I’m thinking about buying a stellar intrepid - mostly for the weight advantage: I’m 73, paddle a 53lb Impex Force Cat 3 (which I love), and want to get something lighter. I’ve demoed the Intrepid - it seems to do the trick. BUT, I’ve been warned that the boat would not tolerate any rocks, hard beach landings etc. I know the gelcoat is thinner - to save weight. But are there any other potential problems? Anyone with experience in this boat? Thanks much.
Hi Rick. Have you talked to Stellar? It’s been a few years but I found their customer service to be outstanding.
To a small degree it would depend on which layup you’re interested in. The sport layup is the least expensive, but the truth is that any of the layups are not going to like running into rocks. The gelcoat provides almost no protection from rocks, or hard landings on any boat. This is not exclusive to Stellar boats. Best to learn to enter and exit in the water.
I found it interesting that Stellar is the only builder I’ve ever noticed that basically said that if you’re not going to treat your boat right, they are not interested in building, or selling you a boat. Actually the reference was to their high end layups.
The Stellar dealer told me that the sport layup for the hull amounts to a sandwich of foam between layers of glass. He also said that you could probably kick a hole in it if you wanted to. I have paddled the sport layup Intrepid (18’) and If I were to buy one, that would probably be it. I’m very careful with my boats.
Thanks, guys. I’m interested in the advantage layup, and I did speak to the Stellar folks, as well as an outfitter in Portland that sells the boats. The Stellar rep said: no rocks, but a semi-tough beach landing would be ok. The guy at the outfitter did warn me of hard beach landings as well. But like magooch, I’m pretty careful. But still, there are little rocks, cement etc. almost anyplace, not to speak of the occasional oyster bed on the GA/SC coast right? I’m still up in the air about this.
I had a stellar surfski in Advantage layup. Its fairly durable for a sandwich layup, but all sandwich constructions are vulnerable to puncture. I slipped on mud and dropped mine from chest level onto some concrete and poked 3 small holes in the outer skin.
I would Never ever run an advantage boat up on rocks or a oyster bed. If you hit just the nose on rocks, it probably would not be catastrophic, but if you hit the bottom i would bet you puncture the hull. The honeycomb that is the middle layer of the sandwich means there is a lot of open area that a sharp object could easily find its way into. Also I would never ever drag or push the hull over an obstacle (rock, log, sandbar, oyster bed). That’s a recipe for a puncture or crease.
their multi-sport layup on the other hand is a single skin layup (a single layer of cloths with no foam or honeycomb core). Single skin layups are much more puncture resistant. You may consider that as an option.
If you can afford the higher cost, and can be careful with it, get the lightweight boat.
For similar reasons, I’ve been only buying lightweight boats for a number of years.
The 1st one I bought (in 2009), I’ve gotten rid of (not because I ran it up on rocks, I just didn’t like it).
In 2012, I got a Sterling Ice Kap (29lbs), which is still going strong (well, except for one ‘crash’ while surfing, it took the brunt, I bruised a rib, Joey fixed the boat)
It is the oyster beds that tend to grab me more often (particularly on ‘group’ trips, where the trip leader brings us into shallow, ‘scratchy bottomed’ areas).
@rickd said:
Thanks, guys. I’m interested in the advantage layup, and I did speak to the Stellar folks, as well as an outfitter in Portland that sells the boats. The Stellar rep said: no rocks, but a semi-tough beach landing would be ok. The guy at the outfitter did warn me of hard beach landings as well. But like magooch, I’m pretty careful. But still, there are little rocks, cement etc. almost anyplace, not to speak of the occasional oyster bed on the GA/SC coast right? I’m still up in the air about this.
It looks like Alder Creek has a couple of Intrepids in the advantage layup, but they are the smaller version. I think about 16’-10".
@raisins said:
If you can afford the higher cost, and can be careful with it, get the lightweight boat.
For similar reasons, I’ve been only buying lightweight boats for a number of years.
The 1st one I bought (in 2009), I’ve gotten rid of (not because I ran it up on rocks, I just didn’t like it).
In 2012, I got a Sterling Ice Kap (29lbs), which is still going strong (well, except for one ‘crash’ while surfing, it took the brunt, I bruised a rib, Joey fixed the boat)
It is the oyster beds that tend to grab me more often (particularly on ‘group’ trips, where the trip leader brings us into shallow, ‘scratchy bottomed’ areas).
Curious about that surf crash. Was the break against rocks, or simply the action of the waves/shore/tumbling? What was the nature of the break? I put in and surf on pretty sandy shores and I’ve always wondered where my glass boat’s impact tolerance would lie.
@AlwaysWet said:
Curious about that surf crash. Was the break against rocks, or simply the action of the waves/shore/tumbling? What was the nature of the break? I put in and surf on pretty sandy shores and I’ve always wondered where my glass boat’s impact tolerance would lie.
Sand is good, I just got unlucky.
It’s hard to describe, because it was kind of a ‘freak’ event.
In moderate surf, coming in, no problem. All of the sudden, the water just seemed like it ‘dissappeared’, and I dropped on the sand below - hard. The wave came back over me, my 1st, immediate thought was not to try to roll, being afraid the kayak would fall into pieces, kind of an irrational thought. Anyway, I rolled up and came in.
The ‘damage’ to the kayak was a loose coaming and cracks on the side (picture)
