You might keep your eye out for a used Feathercraft Java. a 15’ 4" by 28" collapsible sit on top (internal metal frame with inflatable main structure that weighs 33 pounds. Company closed in 2016 but still has some parts availability from the founder. Quality boats and costly when new so used ones are usually cared for and in great shape. I bought one two years ago (a 2009 model) for $650 in excellent condition. Can be shipped from anywhere since it fits in two duffel bags. Comes with extra seat so it can be set up as a solo or tandem, and has BOTH a removable rudder and a built in drop skeg. Also adjustable foot braces and mesh cargo decks fore and aft. Takes about 2-3 minutes to inflate each of the 4 sponson tubes with the high volume hand pump that comes with it.
They do pop up for sale occasionally, you just have to do a regular search (you can set up an automated search on Craigslist to return any detected posts for them.) Took me 30 minutes to set up the first time last summer – I had to read the instructions a lot and figure I will get it down to 20 minutes with practice. Due to the frame giving it lateral rigidity, it tracks well and is surprisingly fast. Can store it in a closet or car trunk. Pic of mine below, plus link to the factory specs.
There is a 39 pound Current Designs Kestral 140 SOT Kevlar in the Paddling.com classifieds that could work for you. Looks to be in perfect condition. Only problem is it is in Knoxville Tn.
Unless the Carson WA location (just over the river from the OR side) has the 400 to demo, you’ll need to order one and wait a few months. Nelo is in Portugal.
My first ski was a 520 S, which I still own. I demo’ed the ultralight version of it when the dealer was in Orange County, CA. Didn’t want the slight savings in weight with added fragility, so I ordered the WWR layup. The 520 is rated by Nelo as 8 stability, out of a max of 10. I would agree that it is stable for someone with a bit of kayaking experience in sea kayaks—not rec kayaks.
Five years ago Sept. 2018, I bought a Hurricane Skimmer 128 in Venice, FL, and reviewed it on this website in 2020 after paddling it for two years. Seemed like a great boat. Nimble in the water, tracked well and light enough for me to lift it out of the water and carry it to the rack. I went to great lengths to take care of it, always freshwater rinsed, stored properly on a Suspenz rack, out of the sun. Exactly two months after my review, after a day on the water, I stood up on the deck to step out of it onto the dock. And my heel quite literally went right through it.
Contacted the dealer, fortunately it was still inside the warranty, barely. Lydia at Hurricane replaced it, took awhile because of COVID shipping drama, but I got another one from the dealer. Technician looked at the hole in the paper-thin hull and said I must have gotten a “lemon.” I hoped that was all it was.
Fast forward to this morning, spouse and I planned to go for a paddle. He steps off the dock and onto his mango Skimmer 140, lo and behold, his foot went right through the deck in almost the same spot as my original boat. So we took a closer look at my replacement boat, replaced July 2021. White stress ring in the plastic, around the front scupper (which is supported by a short section of PVC pipe glued inside there), barely discernible micro-cracks around the front scupper and also micro-cracks in the area where a person would stand while entering and exiting the boat (from a non-floating dock).
Sorry to say we won’t buy another Hurricane. They provided a good level of customer service both on this warranty issue as well as providing hardware later on. No issues dealing with Hurricane directly at all.
This review is an update from the original one, posted 2020.
I.had a Skimmer for a short time. No problems like that but I didnt keep it very long. Makes me wonder if they are cutting costs and now Pelican owns them.
No matter. Appreciate the effort. I’d like to think it was just poor manufacturing in the first case. But a second boat is now a brick, cracked in the same basic spot and the third one appears to not be too far behind. Hurricane has what appears to be some sort of very soft, flexible foam they use inside that area. There is no structural support at all.
Looking at the Eddyline kayaks now and wondering if they are better quality engineering.
I also had a Caribbean. The problem I had with it was the seat came loose from the hull on a beginner’s trip I was leading. I couldn’t understand why the seat kept sliding until I fell out in the middle of the lake. It caused a bit of excitement. Eddyline recommended a glue that worked and then I sold the boat. It looks like Eddyline has improved the seat since then.
I have owned 4 WS Tarpons and never had a problem but they are heavy. My first 2 were preowned 160 and the older models had seats that didn’t drain. The 3rd was a 140 . The 4th was a 160 that faithfully took me anywhere I had the skill to go.
I just sold it to a younger guy who could deal with the weight.
Okay, good to know. I admit I giggled a little bit at your story about going for a swim. Apologies.
I often paddle different areas of the state (Florida) with friends. Spouse bought me the Yakima ShowDown system so I could easily manage the boat on top of my FJ Cruiser myself. I need to stick to the lighter boats. I guess that means lighter build quality too, but not too many options I guess.
If you want serious quality and cost, and light weight look at Stellar.
The beginners with me were a bit concerned but the water was warm, I had on my PFD, and knew how to remount.
Back when I was first considering a lighter-weight boat, I did a lot of reading online (not a lot of in-person comparison options around here). So I was already leaning toward Eddyline, but Hurricane was also in the running. Then I saw some Hurricanes at a dealer, and they definitely felt flexy and flimsy, as I had read, and I decided to steer clear. Between the two of us we now have 4 Eddylines.
I’ve never paddled a SOT (well, we did have a little Sundolphin briefly, but it was awful), so I had no idea most people stand on them to get in (on). That surprises me. I assumed the method would be either wet-footing or sitting on the dock and scooting in.
I’ve seen more than a few fishermen around here standing on the decks of their ABS boats. There are quite a few of them down here in SWFL. Good to read about the Eddyline. I wish I had’ve seen the same information that you did and we wouldn’t be dealing with this. And I should have paid attention to that “flexy” but had no idea.
I have issues with my hips and my spouse has damaged knees from years of running, so both of us aren’t as flexible as we used to be. We use a floating pontoon system to nestle the kayaks on to keep them in place next to the dock while getting in and out. I don’t know if I can mention brand names in here but it is an excellent and safe solution. When in shallow water the normal way is to straddle the boat then sit into the seat and bring the legs in. If there are rocks around, same thing, get in from the water to protect the hull.
We have a stationary concrete dock. Sometimes a high tide will come almost right up to the surface and it is easy just to sit down put the feet in and scoot over the pontoon and over to the seat. No standing necessary. Other times the tide is pretty low and the reach can be as much as 2+ feet to even approach the boat. So the standing happens on the pontoons, then in go the feet and sit down quickly.
Honestly for a SOT it was a really nice handling thing. Lower to the water, tracking/steering/maneuvering was great even in a narrow mangrove tunnel with a following tide. Out on the open water on windy days it felt very stable to me and never dumped it. Easy for me to get loaded onto the top of my FJ Cruiser because it was pretty light.
I’ve reached out to Hurricane and have started the process. Spouse’s boat is headed for the landfill as we already know that kind of repair cannot be done. It’s the reason why Hurricane replaced my original Skimmer. Unfixable. But maybe the replacement boat can be reinforced somehow.
Hurricane has amazing customer service. They are replacing our boats with boats from another brand within the Big Adventures lineup, poly boats, not ABS. Paddled a handful a few days ago and found some good, fairly light choices. I am returning to a SiNK and spouse sticking with SOT. For now, as long as well live on a saltwater, tidal canal our safest option is to stick with what is safest for us.
I stand by what I’ve written about our Hurricane boats for every other reason though, perfect recreational boats for what we like to do.
