Q's about Outfitting and Brands....

Advice
#1

I have noticed a few things in my shopping around looking at a few different brands of kayaks and have come up with a few questions. Although I have been paddling for over a year (in kayaks…much longer in canoes) I still have limited experiences with various brands.


  1. I have noticed that Dagger/Perception tends to have wider cockpits than Necky, without exactly ballooning the width of the boat as a whole. I have had problems getting into narrower boats (Looksha IV, Elaho HV) because I am a bigger guy than most (6’4, 240ish). Is there any reason that the cockpits are wider? Are there disadvantages to this?


  2. I have been looking around at some smaller rec boats that would be fun in the narrower midland rivers here in SC (like the Catalyst 13.0, or Acadia). Problem is, there are no thigh pads and I would like to be able to roll my kayak and have it perform as much like a sea kayak as possible. Is it possible to outfit a rec kayak with some sort of thigh braces to enable me to do that?



    Thanks.
#2

Keep looking.
There are lots of kayaks that will fit you without resorting to a rec kayak. I don’t personally like this boat but a Sealution in the large size would definitely fit. And there are others that I am sure other members can tell you about.

#3

I know of boats that fit…
I’m not purely resorting to rec boats just for fit. I fit fine in a Necky Zoar Sport, and would easily fit in some of these Dagger and Perceptions (Charleston/Carolina…ironically where I live).



I was just looking for something that might be a bit better suited for the narrow river passageways that I could outfit with thigh braces for rolling and whatnot.



I’ll likely get a Dagger.

#4

Take a look
Or better yet, demo a Wilderness Systems Shaman.



12.5 feet. Nicely maneuverable when edged. Nice thigh braces. Wide cockpit.

#5

Thigh braces

– Last Updated: Jul-22-04 4:46 PM EST –

You can swap thigh braces between boats. I put Perception whitewater thigh braces in a couple of touring kayaks with a bit of cutting and bolting. Perception used to make different sized interchangeable thigh braces that worked well for this. It takes some poking around at a dealer to see what might work.

Another option would be to glue in foam braces, maybe with a backing plate for support.

Wide cockpits are only a disadvantage if you're a narrow person.

#6

Prijon Kadiak
might be the perfect yak for you.

#7

Eddyline Merlin?
Nice no-rudder boat.