Easky 15lv skeg
There are some of these advertized on Craigslist new in wrapper for 650.00 http://york.craigslist.org/bpd/4901358255.html
It is a 5+ hr trip (one way) for me and unless I hear something terrible, its a new boat at used prices.
I have had a heck of a time finding a used touring boat for the daughter. She has paddled my sea lion and liked it a lot more then the sons Carolina, because of the width. She is 5’7" at a stretch and a buck 30-40, not big in the shoulder but she should float and not pop out of the seat. Cant be more obvious than that and stay in DAD mode. I dont see her doing a ton, but day trips, and maybe a dad and kids weekend.
Sounds interesting.
Isn’t Esky made by P&H? These are polyethylene–right? I would want assurance that the boats had not been subjected to excess heat and maybe mushed down and warped. Have you seen pictures of the actual boats? The price seems almost too good to be true if the boats check out.
If you decide to go look at them, be very certain that the keel line is straight from stem to stern and that the hull is faired well with no slumps, or warps. You do understand what I mean about the keel line being straight; there will be some rocker (inline curvature of the keel), but…I’m sure you know what I mean. Good luck.
Straight with
rocker = good
Port starboard declination from true = bad
Yep they are made by P&H, I am figuring that the whole “smaller lighter” is why they are leftover and I thought I read that the model was being discontinued.
However, good point.
great boat
– Last Updated: Mar-22-15 12:27 AM EST –
If you can get one for her for $650 and it is in good condition, you will not regret the choice.
The Easky 15LV is an excellent boat for a small to medium sized person! I've had one for 5 years (I'm 5' 5" 145 lbs. ) and have used it in all kinds of waters, from the Great Lakes and coastal Atlantic to windy rivers with class II rapids. It tracks well, has excellent secondary stability and is easy to paddle at a good speed. Very solid even in rough water. Really an enjoyable, fun boat, and one in which she can develop good skills and keep up with people in larger boats. I've loaned mine to several friends on occasion and every one remarked on how much they loved paddling it -- in fact two bought the same model after using mine. I paid about $700 for mine (end of summer dealer clearance for 30% off).
The quality of Venture boats is very good -- they are manufactured in Great Britain and have some nice features and finishes including a very comfortable seat, thigh hooks, a paddle retainer on the deck, a niche for a compass and a molded-in metal security rod so you can cable lock it to your roof rack. I've used (and owned many other touring kayaks and this is one of my favorites, in fact I sold all my other poly boats and kept only this one because it is so fun and versatile. Another nice thing is that it only weighs 44 lbs, which is 8 to 15 lbs less than similar models from other makers.
I've always wondered why there are not more Easky 15s on the water, probably because of the scarcity of dealers. They are certainly better performing boats than the popular WS Tsunamis for about the same price. I think it's a shame P & H discontinued the model 2 years ago (they still make a larger Easky but replaced the LV with their Islay 14 LV.)
can’t speak to the boat
but the outfitter is pretty well known and liked.
Starrkmoon does almost all of their business in ww kayaks. They handle Pyranha which is in partnership with P&H. Probably how they got a hold of a few of these and likely they just want gone whatever long boats remain in inventory.
Out two years
The Easky line was replaced by the Islay.
Not a bad kayak. Good civilized primary stability. Hard chined, so if you understand them they work to your maneuvering advantage, if not then there’s a skeg.
Between the two I feel the Islay performs better but at the projected frequency of use and price, you’ll be well served.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
hudsonriverpaddler.org
2
year out leftovers explains the price, and I didnt find anything bad web wise on the dealer either.
sent you an email
– Last Updated: Mar-22-15 2:43 PM EST –
Varmint, I sent you an email with contact info. I believe you are not far from me - you could come look at my LV and see how you like the model before making that 9 hour drive. Kind of chilly for it today, but I am only 10 minutes from a put in on the Mon for a test paddle.
If your daughter likes your Sea Lion, she will like the Easky LV. Same width and similar lines, just a little shorter. Performance should be similar, but maybe a bit more maneuverable. She would be able to keep up with you when you are paddling it.
They are good looking boats. I am embarassed to admit I bought mine completely on impulse when I saw it sitting outside on display at Exkursion (I had stopped by to get a $6 tube of Aquaseal). Just loved the lines and fittings. Lucked out once I got it on the water. Wish all of my spontaneous "reckless" impulses in life had turned out as well as that one has.
weight
I’ve no doubt the Islay performs well, but I still think it’s a shame they bounced the Easky. For one thing even the Islay LV is 6 pounds heavier (8 lbs over mine, which has no skeg).
Might sound trivial to the average guy, but for many of us average women, 50 lbs is kind of the upper limit for off the water handling comfort. I’ve always considered the weight factor to be a competitive edge the Easky had over it’s poly competitors in the “light touring” category.
Versatile too. I’ve put people from 5’ tall, 105 lbs to 5’10", 190 lbs in mine, from first timers to experienced paddlers and they all enjoyed it. Back when I had 7 kayaks in my fleet, we had to do rock-paper-scisssors sometimes to see who had dibs on it when I outfitted a group.
I sent her the contact info
and wanted to thank you in public.
I’m not sure if she will get the bug like the son and I did, but if it is a pretty decent boat then she can at least go when she wants at that price.
resale
I hope she decides while they still have them in stock.
And if she eventually finds she doesn’t use it, either you can keep it or you could certainly get at least what was paid for it back if it was resold in good condition. Going to school right on the Allegheny River like that, I would think she would use it, provided she has a place to store it . I don’t know if the Sylvan Canoe Club in Verona is still in existence and open to new members. They had a boat storage house, clubhouse and ramp right on the Allegheny.
she
commutes from home so while she is in school it will be stored under roof. The barn cats like the option of sitting in the cockpits while they are racked on the wall
She has done day trips in the canoes, but the kayaks, 1 per butt, gives a lot more options for going. There is a adventure group on campus, but I am not sure how adventureous it is. It is a bit selfish on my part, getting another driver with a kayak makes Sat morning trips a lot more do-able 
They stuck my name on
a orange one.
There is enough truck going from W/PA next Tues so if you are trying to change hats from commodore to admiral, shipping will be easy to locate.
Took
her Scoobydoo and brought back 1 LV.
That is a pretty boat in person. I just hope it performs for her as well as it looks.
What’s a Scoobydoo?
feel
she might feel it is a little “wobbly”.at first, but encouraged her to test the boat’s stability by rocking side to side a little. She’ll soon understand that it’s not going to slip out from under her or go over. It’s such a nice kayak to paddle. As I have said before, when I loan it to friends I have trouble getting them out of it.
You’ve no doubt noticed the nice embedded bar in the stern deck, a standard plastic coated cable lock goes through it easily to secure the boat to your roof rack. The paddle bungie and hook on the right of the coaming is handy, too. Wish all my other boats had those two features.
Look forward to hearing how she likes it!
Subaru
A lot easier on gas then the F250.
If I could have got Willowleaf to buy 6-7 of the others I would have run the pickup.
Spent some time looking for straight
but not to much at features. 600mi round trip and we were hitting H’burg traffic on the way out.
feel for you
on that trip. I had to commute from Pittsburgh to Lititz (north of Lancaster) one summer (made that drive every Sunday night and Friday afternoon).
seat
Also, the seat back folds in half to create a sort of low backband, my preferred setting in the boat. Unfolded it makes a high back which is fine for relaxing at lunch break but kind of interferes with good paddling form when on the move.
The hatches have a tendency to leak a bit unless you are super careful to align the gasket rims on the covers and get them pressed down evenly all the way around.