We are paddling plastic single kayaks from Necky (Looksha IV and chatham 17). I consider those boats affordable ($1000 to $1500)and reasonable fast (5 to 6 miles/hour).
I’m looking for an affordable (plastic) Tandem Kayak that is as slim as possible: I fit our boats w=21.5" (with little room left) and about 16 ft long hoping that it would feel like my Looksha IV. I would like to use it primarily for exercise paddling on a calm lake … thus I want it to be as slim and fast as possible and don’t care about the storage.
Is there such a Tandem Kayak out there?
good luck
plastic-tandem-slim-fast— these words are never used in the same sentence in a tandem description.
The W/S Northstar is…fun. and loves rough conditions…but FAST? nope
steve
Aw, steve…
Surely you’ve got a couple of blem Tempests and a plastic welder? I thought it was all about Customer Service…
Any Recommandation is welcome
I guess, FAST is all relative … I’d love to have the option to paddle the Bullitt K2 … a more feasable candidate for my budget and setup is the Prijon Capri II (L=15’4"/w=27"/77lbs).
However, I was still hoping to find a tandem L~16’…20’ and w~21"…24" that would be FAST compared to all the recreational boats offered by the local dealer.
I found data for the W/S Northstar listed as L=18’6"/W=29"/94lbs. My guess is the Prijon Capri is faster. Also, for the boats I “touched” I thought the material of the Prijon boats is a good bit more sturdy than the W/S boats … but I might be all wrong!
Tandem Canoe
would be faster.
believe me
this has crossed my mind. Better yet would be a f/g Tempest 180 cut off behhind the cockpit ‘welded’ to one cut off just in front of the footpegs!
that’s basically what a NDK Triton is with an EXplorer.
steve
CLC
Take a look at Sport Tandem. It’s “affordable”, but not plastic.
http://www.clcboats.com/boats/chesapeakedb-trp.php
22" beam narrow enough? If you don’t want to build, buy a ready-made at cost from someone who just like to build.
Super Specs
The specs and the pictures are fantastic!!! My singles are 22" and 21.5" … I have to measure my cockpit openings and see if I even fit into 17". The complete kit seems to cost $1100+$114 shipping … that is affordable.
However, I live in Tallahassee, Florida and I’m not ready to built my own boat nore do I know anybody that had experience or interest in doing so.
Would you have contacts of poeple who would sell such a boat or would have the expertise to built such a boat and don’t want to keep it after or make a good profit for completing such a piece of art? Also in an ideal situation I would like to have a chance to trie the boat…
I love the lines of this Tandem … but I would not know how to get one.
CLC
There’s some info on the CLC tandem in this thread:
http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=654666#654770
CLC can help you find owners & builders in your area – just call or email them.
Here is one
CLC has a classified section. One Sport Tandem for sale for $1200. Not sure if it is still available.
http://www.clcboats.com/boatsforsale/class_search.pl
I am goinf to demo the Bullitt…
in early June.
I’ll report back with our assesement.
Cheers,
JackL
Boreal Designs Esperanto
I paddled this Canadian tandem and thought it was one of the snuggest fitting plastic tandems out there. Speed and glide were pretty good too.
http://www.borealdesign.com/_en/kayak.php?id=14
HELP needed to sort candidates
Thank you for all the tips! This fare I have 3 candidates for a plastic tandem:
http://www.borealdesign.com/_en/kayak.php?id=14
http://www.riotkayaks.com/v3/fw_polarity.asp
http://217.160.65.46/Prijon_English/prijonprodukte/freizeitkajaks/capriii.html
Price and availability aside (I have no easy access to touch or test paddle any of these 3 boats) I have no real idea which boat is better (as FAST as it gets) for me. My guess is: ‘the longer the better’ but since width and weight are also going up I’m not sure!? When I tested singles I usually felt best in the boats that where the tightest fit (width and depth).
I appreciate any help from more experienced paddlers or anybody that had paddled those boats … the reviews are sparse on those models.
Where are you located?NM
location, location, location
I’m living in Tallahassee, Florida 32310
There is one relevant dealer in town: The Wilderniss Way (now they also carry Necky boats) …
When I tried and bought my single boats I went down to Tampa: Sweetwater Kayaks, etc. … these places are The Kayak Heaven compared to Tally. If I’d live down there I would probably already own a fleet of Kevlar boats.
Weight
Thought I could offer you a demo on my Excursion.
I wouldn’t consider Borealdesign. It’s just too heavy.
Prijon Boats
I looked at the data listed for plastic tandems from Prijon:
excursion: l=17’/w=28"/g=86lbs
capri II: l=15’4"/w=27"/g=77lbs
The local dealer said that the excursion “is a beast” compared to the capri. That’s why I switched why I chose the Capry for my list of candidates.
The Boreal Esperanto is so much longer 19.5’ not much wider w=28.5" but heavier96 lbs … I thought it should be a good bit faster?
Yes
Excursion is indeed a beast, but rock solid stable, getting about 4 mph crusing speed. To avoid upgrading your boat in the future, consider Yukon KII Sport (very light composite). (See another thread about composite boat not expensive) Landis Arnold almost sold me one before I got a CLC Tred Avon.
30 miler
Ann and I paddled a Necky Amaruk tandem 30 miles in 6 hours for an average of 5mph. No current. No wind. Lots of boat wakes.
Our only problem with the Amaruk (and it may be that our combined body weight is the cause) is that it plows thru waves rather than rising up and over. Very wet ride into the wind.
We are both Prijon fans and own Prijon Kodiaks that we race but we had to pass on the tandem offerings.
fast plastic tandem
Yes there is a fast plastic tandem. It is called a Riot Polarity. The hull is a bit odd looking but it seems to work. I have owned one for two years now. It is 26" wide 16.6ft. long. I have paddled it with a few non paddlers in the bow and many a person in a single has yet to keep up. What is really surprising is that it can turn with the best of them. Singles included. Though they are not that common one may be worth searching for. They are not that expensive as I bought mine for $1295.00 from Riverside Kayak Connection just south of Detroit. Hope this helps.