My wife and I recently visited the workshops of Lincoln Canoe and Kayak in Freeport, ME where I fell in love with the Chebeague – 14’6" long, 24" wide, skeg, and weighing in at 33 pounds in Kevlar/fiberglass. I want a boat long enough to handle coastal kayaking (not major, long distance, open water crossings), plus my usual river and lake haunts, but that won’t give me a hernia lifting it onto my car’s roof, and this boat seems perfect (I couldn’t test it the day we were there). At my local dealer I tested the 12’6" Lincoln Quoddy Lite which is essentially the same hull as the Chebeague just 2’ shorter and was really impressed with how well it tracked and handled overall. I assume – and have been told by my dealer – that the Chebeague will track even better, etc. The boat’s lines look a bit “humble” but that doesn’t bother me since it paddles great. Any Lincoln owners care to comment, share your experiences? Thanks.
Schoodic
Did you see the new 16’ boat? I’ve heard great things about it and am looking forward to test paddling one next season.
Sandy is very knowledgable and neat guy.
OK, on Lincoln
Read my review of the Eggemoggin here at Paddling.net and other reviews on it there as well.
I found the unique ‘emergency hatch’ or ‘glove-box’ on kayaks in New Zealand last year. As far as I can tell Licoln is the only U.S. manufacture offering a kayak with this feature. It is in my estimation the greatest thing since sliced bread or the drop down skeg. Ever try to reach around to the day-hatch in rough seas? quartering seas? The ‘emergency hatch’ is accessible, quickly so, and Sandy is to be commended on its placement, depth, capacity, etc.
I will not buy another kayak until it has this feature----are you listening QCC??? Valley??? Current Design??? and all the rest.
Aside from this feature you will get a kayak (in the Eggemoggins case) that is 17’+ in length, hatches that are biggggggg enough to get a descent sized dry bag into. You will also get a kayak that DOES NOT weathercock. Total weight it 42-43ish pounds…this is why it (the Egg) has been on my last 5 paddles and the VCP Nordkapp is now with a layer of dust upon it…granted if I know I’m headed to rock hell or oyster city I’ll take the Nordkapp but for the lake paddling in TN,NC and 9 of 10 coastal paddles we do, the Egg rules.
Another thing you get is speed, very comparable to the Nordkapp and as fast as a NF Silhoutte from our very amateur comparisons.
Compared/contrasted to all the boats I own or have paddled the Egg is now deemed ruler of all.
But all is not perfect. This is a boat you must test fit. Though it has a keyhole cockpit it is smaller than most and for me at 6’1" it requires sitting on the deck and sliding the legs in (luckily the bulkhead in this section is glassed in and beefy almost anticipating this move). Once in the fit—again for me— is like a glove and the only a serious paddler would do is adjust/modify the position of the front bulkhead to minimize total water allowed into the cockpit area…this also presents a puzzle. With such a wonderful design you will be surprised to discover that the front bulkhead is foam.
In the near future I will have a local boat builder ( a lucky find in my area ) glass in place a pillar in which to attach a foot pump.
I was lucky to find a used Eggemoggin a Jersey Paddler and drove from Tennessee to pick it up.
Dont hesitate to ask any questions about this model from Lincoln.
Also, as you have seen, the company staff are approachable, friendly, knowledgeable, etc.
Bottom line, if I was in the market for any sea kayak I would buy another Eggemoggin first…QCC second since I dont have one of their boats.
Good luck with you boat buying decision.
QC
suggest you do a search on lincoln - our local dealer, one of the largest kayak dealers in new england, just returned ALL his stock due to gel coat breakouts - i.e., he was able, with a VERY light hammer tap, and with me watching, to open a hole at the aft end of the molded skeg of EVERY boat in his inventory - someone at lincoln was not getting cloth all the way down into that tight corner - - they could very well have corrected the problem - i hope so, as they are a nice boat to handle, both in and out of the water
Chebeaque
My first boat is a Chebeaque. Let’s see - she doesn’t have a skeg (wasn’t an option at the time - 6 yrs ago - and I didn’t want a rudder). She weathercocks mildly; in a really strong wind, I regret not having something, but that’s only been a few times.
Excellent initial stability, secondary stability is interesting! There’s definitely a “you’re going over” point on these boats that has caught everyone in my family at one time or another! However, I love this boat for taking out beginners because she’s roomy and non-threatening till you start learning to lean and brace!
She’ll take a pretty good load for weekend camping, though if you like real luxury when camping, you’ll need a bigger boat (or a partner with a bigger boat).
I have had no problem with QC (but she is an older boat), except that I don’t like the hatch system (has this changed? I don’t know), which is easy to close improperly and have minor leaking.
I have never rolled this boat (she’s been mostly a guest boat for the last few years). I’ve had her in the ocean a dozen times, but I’m not sure she’s the boat for dicey conditions. I would prefer a longer, leaner boat when conditions are rough. She’s definitely not that fast - one of the big reasons I moved to a new boat was the effort it took to keep up with 16 and 17 foot boats.
Hope this helps.
Jeanne
I owned a Chabeaque! 
…I loved my Chabeaque, but I needed a boat with a larger cockpit opening. I am 53 years old, and weigh 270 Lb. I spoke with Sandy at “Lincoln”, and he told me the boat was designed for a paddler up to 220 Lb, with a payload of gear up to 60 additional pounds. This gave it a gross capacity of 280 Lb. I have a bad knee, and when I was tired from paddling, my arms were just too tired to push myself up out of the cockpit. I needed a longer cockpit opening, so I could lift a knee to help myself get out.
… The Chabeaque was a dream to paddle, and would go in any direction I wanted it to go. I had no problem going straight when I wanted, nor to turn when I wanted it to turn. The boat performed well on calm water, or rough water on the Chesapeake Bay. My only complaint was that when I stopped paddling to drift, it would start to turn slightly to one side or the other. This was not a major problem.
… If I was younger, or lighter in weight, I would still have it. Oh, well, life goes on… The light weight was a big plus, and the hull was stiffer and stronger than the glass kayak I now have.
ENJOY!!
I paddle a QCC
and I put in an under deck pouch. Problem easily solved.I would not buy a kayak based on whether or not it has easily added features. The most important consideration should be hull design, volume, length, width…etc…
One other piece of advice from a beginner; buy the most kayak you can afford and believe you will grow into in a few months.
Thanks everyone for replies
I appreciate all the feedback. QC issues aside (I’ll check over any boat carefully before I accept it) I’m still a bit concerned about the Chebeague’s length – too short? One responder didn’t find it to be an issue and apparently loved the boat alot. Additional feedback and responses will be appreciated. Also, any suggestions for boats that meet my previously stated criteria in the $1800 - $2000 range would be appreciated.
Dougie
my daddy used to say:
…son, you’re gonna drive me to drinkin’ if you don’t stop paddlin’ that hot rod Lincoln!
Schoodic – I did see it
It’s a handsome looking boat. Didn’t paddle it --probably just as well since $3,100 is out of my range for now. I’m seriously reconsidering the Chebeague as some feedback on tracking and secondary stability has me wondering – maybe I’ll look at the Impex Montauk or Susquehanna. Longer boats, better rough water handling characteristics(?), better price.