I am deciding between the pamlico 100 (wilderness systems) or the heritage featherlite 9.5? Anyone have any sugestions (or even a comparison)
Dont plan on fishing, a lot of hanging out on lakes and slow rivers.
SM
WS is twice the boat
IMHO the Pam 100 is twice the boat; better seat, better pegs, hatch, glide, speed…if the price is anywhere near the same I’d jump on the Pam 100.
I have a Heritage Featherlite 9.5 and it is indeed a good little entry level recreational kayak, but not IMHO in the same league with the WS Pam 100.
thank you
Your advice was strong, teamed with the fact that the pamlico is $60 bucks cheaper, I can get out on the lake as early as tomorrow.
thanks for your time
Pamlico
I don’t have a 100 but I’ve got a 135 tandem that I convert to paddle solo on occasion. It’s a good little boat…comfortable seat, tracks well, tough poly hull. I’ve demoed the 120 model and I found it didn’t track nearly as well…of course, that was only on a 10 minute demo. You should be able to make it do whatever you want with a ittle practice. Unless they’ve changed recently, none of the Pamlico’s have drain plugs. The wide rec cockpit catches a lot of paddle drip and water off my shoes when getting in and out. Requires a little extra time to bilge or sponge out at the end of the trip…a minor gripe, I know.
add a drain plug
it’s a problem with all these rec boats, once they fill with water they submarine. I have several rec kayaks that I use for guest boats and I add a drain plug. They cost $12 and it takes about 15 minutes to install. If the kayak has a bulkhead as in Pam 100 I install the drain plug just forward of the bulkhead and on the top deck near the side. To empty water I position the kayak with the stern downhill so water runs to the bulkhead then lay the kayak on its side for the water to run out the drain plug.
Some rec kayaks come with a drain plug in the tip of the stern but that’s a pita because you have to stand the kayak up to drain it. It’s easier to stand it up to drain if you do it in knee deep water. The force of the water inside the hull will push water out the drain plug even though its still submerged. Then just keep lifting on the kayak as the water drains out and when the drain plug reaches the surface all the water will be drained out. This way you don’t have to horse a flooded kayak out of the water to drain it.
in a big rec tandem like the Pamlico 145T which I outfit as a solo, I install air bags under the front and rear deck so the kayak will float if it flips. If I’m camping in it I replace the air bags with dry bags and I leave lots of air in the dry bags for flotation. Even an inflated paddle float helps keep the kayak from sinking.
A way to get most of the water out of a rec boat by yourself is put one end on a midstream boulder or on the bank and lift your end higher, then lower, then higher. The water will run back and forth and most of it will splash out as it runs by the cockpit. In a big tandem shake the kayak from side to side as if emptying a canoe without taking it out of the water. Two people can do it much easier.