Female, 140#'s, 5’4", prefer something on the lighter side, rotomolded SOT, live in Florida.
I own an Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro. It is a dream to paddle, even if it is a wet ride. However, it is longer than I want. I want a 10-13 footer that can be put in back of a pickup truck, without the need for a tailgate extension (will be carrying multiple kayaks).
I purchased an Ocean Kayak Venus 11. Nice and light, but sort of a dog to paddle. It tracks poorly and takes a lot of effort to paddle (to keep up with other half who has a Tarpon 120)
I am looking for a compromise between the two. I have paddled a Tarpon 100 and 120, nice rides but heavy and a little wide. Any suggestions of what else to look at? OK Tetra 12? OK Prowler 13 (getting a little too long). Anything in the Perception lineup?
Hurricane Skimmer looks nice, but I don’t want a fragile boat, it will be drug up on the beach occasionally and won’t be babied all the time. Prefer to stay in the $700 or less range, and not opposed to used.
Thank you for the comment. I have a fairly nice Carlisle fiberglass blade / carbon shaft paddle. I believe I am paddling the same though I sit at/almost under the water line in the Scupper Pro versus the Venus which has me well above the water line.
With each stroke of the paddle, the bow wags to the left and right in the Venus (shorter kayak) where as the Scupper Pro stays straight.
The shorter the boat the wider it has to be to support paddler weight.
The wider the boat is the harder it is to paddle .
The shorter the boat the slower top speed will be.
A very common conundrum…
I have a Skimmer 140 . I put Keel Easy strips on it so I don’t worry about damage. Also had an Eddyline Caribean. Neither are in the speed class of a Tarpon.
I got them for the weight reduction but after working way too hard to keep up with Tarpons this past week, I went back to my Tarpon 160.
PS: The Tarpon I couldn’t keep up with was a 120.
Thanks String. The RTM Disco is still pushing 14’. It is a sharp looking and fast. But with only 9" difference, I would stick with my scupper pro. I guess I am looking for a unicorn. Lightweight, fast-ish and 12’. I know I need to bump out to 14’+ to get the speed. Would just love to have something that could easily be thrown in the back of a pickup without hanging out that far, and not have it ride like a barge.
And I know what you mean about trying to keep up with a Tarpon 120. Did that today, but I was in my Venus 11 unfortunately, not my scupper pro. Lesson learned.
@string said:
I have a Skimmer 140 . I put Keel Easy strips on it so I don’t worry about damage. Also had an Eddyline Caribean. Neither are in the speed class of a Tarpon.
I got them for the weight reduction but after working way too hard to keep up with Tarpons this past week, I went back to my Tarpon 160.
PS: The Tarpon I couldn’t keep up with was a 120.
I had one of the newer Tarpon 120s it was wider and a dog.
The older SOTS like the Necky Dolphin and earlier Tarpons were narrower and paddled better.
If you could go to a Rec boat the 120 roto CD Kestrel is a sweet boat. I had one for many years but it was destroyed when a building fell on it in the last hurricane.
