Looking for a performance kayak

Simply not true. I learned the my rolling and bracing skills with my Cape Lookout. I then took these skills and refined and applied them in different boats in different venues.

sing

2 Likes

A kayak is not a boat that you get into, itā€™s an extension of your body.

Ilan, you have barely started kayaking compared to many here, havenā€™t gotten a roll yet when some like me have lost it and gotten it back more than once, have apparently no time in waves or more challenging conditions like tidal races or whitewater.

I strongly suggest you pass on lecturing anyone here about exactly how a kayak should fit.

7 Likes

Actually what is really interesting is that Ilan has now registered a ā€œLoveā€ to two of my most critical comments. Including the last.
I smell a troll and am out of here.

1 Like

Indeed. I suspect this isnā€™t this posterā€™s first incarnation here.

3 Likes

Shades of Pammyā€¦ LOL!

Again, time to drop the ā€œgrey thingieā€ type talk that gets nowhere. :upside_down_face:

sing

3 Likes

At one time in the distant past when there were far fewer kayak designs, skegs were more common in British built boats and rudders in North American built boats. Then there were the traditionalist that declared that having either was a sacrilege.

Regarding rock gardening, I would think that a rudder would be far likelier to turn or kick up if it hit a rock than a skeg. If a kayak with a skeg hit a rock while being moved sideways, that damage would probably be severe. If it was merely forcibly pushed up, there is a good chance that in many boats the cable would be kinked.

I very rarely use the rudder on my boat due to how my boat handles in wind, but prefer it because it is versatile, canā€™t be jammed by that perfect pebble on the beach, and doesnā€™t take up room in the rear hatch. Many people are perfectly happy with a skeg. Both work well for what they were designed to do.

Realizing itā€™s a personal preference some manufacturers now offer a choice. I have seen boats with both.

2 Likes

Fit is very personal and very customizable. Sometimes you find a boat that fits perfectly and youā€™re good to go, but more often one must find a boat that fits reasonably well and customize it to their personal taste. One of the reasons I mentioned the Dagger Stratos above is its very good factory outfitting. It provides a great starting point and one can make small modifications to get the perfect individual fit. I know you think itā€™s close to your Old Townā€¦but specs only tell a small part of the story.

1 Like

Absolutely :ok_hand:
And I was looking at customization first.
But since Iā€™ve decided to go for a new kayak I feel free to get a lightweight, narrower and shallower for easier paddling and rolling . The first boat I was looking at was the Delta 15s:
15ā€™x22"
11.5" cockpit depth front
8.25" cockpit depth stern
Weight 44 lbs
And it cost less than half the price of a composite boat.

I guess you are right. Turner Wilson from Kayak Ways told me the same thing about Delta. This means all ā€œthe best kayaksā€ lists out there are rigged. Thatā€™s too bad.

Iā€™m still dreaming about a Greenland kayak. Iā€™ve found Johan Wirsen, who designed the Tahe Greenland kayak, has moved to form his own company. It is now called Ilaga (ā€œfriendā€ in Greenlandic) under Rebel Kayaks. No dealers in Canada though. If I understand correctly, When Johan left Tahe, they created Zegul and changed the Greenland kayak design. Since 2014, the Tahe Greenland series is not the original design of Wirsen.

Can you tell me more about the Ellesmere CapeFear?
Boreal Design has many dealers around here.

Iā€™ve gone through many kayaks and like to try something new, so I sell the current kayak and get a new-to-me used kayak. Of the many I sold, the Ellesmere was perhaps my favorite. That model was from before Boreal Design moved to new ownership, so I donā€™t know if the design stayed the same. Itā€™s a great kayak (skeg).

1 Like

Yes, you are absolutely right rsevenic! Used is the best way to go, especially when you are a beginner like me. The fact that I think a Greenland style kayak is my dream kayak might as well turn out to be just a dreamā€¦ I am aware of that. That is why I considered the Delta 15s as well. I am looking for used kayaks as well.

So after a few months of reading and asking lots of questions, I think Iā€™m out of the woods now.

  1. The line of kayaks that corresponds with the features Iā€™m looking for is a low volume hunting kayak aka ā€œGreenlandā€ kayaks.

  2. As far as I know, thereā€™s only one option commercially available: Rebel Ilaga but it is manufactured in Poland and there are no dealers in Canada. This is an irony because these types of kayaks were originally used in Canada and East Greenland

  3. As mentioned a few posts above FIT is a prerequisite for paddling. Even more so for rolling. Luckily, Rebel does offer this kayak in 3 sizes:
    Naja - small
    Ilaga - Medium (paddler weight: 110-180 lbs)
    Greenland T - Large

  4. Since Rebel has no dealers in Canada, I had to continue looking and asking questions. The more I look and the more I ask - the more I learn. I now know, that your best option is to build a kayak or to find someone who can build one for you. This way you can get a kayak to fit your body exactly. Something that a commercial kayak is not able to do. A commercial kayak will never fit perfectly, it can only get close. A commercial kayak is always a compromise, not only in fit but in many other aspects ie. the shape of the cockpit. The reason for that, of course, it is a commercial product. It has to make a profit, thus, has to fit to as many paddlers as possible, hence, it will fit no one perfectly. Only a custom built kayak can do that.

As a result of not finding a commercial kayak Iā€™m now having built one that will perfectly suit me. No need to import, ship, pay tax at the border, pay duty (because it is manufactured outside North America). It also reduces the environmental impact and benefits the local economy and people. So itā€™s a win-win-win to all. And it weighs around 30 lbsā€¦

1 Like

Who is your builder?

1 Like

https://orcaboats.ca/kayak/

2 Likes

Nice. Will want to see pictures when you take delivery :wink:

2 Likes

It looks like youā€™ve already committed, but Boreal Design in Montreal has a used Zegul Greenland C-Core:

In Canada ; Eastern Outdoors sells Rebel Kayaks

Iā€™ve contacted two Outfitters in Ontario and Quebec. Both said they do not ship. Too risky, they said.

But it turned out for the better. I will now have a better fit, lighter kayak manufactured right here. It really is a much better choice than to purchase a commercial kayak made in Poland and designed by a Swedish designer based on the design of the Inuit who happened to live next doorā€¦