I have an Old Town 160T Kayak and would like to know if anyone has soloed the 160T with rudder and was able to use the rudder pedals? I plan on soloing this kayak only.
Know 2 guys
who have them. One has a rudder and he uses it both solo and with his kids. Hasn’t mentioned any problems. The other one doesn’t have a rudder and I have used it once by myself. Seemed to work good, but I was just getting into kayaks at that time and had nothing to compare it to.
If you are going solo all the time, just remember that those boats have huge cockpit openings and will let in a lot of rain/splash water. Other than that, tough as nails and good boats.
I have one
But with out a rudder. Paddling it solo is not really a problem, but it is a bit of a barge.
Boringly stable, very open, and on the heavy side.
160T Solo
Thanks for your response, at my age I need boring and stable and also room to get in and out of. I have been soloing a Dagger Sojourn canoe using double paddle and thought this would help me keep up with you yakers…So I went out and bought a used one with rudder, not sure a rudder is needed, but it is there so I want to see if I can use it solo. Thanks again
watch out for the weight
I have no problem soloing our 160. The only issue I have with it is that its a handful to roof load. Its heavy but more than that, its just plain big.
Solo mine all the time
I don’t have a rudder, and paddle solo all the time. Flat lakes and rivers. As far as 95 miles solo on a 5 day trip.
Be aware that with a boat so long, trim will be important. If you are sigificantly out of trim, you will have trouble. The rudder will help.
Going into wind/waves, put more weight in front to point better into the wind. Move the weight back to avoid weathervaning too much into the wind.
Avoid paddling in extremely windy conditions and in bigger waves.
160T Solo
Hi,Michigansnorkler, that is great 95 miles in 5 days, is good. Can you please tell the your exact location of the seat when you solo your 160T. I assume it would be middle of seat at center of Kayak. Thanks for your help.
Art
Seat Position
– Last Updated: Oct-13-06 11:17 PM EST –
Most of the time I sit in the rear seat, pushed slightly forward. This has several advantages.
First, it is much easier to make turns from that position. I can reach back and use the paddle as a rudder for correction strokes if needed.
With more weight in back, the pivot point of the boat is further aft. Any course adjustments from that position are easier and more effective than if I sit in the front seat.
And, going downriver, the boat will generally maintain position when you rest and just go with the flow. If you sit in front, the boat will want to turn around.
But, trim is important in wind and waves. Going INTO wind/waves for any length of time, I find it much easier to sit in the front seat to prevent weathervaning away from the wind. In fact, in strong wind/waves it can be virtually impossible to turn the boat into the wind/waves sitting in the rear seat!
But going WITH the wind or waves, it is better to sit in the rear seat for the same reason.
Just remember, the heavier and deeper end of the boat will try to stay put, while the lighter and shallower end will turn away from the wind/waves.
With the wind/waves off your beam, you'll often find a strong tendency for the boat to veer off course, either into or away from the wind/waves. Sliding your seat or shifting weight fore/aft even a little can make a tremendous difference in the effort needed to maintain course.
Michigansnorkler
Thanks for those tips, I paddled it for the first time this week and sat in the front seat at kayak center, did not have any trouble in flat water, but it makes more sense as you say to sit in stern seat pushed forward, and then that would allow me to use rudder pedals, thanks.
Art
I’ve a loon 138, its taken a bit of time
to find the best seat position. I’d assume the 160 has similarities. One might think that more midship would be beat, but too much surface of the kayak seems to be in contact with the water. All the way back tilts the bow to far up. Mostly, I find not quite 3/4 back is about right. Too far forward, it the bow plows into the water. If yours has the round rails, keep them clean and maybe oil with a silcone spray once and a while so you can slide the seat back and forth as you may need to.
Solo 160T
Thanks jerlfletcher, that is great tip, spraying the sliding bars, I thought it wouldn’t be good to have you seat sliding back and forth, I suppose I could make some sort of holder or wedge to keep seat stationary while paddling, but have the option to change it while paddling as well. Great!