I am considering getting a kayak from QCC. If anyone has paddled both of these kayaks would you please tell us what the biggest differences were?
Right off the top I would figure that the Q600X would be more manuverable than the Q700X but the Q700X would probably track better. Anything else?
You can order either a skeg or a rudder with either one. How do these boats perform in regards to skeg or rudder? Is one better than the other?
Thanks to anyone who lets me know what they know about these boats. Also could you please tell us what kind of layup you bought?
Thanks!
Bill
The 600…
– Last Updated: Apr-24-04 5:29 PM EST –
has the same hull design as the 700. The 600 is smaller,and geared to smaller paddlers ,and the ladies. I am 6'- 230 Lbs. ,and barely made it in a 600 cockpit,and had no room for my feet.In my 700 I fit very well,and my size 12's fit OK under the deck. I also have a 500,and have lots of room to stretch out ,and move around. On my 500 I have the old style rudder{Feathercraft},and on my 700 I have a skeg. I prefer the skeg over the rudder,but thats my opinion. I have had no leaks with the skeg,and no problems with the Feathercraft rudder. I very much dislike the Sealine rudder system,mostly because of the goofy looking blade in the air. I have paddled with a 600 pilot that had a Sealine ,and had all kind of problems{early version}. You should try a boat with a rudder ,or a skeg,and see which you prefer before ordering a QCC. My 500 is kevlar,and the 700 is fiberglass,and I like the fiberglass boat better,and it will run you $400.00 to save 5lbs.weight, with kevlar. My 700 even being longer, will out manuver the 500 with the rudder{hull design again}.The 600 handles much the same as the 700. Any more questions,my E-mail is on my profile. Good luck.
Happy Paddling billinpa
weight and size
CallPhil at QCC and give him some stats about your weight and height. He will recommend which boat is for you.
I am 6’2" and weigh 190 pounds…I bought the Q700 and am so very happy with it I could shout.
kevlar Q700
I got the rudder. I rarely use the rudder because I stay away from heavy seas and winds over 15MPH. The boat can be handled in those conditions with ease by just leaning and kicking your turns. The rudder is good tho when you want to drift down a mangrove creek and use your hands for getting a drink.
The Kevlar was worth it to me as I car top alone. carrying less than 50 Pound boat is no chore.
The Q700 should be faster than the 600 also because of the additional length.
700 with rudder is
my setup. i got a demo/repair kevlar/carbon, which is decently light and very well made. i paddle exclusively with a wing, with the intent of going fast, pretty much all the time, and i use the rudder essentially all the time. previous boat was a mariner 2 without a rudder, so i am completely comfortable paddling without a rudder. i think that a boat of this waterline paddles better at high speeds with a rudder than without- you don’t waste any time or speed ditzing around with excessive edging, sweeps, rudder strokes etc. i also find that the 700 keeps its trim better with the rudder, allowing better speed.
you can see where i’m coming from here. you may have different needs. i’m 5’10 185ish, and i feel just fine in this boat. actually, i have lost a few pounds recently, and the boat and i seem to be even faster- so don’t worry if you aren’t a really big guy.
the best paddler i know of with both the 600 and the 700 is 'seawave"- drop him an email and gets his opinion on both.
andrew
depends on you
I’m 5’9" at 190lbs and would pick the 600 for day paddling,it’s faster than me and I don’t need the volume of the 700. If I was looking at a long high volume boat then a rudder would be prefereable otherwise the skeg in the 600 is perfect.
Q600 or Q700
I have both a Q600X and a 700X. I paddled the 600 for a couple of years before I got the 700. I have hardly paddled the 600 since. The 700 is faster, yet still highly maneuverable. The 700 cockit is deeper, more comfortable, and allows me to more fully use my legs to drive each stroke. I am not a big guy – 5’11" 170 lbs. – but the 700 still handles fine without a load. If I were going to paddle an unloaded boat in high winds & severe conditions I might choose the 600; otherwise the 700 is where its at. For paddlers under 160 lbs who usually paddle with a minimum of gear, the 600 is probably a better choice.
Q700
Unless you’re very light weight (and even some small folks prefer it) a Q700 is not really any less manuverable - I would not use that as a selection factor.
Contrary to what you might think (or read here!) Cockpit opening size is the same. So is deck height. Rear deck is slightly lower on the 700 - and flatter - and has the paddle park groove. View from the cockpit is identical. Any extra volume is mostly at the ends. A Q700 is no more “high volume” than most 17-18’ x 21" sea kayaks - and less than many.
Feel is very similar in both - but I find the Q700 a bit more stable/smooth. Q600 leaves me feeling like I want a little more boat in the water (but not a huge freighter like the 500).
Until they do an upgrade on the 600 to give it the better rear deck of the 700 - I see no advantage unless you are under 150#.
Skeg or rudder? That’s too personal! I’m very happy with the skeg. Q700 doesn’t need a rudder - but some cross wind assistance is nice on longer paddles. Skeg handles that nicely. If you plan to race a lot - rudder might make more sense.
Had
a 700 with a rudder the sealine system. I did not have any rail problems on the rudder as some others have had. But I don’t like the Look of it and looks matter. I have a new 700 comming in a few weeks with a skeg. So I’ll know better than how it handles. The 700 is a nice kayak that moves along a fast pace. It tracks well and is not to hard to turn for a long kayak. I never paddled a 600 but here good things about them.
700 vs 600 cockpit and deck
The 600 deck slopes more steeply toward the sides, resulting in less room where your knees and thighs are if you are sitting in the diamond position. The 700 deck is boxier / maintains its height toward the sides.
Good to know
Been in both - but not at same time. With 9 1/2 shoes I wouldn’t have and issue or notice. Just like 700 better.
If you’re small the 600 might
– Last Updated: Apr-25-04 6:36 AM EST –
best suit you-I feel that a seakayak should fit you like a glove. On the other hand, I love the large cockpit of my Dagger for shoving stuff like my camera under my legs. So I have a kayak that fits me and one that doesn't! Oh and I have no problem with the rudder-I got it for paddling in large open water once in awhile.
I have the 700.
I am 5’-9" and 156 lbs, and it fits me fine.
I very seldom use a rudder, but want one for rip tides and strong quartering waves, so I got the rudder.
I hate the way it sticks up in the air, and I have already cursed it turning around in a tight overgrown with bushes creek.
The yak itself is the nicest and most responsive yak that I have ever paddled.
JackL
Q700
I have the carbon/kevlar model with rudder. The boat itself is fine, although not quite as fast as I expected it to be. I could do with less volume, and while I’m at it, I’d like a lower rear deck, as the high coaming impedes layback rolls. I don’t find it to be a particularly strong tracker, but conversely, is very maneuverable. In fact, it will initiate a turn with the slightest edge. I’m no fan of the Seal Line rudder. It sticks obscenely up in the air, and the clunky housing drags constantly in the water at speed. Raced today and cursed it the whole way. The jam cleat doesn’t want to hold the line when it’s wet, and it deployed at each portage where I didn’t want it to; nor would it stay up when stowed. It’s best served on a rec boat-lots of hype, and requires refinement. I’d personally like to see a simple kick up rudder with tiller bar steering.KIS-Keep It Simple.
cam cleat instead
I used that instead of the jam cleat on a Sealine installed on a wooden kayak,used a piece of webbing around the cam cleat to protect hands and retain a released line. The cam cleat is more secure without depending upon the spring in the rudder to pull it back.
well
All the QCC cockpits are the same size, so it depends on your body weight and size, as mentioned earlier the 700 is basically a bigger 600 for bigger folks, even though the cockpit is the same size. any way I own a 700 with a rudder, and will be picking up a 700 with a skeg.99% of the time I used my rudder as a skeg, So I got a skeg this time. If you are 230+ the rudder housing WILL drag in the water, which is why I went with the skeg on my new boat. As for maneuverability, well a 16’+ or 18’ boat aint going to be all that maneuverable no matter how you slice it, these boats are built for speed and long distance touring. They do respond well to sweeps, but if maneuverability is your goal get something short! As far as leg room the Bulkheads are placed according to your measurements. Ask Phil what boat you should get. And check out the web site too.
What is the difference between
– Last Updated: Apr-26-04 2:05 PM EST –
a cockpit and a coaming!? The coaming is the opening to the cockpit. The cockpit extends fron bulkhead to bulkhead.
All the stock Qcc coamings are the same but there is a bigtime difference between the cockpit size in a 500 and a 600. Like, you can get a very large paddler to fit in the 500 but not the 600
peter_k
It is because of the deck height ,and hull contour greatly differ between the 500 & the 600. The deck height of the 500 is 14.5",and the 600 12.5". I had no problem getting into the 600 cockpit,but the deck,and hull did not allow me to get my fat legs,and big feet in. Once in the 600 I could not find a comfortable way to place my feet,and the edge of the coaming cut into the top of my legs.If I just laid my legs on the bottom,and not put my feet on the foot pegs,I still had no room for my feet. I was afraid the same would happen with the 700,but if you ever met swedge,that answered my question.I also talked to Phil before ordering my 700 ,and he assured me that my size would not be a problem in the 700.
Happy Paddling billinpa
Thanks! I know the difference between
– Last Updated: Apr-26-04 7:05 PM EST –
a coaming and a cockpit! I'v owned a 5 and paddled a 6. Might get a 700 one day, might get a futura II first.
SIZE MATTERS!
IF YOU LIKE TO RAISE YOUR KNEES UP A LITTLE, THE 700 HAS ROOM. I HAD A 500 AND FOUND IT WAS JUST TOO BIG INSIDE FOR ME TO MAKE CONTACT WITH MY HIPS&THIGHS. THE 700 WITH OPTIONAL THIGH PADS WAS PERFECT. I ALSO FOUND IT HAD JUST THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF ROOM. THE SEALINE RUDDER HAS ADJUSTER HANDLES SO YOU CAN CHANGE THE FOOTPEGS WITHOUT CLIMBING OUT. THE RUDDER IS VERY EASY TO DROP AND PULL UP, NOT LIKE THE TWO ROPE ARRANGEMENTS. MOST OF THE TIME I USE THE RUDDER AS A SKEG. TURNING IS FASTER WITH THE RUDDER UP.
THE SKEG DOES THE SAME THING AS THE RUDDER. KEEPSTHE BOAT GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. IT IS ALSO DEEPER IN THE WATER, GOOD FOR WAVES! IT DOES NOT STICK UP IN THE AIR, SO THE BOAT LOOKS BETTER AND YOU CAN PUT IT IN A CANVAS BAG FOR STORAGE.
I HAVE ONE IN CARBON KEVLAR. THEY PUT A LITTLE MORE RESIN ON THE FLOOR TO SMOOTH OUT THE WEAVE OF THE GLASS. MORE COMFORTABLE ON BARE FEET.
THE 700 GLIDES BEAUTIFULLY. HOLDING 4 MPH OVER AN EIGHT MILE COURSE IS EASY AND RELAXED. THE BOAT IS ALSO VERY STABLE!! MY REQUIREMENTS WERE STABILITY, COMFORT, AND SPEED. I AM 225 LBS, ALMOST 60 YRS OLD, AND CAN’T ROLL, I CAN BRACE BUT RARELY HAVE TO IN THE 700. YES, I HAVE TAKEN THIS BOAT OUT IN TERRIBLE CONDITIONS WITHOUT WORRYING ABOUT IT.
SIZE MATTERS. IF YOU ARE 175 OR MORE, YOU WILL LIKE THE 700 OVER THE 600. THE COCKPIT OPENINGS ARE ALL THE SAME, BUT THE 700 HOLDS ITS DECK HEIGHT FURTHER TO THE EDGE OF THE DECK. MORE LEG ROOM! RUDDER OR SKEG IS UP TO YOU.