less challenging bodies of water where problems are likely to be limited in scope and access to a shoreline is fairly close or more challenging conditions where everyone in the group has pretty reliable skill levels because of her spriteliness.
The Vela also went to Maine with us this year - we finally bit the bullet and went with four boats on the roof in addition to two cats and a load of stuff for a four week vacation that the rear shocks are still trying to get over. It wasn't the easiest packing job in the world to haul all of that in one car, but it meant we could use our 16' boats in more conditions than we usually get around here. I spent most of the paddling days where we launched from our beach in the Vela. The Explorer got wet when we were driving to another launch point because it was in the yard and much easier to get up to the car.
However, IF I am paddling in a situation where rescue becomes more of an issue - in colder weather like now if I went out with a group where a number of the people had no particular self-rescue skills and/or were not in really robust clothing, or a situation where if something goes south it'll do it in a big way, or one where I might have to pull someone out from rocks, I have already learned the hard way that the Vela is not an adequate rescue platform. In fact there was a local paddle going out today that fit the first bill - a paddling buddy was joining it and had I been without conflict or had more energy for an early start it'd have been an Explorer kind of paddle.
On our initiation to Narragansett Bay a couple of years back, I had to get someone with a larger boat (in fact an Explorer) to come and actually pull the guy onto their rear deck in a pretty messy capsize situation. At over 6 ft he was just way too big for a secure ride on the rear of the Vela, at least with me as the paddler in what turned out to be significant waves and wind. But I have carried a panicked and poorly seated person out from rocks on the Explorer with the boat pointing skyward and the front third entirely out of the water and had very little trouble staying upright, also in some waves.
There are a lot of reasons to choose a particular boat and it isn't all speed. At least I don't have enough testosterone to make it that for me. For the average sized guy, the issue of having a rescue platform for the likely much-larger-than-you rescuee is not an issue - you are already the right size and you aren't in the minority of more skilled paddlers in a group like women often find. For those who only paddle with others of a comparable skill level, it's not an issue either. But a lot of us who don't live on the ocean find ourselves spending time in groups that are really mixed bags, or even there choose to have a boat that makes this easier on a particular day. For all the complaints about the size of the Explorer LV, no one can say it doesn't do a dandy job of being a great platform and kindly in all kinds of snot.
The obvious comeback is to suggest that I should be looking at the Romany LV for my 16 ft boat, since of all LV 16 ft boats it is probably the most stable rescue platform. But I have become spoiled by the spriteliness of my Vela, and am right now not willing to settle for a boat that doesn't have at least a bit of that for a 16 footer. That's actually one reason I'd love to see the TideRace ExciteS come east. So far the closest I've come in a reasonably quick 16 footer built for my size that'd also be more secure for rescue than the Vela is the Capella 161. While I compliment it as a fine boat and liked it after a couple of days, it didn't ring my bells.
Now - can we please stop lecturing me that my Vela is quicker for me pull than the Explorer? I got that quite a while ago.
Tell ya what
– Last Updated: Oct-08-08 4:12 PM EST –
I promise to NEVER respond to your stuff again. OK.. You can go on and on and I will never challenge your thinking or expert commentary.
Just maybe you mis-understand me at times...
Glad you're getting it... and sorry I didn't detect that exact point of transformation :(
I have a duralite
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 125. It is my first Kayak so don’t have much to compare it with. I demo’d a regular TS 125 before buying this one and loved it. My duralite feels the same, tracks as well and goes as smoothly. I don’t think there is much diffence except the plastic is thinner. Was out on the lake today and it was great!
Light Kayak
You might want to check out Delta Kayaks. They are thermoformed plastic and lighter than rotomolded but very tough. I have a 12.10 and it’s a great little touring boat but weighs only about 43 pounds. REI stocks them…