Royak Marine kayak
I have the Royak. It is very stable despite being 14’ and 21" wide. Lots of storage in the stern and the built-in dry box comes in handy. Quite light and very maneuverable. Although it is a sit-on-top, you sit very low in the boat as if in a sit-in kayak. It is quite quick. Only drawback is that your butt will get wet.
WPPSA
Yup, that was me and my funky green SOF.
But I haven’t made it to any of the WPPSA kayak outings yet. I usually paddle up in north central PA on the weekends (boyfriend lives on the Susquehanna West Branch near Clearfield.) So many streams to explore up there!
Looking for a dry boat
as I would like it for spring/summer/fall and it gets pretty cold around here in PA
Sky 10, dry boat
– Last Updated: Jan-13-12 5:31 AM EST –
but not tupperware priced.
How about the Emotion Bliss? Length 10'10", width 25", weight 37 lbs, and $499 new.
A friend of mine has one and likes it a lot. Her first kayak was a Swifty, and she finds the Bliss to be faster and better tracking.
Do you use a skirt?
Dry and kayaks aren’t really the most practical - you may want to think about a lightweight pack canoe which is marginally drier. And/or get apt clothing to enhance your own dryness.
I have an old grumman canoe
but still not what i need. I use a neoprene skirt with my kayaks due to the greenland paddle i use and i tend to paddle high angle so I even get wet with a euro style.
Went to some solo canoe symposiums and love the lightweight solo canoes but again cannot afford them. I guess I was hoping 2012 might have brought out a short narrow simple kayak for basic paddling but most likely not.
Have you looked around used?
It is hard to tell from your posts. That would be the best solution for a better boat at rec boat prices, though it might require some driving to score a deal.You’d be in plastic which is heavier, but you’d hit the price. I am also still unclear about what you are thinking of as short and narrow enough. There are many more really capable boats - truly little sea kayaks - out there in the 14’ range than a decade ago.
You also haven’t said much about what your loading setup is. At 135 pounds I can guarantee you I don’t heft 55 pound 17’ sea kayaks in the air, but if needed I can load and drop ours by myself. It’s just more time and a couple of extra gizmos.
volume dilemma
– Last Updated: Jan-13-12 1:16 PM EST –
So it gets down to the common "Holy Grail" of kayak desire: light, good performance, sufficient volume and cheap. If I could mass produce such a beast I could retire in style in short order.
As has been discussed, you have to get the volume to support the paddler's weight somewhere, and if you shave it off the length AND the width it can only go into hull depth which means a squirrelly boat that is not going to be ideal for negotiating our rocky shallow rivers and windy lakes. I really don't see how you can go less than 14' in a boat with 23" or less beam.
I see your only options to hit ALL your parameters are:
- home-built Yost style folders (under $400)
- wooden kit boats, like the Pygmy Arctic Tern 14 or the Chesapeake Light Craft Shearwater 14 (under $1,000)
- skin on frame (under $500 to build, can sometimes find used for under $1000)
If you can compromise a bit on length and weight, I've flogged it before, but the Easky 15LV is a great boat for folks our size and for local waters at 15' x 22.5" x 46 lbs. I took it down the Red Moshannon last Fall at pretty good flow (some class 2 wave trains) and it was a blast. Also fun to play in power boat wakes on the Mon with it and it has nice speed for river touring. And I paddle with a Greenland stick, like you do. I would not be surprised if Fred has one or two still in stock at Exkursion and would be agreeable to a midwinter deal. He sold me mine for 30% off at the end of the summer in 2010 -- was $730 if I recall. Get in touch with me if you want to test paddle and hoist mine sometime -- I could meet you at South Side or Duck Hollow with it.
a few ideas
Wilderness systems tsunami SP
Necky Looksha Sport LV (12’9"?)
Dagger Alchemy
Shop for these used, they’ve been around awhile. OTOH, low volume skinny boats are hard to find cheap, and the suggestion to build your own might not be bad at all.
Tsunami SP
– Last Updated: Jan-13-12 3:17 PM EST –
is the boat you're describing -- 12' x 21", 38 lb, plastic. they say paddler weight 120 lb but it'll handle maybe 180 max. small cockpit.
The Tsunami 135, at 13'6" x 22.75", 48 lb, is worth considering too; if by some miracle you could find an older Duralite model (discontinued in 2008/9 I think), it's several lbs lighter.
if you could go with a little bit wider I'd say take a good look at the Venture Flex 11 and the Necky Looksha 12Si.
(edit)
Oh one more --
Perception Tribute 12 -- 12' x 24.5" x 41 lb in plastic, and just 34 lb in Airalite!!
A beam under 23 inches will be
difficult to find with a 12 ft boat.
In addition to the other “slightly wider than that” boats mentioned above, you might also consider the Elie Strait 120 (12ft, 25.5 in, 48lb).
as mentioned before
a 12 foot boat with a beam less than 24 inches at the deck and 23 inches at the waterline is likely to be pretty unstable.
not sure…
If it was mentioned yet or not but the native/liquid logic inuit series might work for you.
Thanks for the ideas
You may be right and maybe that is why i cannot find a 12’ 23"ish kayak.
I like my daughters squamish but it is still more than i want for a quick n easy boat for some short paddle times. I have no need for another 15ft plus kayak at this time just a little one that doesn’t plow water like the sparky did and being used to a 21" i tend to hit my hands on anything much wider when paddling out of habit.
Thanks for the suggestions. Too bad we don’t have a lot of different kayaks to see other than the most common ones around Pittsburgh.
I’m Confused
which is how I go through life! But I’m not understanding the problem you’re trying to solve. You said you got the hardware that helps with car-topping so you aren’t hefting the whole boat at once. That problem’s solved. So your back pain issue is getting the boat to and from the water, right? Would one of those wheel dealies fix that? Is your 12 foot limit so you can put it in the bed of a truck? I guess I’m trying to figure out why you crossed the Alchemy off your list of possibilities.
Sonoma 13.5 Airalite
If you can find one used. It is 23" wide 13.5 long & weighs 38 lbs. carry capacity 225 lbs. One dry hatch.It’s longer than you wanted but it’s going to be hard to find something 12ft that isn’t wide.
Save up some money
and buy composite. Your bumping up against the limits of design. The only way to get the weight down in the range you need and still have the other performance qualities you are looking for is to move to a lighter material.
Wish i could save but
driving/flying daughter all over US for grad school interviews - and then all the rest… also, my son is still at PSU for 2 more years. Just no $$.
The alchemy is off my list although a very nice kayak because it is close enough to my tempest and squamish and not the size for puddling around that i would like. I just dont care for wide kayaks - knuckle knockers and slower.
I have the rollerloader and thule extenders but i have had it go off side and ripped my back apart trying to get it back right. I want the ease of a light small boat for this particular situation.
This is just a fun boat for short spurts which is why i am looking for tupperware and cheap like the Perception tribute 12 - it is just a little wider than i would like. We also have a P&H capella which is also heavy and big. I have 2 frenzys but they are awkward and heavy and the only one easy is my Riot which is a SOT and a wet paddle which is ok for hot summer.
Look at your issue a different way
I,too, love paddling my Romany (similar to a Tempest). As I am 65, loading issues are serious! I solved them three ways: 1, I bought a Thule Hullavator, because my big SUV was 'way too hard to load it on. The $500 cost is nowhere near what shoulder therapy would cost (or car repair) and it works perfectly. 2, I also bought a 3-pc, latch-together NDK Explorer. I can easily put the 3 pieces in my SUV, and carry them singly up and down beach stairs – whatever – and assemble my kayak on the shore. It goes on planes, trains and buses too, but baggage costs are out of range, these days. I also take this boat to pool practice. And, Solution No. 3, I go to a core exercise class 3x a week, and run, ski or snowshoe with my retrievers 3 miles daily. Paddling is my LIFE! and staying injury-free is a religion with me! Sometimes if you’re stymied by a problem … REFRAME it!
Fix for the roller loader problem
Some boat hulls just want to roll offside when you are partway up. After finding this to be a common issue with my Squall, I learned to run a long strap or rope thru the front toggle, thru some part of the rack system on the roof that would keep it from falling sideways, and back into my hand. Depending on where you can reliably prop the boat to stay put while you run the line, it may need to be a pretty long one.
I weight 135 pounds on my heaviest days and have relatively weak hands and wrist compared to the rest of my torso. If this worked for me I’d imagine ther are few it wouldn’t help.