Any suggestions on a good high quality kayak
that has the MOST storage.
I currently paddle a Artic tern but on a recent
trip I couldn’t get all my gear in it with food
and water.
I’m thinking of taking a Mississippi river trip
and I like gear. I know many others have done
it but I like to bring the kitchen sink.
I’m 5 11 and 220lbs. Quality is also very
important, cost isn’t.
Thanks
conan
QCC-700
I used to think my my 17 foot Eclipse had a bunch of space, but the QCC has even more, and their hatches are big also.
First class quality, and they stand behind their yaks
Cheers,
JackL
Storage
You could try the Argonaut by VCP. I tried it and I found it to be way too large for me, but for someone who wants to carry lots of gear it would be ideal.
I agree with Jack
One of the reasons why I bought a QCC600 was because of the HUGE hatch size!
The more storage,
– Last Updated: Apr-26-04 1:20 PM EST –
the more windage and drag. I paddle a tern myself (original 18 footer). I could paddle out of it for two months unsupported but I'd want two reverse osmosis machines. I am a long distance backpacker. Learn to backpack and the tern will seem a freighter. But you want to carry stuff, so I will go on.
The q500 is a true freighter: huge hatches, about 120 gallons of volume and fast on flat water. On the other hand not my favorite boat for 3 foot whitecaps and 20 knot winds on your beam. I'd muh rather paddle a looksha 4 hv or any number of large boats but none is as large as a 500, which a fantastic kayak for flattish water tripping! I have owned one earlier in my paddling career. If I had bought a 700 I probably never would have sold it. The 700 might be a bit tippy for you, might want to check it out first.
Pygmy also offers an HV version of the tern.
Most Storage
Get a canoe!
Check out the…
CD Expedition and Extreme then there’s the Solstice GT XL at 127 US gal.
I don’t know why QCC won’t publish volumes…
Qcc used to publish soo much
data on their boats. All the hydrostatic data every bit of it! I loved the old site. They’ve gone for a bit slicker look now. everybody has got to eat.
Yeah
I will 3rd the QCC 700, also the new hatches are HUGE, what good is a boat that has little itty bitty storage hatches that make you pack in tiny bags!! The 500 even holds more gear. the only boat I have seen that has bigger hatches is my Tarpon 160.
Another QCC
backer here the 700 is great fast kayak with lots of room for packing. It has large hatches to make it easy to load and unload. If you are going for more than a couple of weeks the 500 is big enough to live in.
What does "everybody has got to eat."
Have to do with publishing data… Most people are buying a boat over the internet that they have not even seen… and they can’t publish common data?
got to eat
so got to put marketing before substance! I saw it every day in business-to-business sales. Even worse in consumer sales. For every one customer who is psyched to see the hydrodynamics figures, there will be a thousand who are inpressed with the slick web interface, american flags, etc etc. I’m like you: I just want a good boat, and QCC certainly has a place in that universe. I liked the old site better.
how much weight?
if you are carrying a lot in sheltered conditions then big hatches and fat makes sense,QCC500 is huge. I don’t see the need for a long boat if you aren’t paddling fast. Maybe a canoe would be a good idea.
QCC 500 Flatwater cruiser???
Well, I mean I don’t agree with the remarks about the QCC 500 being mostly for flattish water!! 
Like everyone said, its a great gear hauler, and fast! The most fun I ever had in my 500 was two back to back camping trips on Capers Island off the SC coast. Both trips, I had about 40 lbs of gear in the kayak. Trip#1 was beautiful weather, some wind, and a lot of in and out of the surf, both loaded and unloaded. Paddling out through 3 and 4 foot waves was great, as well as paddling through spilling breakers a mile offshore of the inlet between Dewees and Capers on a falling tide.
Trip#2 was hairier. Seatec and myself overnighted on a blustery weekend that threatened rain almost the entire time. The wind was blowing so hard that when setting up camp, Seatec was smart enough (after listening to the weather) to bring 1" x 1" x 2 1/2 ft long stakes for us to drive into the sand so we could tie our tents down. The VHF weather radio he had said winds were blowing sustained at 27 mph with gusts to 34. When paddling back, we talked to two other paddlers who were sitting on the beach waiting for the wind to die down so they could get back. While paddling with the wind coming from the side, I had to lean into the waves and periodically brace to keep upright while taking water across my chest. After a couple of miles of that, we turned downwind and ran through some HUGE boat wakes and more whitecaps.
My 500 handled superbly!!! The higher volume and stability (especially while loaded) made it a joy to paddle, especially in rough conditions. I arrived back at the takeout with a big smile on my face. Don’t think its just a flatwater cruiser!!
Tripp
That’s why there is more than
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one boat! I am not a fan; you are.
It's got a ton of windage and it's got a high back deck so it might well be a bit of a bear to roll. It certainly is rollable though. With 235 pounds of paddler in it I found it very hard to edge. Lots of work. Of course with a 13.5 inch deck height once edged you could hold it there ok. No complaints about the strength to weight ratio or workmanship either. Both about as good as they get.
Glad you like the boat.
QCC stats
My thinking is they pulled the hydrostatic info because they had to answer too many questions about it!!! VERY time consuming.
Also - the data they had, for the Q700 at least, were for a heavily loaded boat. Very mis-representative as almost no one paddles it that way. As they began to see it was not selling as a gear hauler but more as a day boat and racer - those numbers were not really of value.
That difference in users is also what has driven the various cockpit placements. Dead center was the original and intended to be paddled loaded - a fast expedition boat. The move 8" aft was for better tracking/balance at lighter loads but still fairly big paddlers (I think the 8" aft is great with skeg and my weight and have no trim issues), the recent shift 3" more forward was done in response to input from racers and lighter paddlers while still maintaining reasonable handling/balance - and also figures the majority will get the rudder (as they have so far - but this may be changing if recent posts here are any indication). The rudder mount drag issues have also been misconstrued as trim issues - so they have tried to shift the weight forward and raise the stern out of the water a bit to appease those who complained about the mount. That has not improved (right Swedge?) and I hope it was not the main reason for the move.
I also hope the new position is as good with skeg as the second version. My guess is it will need it a little more in wind - and will need a bit more skeg down to get same balance I get - but no big deal.
Ideally - they should offer all 3 cockpit locations and ask customers about intended use. There are good reasons to pick any of the 3.
P&H Quest
Check out the P&H Quest…Very High Quality Expedition Boat.
My brother has one and loves it!
http://www.phseakayaks.com/our-kayaks-quest
here is a list…
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It doesn't include QCC, but it does list many commercially available boats (it also provides cockpit and hatch dimensions):
http://www.havkajakroerne.dk/international/survey2004.html
The Current Designs Solstice GT XL at 511 liters seems to be the largest volume boat available in the US:
http://www.cdkayak.com/kayaks/comps/solsticegtxl.asp
In contrast, the Argonaut is "only" 345 liters and the Eclipse is about 375 liters.