Necky Manitou or Tsunami ?

Deciding between a Necky Manitou 14.4 with skeg or a Wilderness Tsunami 14.



Use for mostly flat water creeks and small lakes. Iam 5’8" 170lbs, strong upper body weight lift often. If i can demo both i will but iam not sure if thats possable. If its not which would you pick. Not into any overnight excursions just day long trips.



I was able to rent a Necky Manitou but the skeg was broken so couldnt put it down but it didnt seem to need one. I was able to get it to 7.3 mph with my Bending branches 230cm Sunrise GS paddle. Not a racer but just wanted to see how fast i could get it going. Measured speed with handheld Delorme pn-20 gps. I liked the boat just wondering if i would like the Tsunami better. Necky is less money new one on clearance for $899 at store not to far from me.



Yes I realize demoing both would be best. Not sure what the Tsunami cost as it says “call” under price.

Dagger Alchemy…
Sweet boat, check it out…

I have a Manitou 14, GF has

– Last Updated: Sep-11-11 12:07 AM EST –

Tsunami 140. I don't paddle her boat very often, (mine is a 14 from maybe 5 or 6 years ago, her boat is same age). Personally, I like the skeg over the rudder, and I like the resulting solidity of the foot pegs. The Necky is slightly narrower and I believe slightly more maneuverable. I have to say, she loves her boat. Others here may suggest boats in the category that are even a touch narrower. Personally I don't think the Tsunami is worth any extra money -- that's just me. Just for full disclosure, we both have since purchased longer narrower boats for lake paddling -- Eddyline Fathom and Fathom LV.

Edited to add: I'm not sure about the current versions, but I think the thigh braces on the Tsunami are easily adjustable, a nice feature; but I have to say, I haven't missed that feature on my Manitou (but I did demo before purchasing, so if I didn't like how it felt, I would not have bought.)

Manitou or Tsunami or?
You might consider the Perception Expression 15, same MSRP as the Necky Manitou and 15 ft with skeg.

use what you can test and like
Did you like the Manitou? If it worked for you, go for it. For most people, the difference between these boats is pretty small, More important is to make sure that whatever you buy works for you, which you do by paddling the boats for decent amount of time. Sounds like the boat did work for you.

Necky is fine!
I agree with Peter. I was able to demo quite a few differnt brands including several Necky’s and Tsunamis and ended up with a Necky a couple of years ago, but mine is the Zoar Sport which is similar, although heavier. We also have a Perception Carolina (12). I rarely ever use the skeg and hate lugging around the extra weight. We rented a pair of Tsunami 14s in Florida a few months back. While others here may notice differences, I found them to be slight. However, the Tsunami 14 wasn’t as agile.

For your paddling needs if you are comfortable with the Necky you will enjoy it and not grow out of it too quickly. My deciding factor with both of mine was price. I kept watching Craigslist until I got a great price on both. $425 for the Necky with a lot of accessories accessories and $350 for the Carolina with a so-so paddle.

Thanks all
I went out today and got the Necky Manitou 14. The price was right at $899 brand new still in the wrapping.Its actually 14’ 4 " but its only 49 lbs so that seemed just right. They have updated the hatch covers from the one i rented and also have larger thigh? braces. Now i just have to get a better paddle but that will have to wait till next year as iam broke now.

Good deal!
Although we own two Tsunami models (140 and 145), the Manitou 14 is a very comparable kayak. You got a good touring yak for a great price.



Enjoy!

Congratulations!
You’ll be very happy-- congrats!!