RE: Mostly about the…
Certainly a highly skilled paddler can likely confidently handle most any boat in most any conditions.
However, I am not a 5 star paddler. I am only an intermediate (3 star working towards 4). I have been in my Aquanaut in similar conditions as I described and found the boat better mannered (more predictable) and easier to handle than the Romany.
BTW: on the day on Naragansett Bay to which I referred I was paddling with a 5 star trained paddler (veteren of the MIKCo October 2001 training) who was a god send. Even he found that he had less control of his Explorer than at anytime in his memory.
RE: Mostly about the…
I do not disagree with you, it certainly is differences between the boats. I just wanted to say that in my opinion the skill of the paddler are the most important, and most serious sea kayaks can be paddled in rough conditions with a good boater on board.
The difficult thing about kayaks is to explain my wife that I always need just one more:-)
Great Thread
I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s input on this thread. I think Evans best encapsulated my thinking about a boat’s rough water performance. If I just paddled on calmer waters, I would want a kayak that has very lively handling and challenges me. But in rougher waters, I don’t want to be challenged by the kayak, only the conditions. I don’t want to be thinking about the kayak. I want predictability and seamless transitions, in short, I want a boat that inspires confidence and makes me feel like I’m a better paddler than I actually am. Now based on a paddler’s height, weight, skill level, technique and preferences, the appropriate rough water boat could vary hugely. It’s not about British vs. American, it’s about what works best for you.
Sometimes it is the boat that makes it!
This is a great series of posts.
In my 25 years what I see is the paradox of sometimes it is the “boat that disappears under you” that allows the novice to expert to progress, and sometimes it is the boat that gives one the “oh no” feeling that helps novice to expert to progress. Both are valuable to assist with the progression. It does appear true in many, not all cases that as one progresses up in skills the boat matters less, and skills, judgment, mental tranquility, and unconscious adaptabilty to body, boat, and blade matter more.
Still, back to Antarctica, or being surf rangers we find we want that boat that allows us to become one with it for dealing with the best and the worst.
Cheers all this holiday, grateful for all we have.
evan
and sometimes…
the wiggly boat in calm begins to make sense and calm out in wiggly water.
Some boats you don’t like in a pod demo are different animals offshore.
Round and round we go…
I love my Mariner Express.
I don’t have nearly the same amount of time in the saddle nor do I have more than a pittance of experience with many of the boats paddled by many of these other lifelong paddlers but I have found a boat I love to paddle in rough conditions as well as across long distances.
At 215-220ish I am too big to fit into a Mariner coaster or I would have bought one and nearly too big for the Express Sea Cruiser I own but I make do with it. 
I inquired about a Tsunami x-15 but the Tsunami folks were unable to coax the $3500 from me. I bought the Express instead. I am glad I went with the Mariner. The boat is a joy to paddle when the wind and waves are present. Some of the most fun I have ever had in this boat has been trying to surf in medium size surf (3-5 feet). I have had the boat in much bigger surf but admittedly I was way beyond my abilities and far beyond what the boat was designed to do.
For me, this boats handling characteristics are hard to find in sea kayaks of similar proportions. It is reasonably fast on the flats and pretty well mannered in rougher water. A pretty nice compromise for a guy like me that cant afford more than one sea kayak.
It’s pretty hard to find a boat that turns like this one (no rudder needed) and can still travel effortlessly at 4 knots for long periods. That is why I love this boat. I can turn it easily and make it do what I want it to do in the conditions I like to paddle in.
I like to paddle the ocean, lakes, and up to class 2 rivers in this sea kayak.
Calmer v. Rougher Wtr Boats
While this thread didn’t really start out with this thought in mind, after assessing the talents of the boat and the paddler there is still the question of what your preferred mode is going to be when you are out there paddling. That is, does it ring your bells to usually be very actively engaged, go maybe shorter distances and do a lot of off-balance activity dueling with the water? The something like a Pintail, which is about manuvering much more than going straight, would be a great boat.
Or do you want to do that sometimes, but most often would prefer to go out, paddle from place to place and be able to think about shooting pics of birds and enjoying the water in a more relaxed manner? Than a boat that is more about tracking but is still reliable at handling dimension would be the better idea.
While my Vela does fine in nasty stuff and can be a lot of fun, for a long day trip on bigger water I would usually take the Explorer LV instead. The longer the trip, the less I want to be thinking about the boat.
Different expectations
A Pintail is not fast and it’s not meant to be. If that’s what turns you on, you’ll never be happy with one. OTOH, if you find yourself playing in rocks and rough water, a long, hard tracking boat like a QCC700 is a liability, as you can’t maneuver it fast enough. It’s a matter of choosing the right tool for the job. I don’t paddle my Pintail when the day’s objective is to cover any significant distance, as that’s not what the boat is designed for, unless you want to do it at 4 knots or less. Likewise, I wouldn’t choose a 700 or similar boat if my objective for the days was “rock gardening”.
Obviously
No one has said otherwise. Take out the rocks though - and you might be surprised about the longer waterline boats in the rough.
No way!
The rocks are where the fun is!
Might have to try that…
… in one of your boats!
Actually, my X-1 would be a good rocks boat - just don’t have any rock to play in. 