i recently bought a new necky lookshah sport.
for those who dont know, its 14’4" long, 22.5" wide, with a multi-chined hull, and has a generous amount of hull rocker
this is a very rollable sea kayak, right?
towards the end of the summer i’m looking into getting a skirt for it. what are some models i should look at?
also, i have never rolled a kayak. with dilligence and the right technique, would this be a difficult boat to learn to roll?
I taught myself to roll in that kayak
It’s a fine boat to roll. But I would suggest if it has a hard seatback to remove it and install a backrest. It will make a world of difference. I just paddled mine the other day for the first time in about three years and I had forgotten how much fun that boat is. It surfs quite well and rolls are easy. The big drawback to the boat is oil-canning, probably because of it’s flat bottom.
…
the boat has a ‘back band,’ not a full length back rest.
what is ‘oil canning’?
Oh, good.
– Last Updated: Jul-03-05 8:54 PM EST –
Mine's kind of an old model.
Oil-canning is when the hull mysteriously dents or concaves in or out usually from leaving on a rack in the hot sun. You'll want to transport and store that kayak top down. Although maybe they've fixed this problem but I've read complaints around here for that kayak and mine is terrible for it. It will ruin the hulls performance. It may take a heat gun or blow dryer to get them out. Usually they come out but mine always come back.
I am trying to devise a mini-wall to
keep the bottom of my Looksha Sport from pooching upward. Takes care because there is nothing in the boat to keep the bottom of a wall from slipping to the side, which could be dangerous for wet-exiting.
…
how about transporting it on a rack that holds it on its side… so the hull faces the drivers side and the cockpit faces the passenger side?
is that any better?
That will work, but without supporting
the keel in front of the cockpit, routine pulling up on shore, running over a submerged log, etc., will tend to permanently pooch the area upward.
On the positive side, minor pooching will not affect speed that much.
yeah it’s true…
you may not be able to avoid it. It’s something to keep in mind though. Even tho I seem to be able to tell the difference when it’s dented I’d guess it’s mostly in my head. When I first bought mine I had to take a heat gun to it to straighten out the keel near the stern. I’ve also heated the dents out on several occasions. The other day I transported it keel down and it has some major dents in it. Luckily I only use it for surf so it may actually help the performance for that.
I too have a Looksha Sport …
… but am only beginning my second season with it. I’m just beginning to practice rolling techniques, so I cannot comment on that aspect, but my buddy who has the same boat ‘accidently’ nailed a roll on his first attempt. His next few attempts were unsuccessful, but after some brief lessons with an instructor and a lot of reading, he has so far done pretty well in learning to roll the Looksha. Others here have expressed similar impressions of its rollability.
To answer part of your original question, I have been very pleased with the Glacier Trek Breathable Supratex/Sympatex, spray skirt made by SnapDragon. http://www.snapdragondesign.com/index.asp
It is a very well made skirt with a neoprene deck and a breathable nylon tunnel with adjustable Velcro fastenings. SnapDragon’s fit list suggests a Medium deck, and a tunnel sized to fit the paddler. Both mine and my buddy’s fit our Lookshas quite snugly; fairly easy to get onto the coaming (engage the back first, then the front, followed by the sides), yet very secure once engaged. Even in strong, deck-clearing dumping waves, the skirt has held securely, yet can be quickly dismounted in the event of a wet exit.
Good luck!