Don’t forget SOF
Don’t forget the F-1, Cape Falcon’s short SOF for surf, rock gardening and touring. It’s an awesome, tough and lightweight boat. He gives info on how to adapt it to 200-250 lb paddlers:
http://www.capefalconkayak.com/f1details.html
The proof that it can surf with the best of them is here:
http://www.capefalconkayak.com/f1surf.html
Or you could try to find a used Mariner Coaster, which is what Brian’s design is based on. It’s a legendary surf-light touring boat.
Shape skiis
Shape skiis can be a pain in the ass in bumps and trees. They only want to work one radius. Looks like they are taking some of the shape out and giving a wider waist to some boards destined for the less then perfectly groomed terrain. I did abandoned my 210’s some time ago, but my collection of ski /skate sales and Ebay boards still runs between 200 and 180. Its’ even hard to find a 180 in some shops these days.
I have abandoned trying to match or surpass my age in a MPH run. It was fun while it lasted. Like to think Tuckermans is still in the cards, but time will tell, I mean dictate that as well. Will never forget starting in the summit parking lot, going over the headwall and all the way to Pinkham with my brother once on 210’s. Some days the Mountain Gods are kind.
Second the Shadow
I'm in the same boat. At around 230 lbs, (probably more by the end of the holidays) and 6,3. I paddle a Nigel Foster Shadow, and ditto the recommendation for this boat. Plays and surfs well, is maybe a little longer than what you are looking for, but handles very nicely. You really have to pay attention to her, you'll end up using your hips a lot, to balance and work the boat. But she's worth it. You can also pack a lot into this boat, if you're into longer touring, or super plush shorter trips. Carries the weight fairly well for a British style boat.
I haven't paddled one, but Foster's new Whiskey 16 seems like it would be a fun, shorter play boat that have enough volume to stay lively, its can supposedly support up to 350 lbs if you believe the web site. I'm also interested in checking out the Point65 Whiskey 18 when it gets stateside... Water Walker Kayaks in Maine (don't work for them) has a few Whiskey 16's around... Might be worth checking out... http://www.touringkayaks.com/
p.s. I'm sometimes in the Northeast, if you ever want to get a paddle wet...
Do You See…
how this applies to your question about "playfulness" of a boat? What you understand about skiis, venue, skills, conditions, preferences.... Alot of variables and subjectivity. Yet, some describe their subjective sense of a boat (or boats) as if this were going to be perceived/received the same way by others. Why I say it's like chasing your tail. You'll never catch up.
sing
I agree with that sing…but have
come to the conclusion that musing over gear is in fact the major source of fun for many in many activities. Who am I to judge that. My model is closer to yours in terms of focusing on skill and the big picture, but people love gear and love to talk about it. I guess that’s good for the kayaking economy. It’s all a weird balance and we’re all in different places on the spiral. Who’s right?
I know
And if it is a touring boat, so be it, but I'm sorry 210 boards won't cut it anymore or better yet, I can't cut it anymore on 210's. Got to draw the line somewhere.
Anyways I usually only buy used and cheap so the odds of something popping up to fit me properly in something smaller in that category isn't overly likely.
Zephyr 16 is a good…
…big boy boat. Cockpit is generous with good retention. I’m about 190 but have spent time in the 160 and 155 alone and with an additional 60 pounds to see how they carried weight. Both do so more efficiently than my Chatham 18 and are way more fun. I own a Tempest 170 for touring, an Arctic Tern 14 for play and have a Z155 pro for everyday. I may not need that Tern anymore.
Jon
PH new Delphin and Airies
we’ll have a 15ish boat in plastic (Delphin) and composite (Airies) - playful - surf - rock gardens…
2 sizes.
Spring time - prototypes looking good. you can see on facebook - p&h custom sea kayaks
http://www.facebook.com/#/PHSeaKayaks?ref=mf
borderline
Yeah, i’d have to say that much over 200 lbs in the hatteras is gonna create perhaps a little more waterline than what they intended. Still at my weight (210ish) it felt fun.
F1
Hi Carl,
I keep forgetting about that boat, no idea why, read about it all the time. Must be the different forum
Bill H.
Quicker link
For those who do not like going thtough the whole mess of a page, go directly here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124695&id=174831318940&ref=mf
Coaster/F-1
Falcon’s preoccupation with plagiarism is ironic given that the F-1 is essentially a Coaster, the copyright to which, I believe, he paid nothing. If nothing else, Brian should state more frequently that the F-1 is based on somebody else’s boat. Follow the prinicple ‘give credit where credit is due’.
Another boat to keep in mind is the Current Designs Gulfstream, a Derreck Hutchinson (the original fat-boy of kayaking) boat. I’m 23o and the cockpit strikes me as large. Working waterline when you put it on edge is incredibly short, so it turns really well. Its plastic sister, the Sirocco, can go on the rocks. 16’ 10" x 23".
http://www.mnresponsiblerec.org/calendar/images/Gulfstream_006.jpg
http://www.cdkayak.com/products/product_images/currentdesigns_sirocco817_cust.jpg
Try Romany XL
The XL is a different hull and has the wider cockpit of the S. I paddled our demo copy this summer and found it a nice feeling boat with tons of secondary. But with my 185#, I was not weighting it down in the water enough. It took some effort for me to edge it over because of this. This boat will work for the big guy crowd.
Alan
AKT
I did a heads up comparison of the
Romany S and a new design Eddyline Fathom with lower backdeck this summer. The Eddyline is a lighter boat and about 3" longer. The foredeck of the Fathom is large and this may be a turn off for some people, but it offers some additional sea protection at the cost of windage. It may be too sloppy for some. The plastic of the Fathom is a blessing and a curse. The only thing I don't like about it is the potential for impact and temperature related failures. I think the new design is now available (mine was a proto). I did not get conditions that would have allowed a surf comparison
I am 6'3" 235.
The thigh pockets on the Romany S are awesome and are something I wish every boat had. The volume and speed were also better than expected (speed not acceleration). I also prefer a composite boat, but if you are really messing with the rocks you might want to consider the triple RM version. Bill
Looksha Sport
Used is ok, if not preferable, eh. Then I would say look for a Necky Looksha Sport. Good rock garden boat - well liked in the SF Bay Area for that. Decent surfer, though not as fast as longer boats, so sometimes a little harder to get on waves. And not as maneuverable as a surf boat, so look for straight rides (as you would with any sea kayak).
I am 6' and 210 pounds - my issue is fitting in boats, as I have very large thighs from years of bicycling. I don't fit a Chatham 16. I need relatively large area/depth in the cockpit. My other boat is an Aquanaut HV, which is also a pretty deep boat.
There is a short video of me on Facebook surfing mine in pretty unexciting circumstances - if you have a Facebook account, you can see it at http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=523908246&k=54FUYVU6ST6G6BD1TE5XY3SZP6BAY42C4SHY&oid=1299528365773
Here's a video from some rock gardening I did in Mendo earlier this year. Yellow and blue boats are Looksha Sports, and red is a Chatham 16.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_CB5_eMeWk
QCC
Might also look at the QCC 400, very nice boat that does many things well, and at a good price too.
Bill H.
Unjustified
Wow, your criticism of Brian is truly unjustified. Have you bothered to read his website? Some direct quotes:
“After the success of my own Mariner Elan inspired Ginnyak, I wanted to sink my teeth into a Coaster. I didn’t want to reinvent the Coaster though; I wanted a skin kayak built as close as possible to the Coaster. So I obtained permission from Matt Broze of Mariner Kayaks to try to replicate the Coaster in skin-on-frame construction.”
“A brief word on names, Coaster is a registered trademark of Mariner kayaks. While I can build a similar kayak I can’t appropriate the name. However, names can’t just be arbitrarily assigned, they have to be earned and I want to make sure that this kayak gets the right name so it make take some time. For the remainder of this article and on the website I’ll refer to the Coaster copy as the SC-1 (skin coaster one). Also, Mariner does not endorse, approve, or associate with my kayak in any way. It is not my intention capitalize on their reputation. If and when Mariner liscences production of their fiberglass designs again, I’ll reccomend them to paddlers who would be better served by a glass boat.”
“Inspired by the Mariner Coaster, blended with my own ideas, and built with technology adapted from Inuit hunting kayaks, the F1 is my latest offering.”
There’s more but you get the idea. He makes no secret of where the inspiration came from. Also, it’s clear that he’s significantly changed the design going from the authorized copy (SC-1) to his current design (F-1). Brian is not making a killing making these boats. Geez, for $1200 you get a week’s instruction plus a boat and paddle. Plus, he’s posted the design of the F-1 online for anyone to download for free - so what exactly is your complaint?