sea kayak for small paddler (woman)

That makes sense to me.

Water Field Kayaks
I own a Qaanaaq 512 SS.

Keep in mind that the 512 SS and Trans-Am SS are very narrow kayaks. They also have very slanted chines, so the waterline is narrower still.

At my weight (165lbs) I sink the smaller 512 to about an inch of freeboard. At your weight, you won’t sink the Trans Am very deep, so you might be talking about a waterline width of around 17.5-18 inches only.

Since these kayaks are designed for rolling, they don’t offer much in the way of initial stability. My wife is around your size and is unable to keep my 512 SS upright when sitting still. The Qaanaaq series takes a little getting used to.

Impex, in theory.
I don’t know of the extent, if any, of dealer base for the renewed Impex brand.



It’d probably be easier to find the kayak that the Montauk was modeled after, the North Shore Atlantic LV. More akin to a standard Avocet. In fact I know of an orange and yellow one in Hyde Park, NY that would like to find other waters. :wink:



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

fb.me/theriverconnection

Impex
has a former dealer on Long Island now with a demo day coming up in May. Guess the dealer network will be restored.

Current Designs Rumour??

Sweet Water Kayaks

– Last Updated: Mar-05-16 1:11 PM EST –

Sweet WaterKayaks just updated their used inventory. Lots of nice kayaks. Shop is in St Petersburg, a couple hours north of Naples. It is a nice shop, with great people.

https://sweetwaterkayaks.wordpress.com/category/new/

medawgone

– Last Updated: Mar-06-16 4:07 PM EST –

The women asking the questions is a customer of Russell's already....

If BREI is correct
and you are a customer of Russell’s already… it’d be hard to improve on any advice you get from him. He is a straight shooter.

Sweetwater
Hi tess_in_naples, I work at Sweetwater and have paddled or owned most of the boats you are considering. I’m taller than you but about the same weight. I paddle a Valley Gemini SP poly and a glass Valley Etain 17.1. We don’t have an Avocet LV at the shop currently but have the two boats I paddle plus a North Shore Atlantic LV, P&H Cetus LV and NDK Pilgrims. Come visit sometime and let’s see how some of those boats fit.