Hello there, I just bought a 16' Touring kayak from a pawn shop and I'm not really sure what I've got here. I'm still kind of a newb to kayaking. It's definitely fiberglass or similar construction. The telling feature might be that the smaller round front hatch is offset on one side of center instead of being centered. Any ideas?
Here is another angle that shows the front hatch. I like the color blue, but I’d like something more visible on the water. I’ll probably paint it yellow or red. Hull is in excellent condition. Hatches need to be resealed. No rudder, so weathercocking is a concern. But it fits my large frame like a glove.
Finally put it in the water today It has a flat bottom and is very stable, straight, and fast. Weighs under 40 lbs and is 16’ 1" long and 23 1\2" wide. Very flat and wide bottom has no chine, keel, rocker, skeg, or rudder. But it still takes forever to do a 180. Just how I wanted it. I can stroke three times on one side before it starts to get off line. Real happy with it. Now I can paint the top of it and make it all purty.
custom/hand made? Back in the 80s and before, pretty much all kayaks were hand made, often by the user. I am guessing that this may be one of those.
The bulkheads it looks to have are a good sign. many of these hand made boats did not have, so if they did get swamped, they could actually sink. Bulkheads will trap air and provide floatation.
Other major safety factor you may want to consider would be to add deck lines. If you flip, the deck lines are what you would hold on to. Without them, it may be hard to keep hold and you could get separated from your boat.
