Hi everyone. I know a million people ask this question but I figure its good to get advice from people who know about paddling. Looking for a good kayak for tripping that is under 16 ft. with plenty of storage. I am 6 ft. 240lbs. Have looked at the jackson journey and the ws tsunami 145. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Mostly gonna be on lakes and slow rivers overnight camping.
can you go longer than 16?
Limiting the length but then asking for lots of storage could be an issue. To do this, you would need a wider boat. But wider boats don’t perform as well as narrower boats. And shorter boats also don’t perform as well.
So, how much storage do you really want? Ad what sort of performance do you want?
A canoe would easily fit your needs.
actually
the Tsunami 145 has about the same bow/stern storage volume as the Tempest 165, but since it is a huskier hull shape and has no day-hatch bulkhead in the way, it’s easier to pack for camping. Great big-guy boat for doing exactly what the OP describes; my buddy paddles one and we’ve been on week-long, 100+ mile trips. finding one for about a grand is not that hard.
location?
– Last Updated: Jan-08-12 2:08 AM EST –
If you are in the boise area i work at a shop that has those types of boats or access to them for you to demo.
Im about your size and paddle a necky looksha 17. Way fun boat, lots of room for gear and pretty fast.
Why under 16 feet?..
… You are a big guy and there are so many more options if you are able to consider longer boats (which will also better fit your criteria of storage).
boat
I have a Current Designs Whistler, it is 14’ 6" and has a capacity of 400 pounds. The length at the water line is equal to a couple 17 footers owned by people I paddle with, and it is as fast.
I LIKE THIS ONE
I LIKE THIS ONE http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J2O5VE/.tmd0c8-20 I’m close to your size…
Thanks
I drive a nissan sentra and i worry a longer boat will be harder to transport.
Consider WS Zephyr 16.0
I am similar size. Fits me great. Storage is not huge but pretty darn good. Lively for a big volume boat.
Durability
I have looked at the advanced element boats but worry about the whole inflatable thing.
Consider:
Delta 14
Delta 15
Delsyk Nifty 430
Thanks
Thank you everyone for your advice. Looks like im gonna have to go with a 17 ft.
You’ll have no trouble…
…transporting a 17 footer vs a shorter boat. My RockPool is maybe a couple of inches over 17 feet and my Mazda 3 sedan does fine with it.
As for transporting a kayak, I previously drove a 3800 lb awd Audi Avant (Audi speak for station wagon) and carried a 15 1/2 foot kayak on its side (J cradles). There were a couple of times when cross winds really tugged on my kayak and I ended up driving at very modest speeds and/or pulling over for a spell.
But then I parted with the Audi and got a sports car. Ended up with a second car for kayak transport (that would be the 2800 lb Mazda). On that car I carry my 17 foot kayak hull down and cross winds have yet to be a problem… big difference even though the car is much lighter and the kayak longer.
Another good point of using a smaller and fairly low car is that it’s so much easier getting your kayak up on the rack. This is especially true after a long day splashing around.
Anyhow keep us posted on what you end up with.
Answer
You might want to look at the Hurricane Tampico 140L. I have this yak and it works great for overnight paddles with gear and I’m a full size (voluptuous) gal at 5’11". 
Thanks again
Going with the ws tsunami 175.
You should also check out the…
North Shore Aspect. It is a great boat for a beginner, but will help you grow. You will not be limited in the future. It is great boat at 14’9".
Gavin
gavinrains@yahoo.com