any input on the 12 ft Current Design Kestrel ( rotomold) would be appreciated
Lynne
CD products
Can’t go wrong with a CD product but I probably wouldn’t purchase the boat unless it has fore & aft bulkheads.
Brian
it depends…
on what you want to do with the boat. The kestrel is a great recreational kayak but not something you would do any long trips with or something you would look for if your thinking about performance. all depends on what you see yourself doing with your paddling career(spling?)
Other than that C.D. makes great boats, just choose it for the right application. Good Luck Hunting for that right boat
I own one
I bought a Kestrel as a second, sort of multipurpose boat as I already own a CD Squall. I bought the High Volume (HV) because I wanted other people to be able to use it (like my husband or someone similar in size). Also, I wanted something stable (thus the 27” width of the HV) so that a friend trying a kayak for the first time doesn’t freak out about stability. However, I am 5’4” and the foot pegs are on the HV are on the very first slot. It’s definitely made for a larger paddler (I did know this before I bought it). I do fit better in the regular version of the Kestrel, but then again, I wanted it to be used by more than just me. The regular Kestrel is also a very nice boat. Depending on your size, I would recommend test paddling both the HV and the regular as they do paddle a little differently.
I also bought the Kestrel to use on slow moving rivers. The one river in particular is twisty with a fair amount of debris, which doesn’t make it feasible to try maneuvering a 16’6” kayak around. I just paddled that river on Saturday and it worked out very well. The storage in the back is nice and I put quite a bit of stuff (food, cooler, extra clothes) back there. The rubber hatch cover, however, isn’t the easiest to remove or put on. It takes a bit of getting used to. The other reason why I bought it is that the group I go on the river with like to put up their feet and float a lot which can be done easily in the HV without much fear of capsizing. Before using it on the river, I was paddling our lake or Little Bay de Noc (Lake Michigan) on mostly flat water. It tracks surprisingly well and was quicker than I thought for a short, fat boat. Would I take it out in bigger waves? Probably not. It also turns reasonably well (for a short, fat boat). Bottom line, I am really enjoying it. I would recommend it to anyone. It comes down to what you want to use the boat for. By the way, my sister-in-law was up here visiting and she paddled the Kestrel. It was her first time in a kayak. She loved it and the experience in general (she could get some peace and quiet time away from her kids!).