While we’re on the subject of shorter people, what boats are fast, nimble, with hatches and a skeg? I weigh 120 #, with a neat little Sonoma 10, and cannot keep up with the big guys. Thanks!
Ten Foot Is Pretty Short…
Just think about it. A 16’ sea kayak is 60% longer than your Sonoma.
I have a 13’ boat and I find it keeps up with 16’ boats OK as long as the pace is casual, but if someone in a 16’ boat is pushing it, he will leave me behind…
But if he does I will take my 18’ boat on our next trip…
Faster…
CD Slipstream
QCC 600 (not sure about the skeg, guys)?
for a few…
Check out the
P&H Vela. It’s a well built, quality kayak.
Fast too!
Just Do A Search
on small paddlers. You going to find tons of recommendations. In fact, there is a similar thread right now on related topic.
Put it this way… Any touring boat is going to be faster than your Sonoma. How long do you want to go? How much “horsepower” do you have? Any upgrade to a touring kayak around the 16’ range will probably be fine for your next boat. You can go bigger but why push all that extra volume unless you planning overnighters/expedition. Most folks get a high volume boat thinking they’re going to get out there for days on end. In fact, they go out maybe a week a year at most, if that… The rest of time, they would be better served with a lower volume boat that performs better with just the paddler and enough gear/lunch for the day.
sing
Wilderness Systems Piccalo
It is a poly boat that will fly with a small person. No hatches but if you want speed on day paddles it is great. You can also find them cheap.
It is an unusual boat because it is a scaled down sea kayak unlike short recreation boats. You will love it and the guys will hate it because they won’t be able to keep up in their $3,000 boats.
Petite kayaker
The WS Piccolo is certainly worth a look. My 11 year old daughter, at 78 lbs, can get away from me and stay away if I’m in a rec boat (Loon 138T or 160T). If I’m in my Capella, she can match my speed but not endurance.
Skeg
Yeah, QCCs have skeg option.
Q600 decent choice for an all around boat with speed.
Only knock is the high rear coaming if you like to do layback rolls. This and the other similar thread have some better options in that regard. If it’s not an issue - -the Q600s hard to beat.
Fast boat for smaller paddler
Try an Impex Mystic…I love mine!
Valley Avocet worth a try if you
– Last Updated: Jun-08-04 11:53 PM EST –
can get access. They make it in plastic and composite. P&H vela too (composite only). Avocet is very nimble and reasonably fast. Is this for the sea? I've never paddled in the tempests or chatham but they are nice boats from what I hear (higher volume than the first two).
The Q600 is also definitely worth a look. Very fast for its length if it is like the other QCC boats, (I cannot fit well into a 600 but spent a good bit of time in a 500 and a quarter hour shoehorned into a 600 so I do not really have a say on it). Not a boat coming fron a designer famous for rough water design but has a ton of speed for its overall length and excellent strength to weight ratio.
All of the reccomendations I have seen on this thread are well worth taking the time to check out if you can. I do not know if the piccolo uses a skeg.
Another knock or two…
For a small person the 600 cockpit has to be redone (moving the seat and adding foam).
Also thir hatches leak if the yak gets upside down.
cheers,
JackL
ditto the p&h vela
i’ve seen a petite woman with one who can easily pace the guys
Tell 'em…
Tell the big guys to get into your Sonoma and you swipe thier long boat for a bit. Make 'em work. If you are looking for suggestions, my wife uses a Currituck or a Montauk when she teaches. The fit on the cockpit is going to be of specific focus for you, but if I have a kid (or adult kit) on one of our programs get out of bounds my wife seems to really enjoy zooming after them to get them back into line.
See you on the water,
Marshall
http://www.the-river-connection.com
P&H Vela, Easky, SIrius
the vela is a great boat. If that only comes in composite (i think it might, but I could be wrong) you could check out the Easky and the Sirius too. ANything made by P&H is a high quality boat.
Also worth a look
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WS Tchaika Pro
CD Squamish
Eddyline Falcon 16(used only - discontinued)
Lots of prior discussion in the archive.
THANK YOU!!!
My list now has ten boats on it to check out sometime this summer as I’ve taken copious notes. Appreciate all of your thoughtful input on this thread as well as the daily humor you provide on many of the threads.
I want to win a race somewhere sometime next summer…then again, it might well be just a sprint. We’ll see. Great paddling to all of you!!!
P&H - where?
I’m in central PA - and I’m having trouble finding a P&H dealer that actually stocks boats, for example the Eskea. I am within driving distance of NYC, NJ, MD, DE, Norhern VA? I would really like to demo a boat. The P&H website wasn’t terribly helpful.
Vela Would Fit You
well and it’s a great boat. But I thought you weren’t interested in a FG right now… The Easky, I think, would be big on you.
sing
petite paddler
My wife, 5’3", 95 lbs, paddles a Perception Shadow 16.5 and has no problem keeping up with men in similar expidition kayaks. And the cockpit is made for the smaller paddler, too!
Jersey Paddler
Jersey Paddler sells P&H’s, they are in Brick, NJ
which you can mapquest…
www.jerseypaddler.com
Jay