Explorer LV
I know where theres a used one for sale in maine
for 1500.00 but might take 1400.00. Not a light
boat, but price not bad.
Narrowing down, then…
Honestly if I can’t camp at all in it, I don’t think I want it. I am planning to do a number of short, after-work excursions, hopefully at least weekly, to hone my skills & get in shape. In my mind, though, the point of all that practice is so I can go on a long excursion & be safe & have a good time. The camping trip isn’t a pipe dream. It’s something we will do as soon as I’m ready. Exploring the local ponds will be fun, but that’s not the limit of my aspirations.
What I’m looking for is a boat I can grow into (as my skills improve) and something that is as versatile as possible. (It will probably be my only boat for some years, so I’d like one that doesn’t limit the places I can go any more than is necessary.) I don’t want to buy something that’s basically a kayak with training wheels or is only geared towards casual paddling.
Odds are every time I go out on the water, I’ll have a much taller, stronger guy with me who’ll be capable of lifting whatever boat I get, especially with my help. While I think it would be nice to be able to lift the boat myself, I don’t think it’s a concern that would come up often enough to be worth tailoring my boat to it (not if I have to make other concessions.)
As to the speed, I’m not expecting to be able to keep up with my husband at a sprint (though he stops to take pictures so often, I might just beat him, tortoise & hare style :P) but I would like a fast boat, just for stamina’s sake if nothing else. My husband’s not gonna shoot off & leave me in the dust, but he will be a little disappointed if he’s ready to paddle another 3 hours & I’m thoroughly exhausted, y’know what I mean? He’s a nice guy, & he’ll be cool about it, but he’ll be having a bit less fun if we can’t go as far, and I figure so will I. Besides, most of our other friends who paddle are also much bigger and stronger than me, so I figure I’ll be the odd (wo)man out of I don’t have a quick boat.
You’ve all given me a lot of good ideas on kayaks I should look at, but I guess I’m still a little confused on the benefits & drawbacks of each boat.
Sounds like the SP doesn’t have the storage capacity I’d need for camping? And the Cayuga is good for beginners but maybe wouldn’t be much fun once I become a more serious paddler?
Which boats are faster/easier to handle over long distances?
Which are too small for camping trips?
Which offer the most versatility in terms of being able to navigate different kinds of rivers & possibly even calm seas?
Will I be happy with any of these boats in 5 years? 10?
Thanks for all the info. It’s definitely helping me focus in on what I need to look for in a kayak. I appreciate all the help!
even more reasons for…
my recommendation. T165 in plastic. It’s everything you want, including price ballpark. But try it out first. No, I don’t work for the company. Also, the tempest line has the best seats in the business–fully adjustable, which means you can even mold the seat around your thigh. you’ll understand the value of that for getting a good “grip” on your boat, if you take some classes. The salesperson, if they know what they are selling, will be able to demo this to you.
Where is Friendlyfire?
Nutmeg, check out friendlyfire’s review of the Hurricane Tampico 135 S in Product Reviews. She and I had extensive emails about this boat, and if I ever decide to get a longer, skinnier boat, this will be the one. It sounds perfect for the smaller paddler—just more boat than I need for the Florida waters I paddle, but I bet it would be right for you.
I have to agree with Learner Tempest 165
– Last Updated: May-06-08 6:07 PM EST –
I have both the Tempests 165 and 170. the 170 is a good fit for me. the 165 would work even though it may initially appear to be large for you. One of the great things about the Tempest is not only the seat but also the arrangement where you can lower or raise the thigh braces so they fit you well. there are also hip pads that will snug you into the seat and the seat itself is fully adjustable as Learner said, both in setting backband height and proximity to the seat, as well as raising the front to help with fit. All in all a great boat and by far the most appropriate for what you are describing unless realistically you are looking at very winding creeks.
In terms of weight as you said there will normally be a much larger person with you to help with the boats but even without that you have options for loading and unloading a boat by yourself. Too many to mention here.
sounds like you are being very intelligent about this and I commend you for it. I went from an Old Town rush and three months later found a used beat up Tempest 170 with no transition boats in between. The Tempest is a great boat for building confidence and it will go as far as you want it to.
there are others though and depending on what you envision your needs to be in the near future or are ok with changing boats relatively soon you do have options. Some of the Duralite boats come to mind but there have been some questions about whether they are robust enough for any long term abuse.
gotta say this also: I am quite sure that whoever is wiling to spring for a boat for you will understand if you tell them you need time to make the right choice. I woudl strongly recommend as do others that you go sit in a boat and the one that feels a little tender to you but is fast and feels good is the boat for you. In a week it will feel incredibly stable and you will wonder why you didn't get an even tippier one.
good luck and welcome to the wonderful addiction!
Paul
Tempest 165 should be on your list
"Which boats are faster/easier to handle over long distances?
Which are too small for camping trips?
Which offer the most versatility in terms of being able to navigate different kinds of rivers & possibly even calm seas?
Will I be happy with any of these boats in 5 years? 10?"
The T165 will meet all of these requirements and it has excellent adjustable outfitting. I am about your size and it’s my primary boat. I added 1/2" minicell foam between the seat pan and the seat cover to make it fit me better. Very easy to do. The other adjustments are all standard procedure (you move the thigh braces fore/aft using a screwdriver for the position bolts, for example). Being slender, you will love the adjustable hip pads; they really do help provide good contact with the boat.
If you want to do long camping trips, space might be tight, depending where you go and what season it is. I’ve packed two weeks of camping supplies in mine, but I had to put more stuff in the cockpit or on the deck than I liked. But it is certainly doable, and for shorter trips (less food to carry), there’s plenty of room. The great thing about the Tempest is that it handles well both unloaded and fully loaded. It’s a solid-performing boat that responds well to your increasing skills.
You can get it in plastic or composite, another plus.
Merlin LT
I traded my Romany for a womans Merlin LT for an evening of play and skills work. I found the Merlin LT huge in the cockpit (and I’m 6’, 180lbs) and she had a ball in my Romany.
Self-defeating assumptions, AND
…another kayak suggestion. First, the assumptions:
If you have an athletic background, you might be surprised at how well you can do in a kayak vs. bigger people. Technique matters A LOT. If you want to keep up with others, good lessons and diligent practice on your own will go a long way. Maybe even more than buying a “fast” boat. I know more than a few people in “faster” boats who paddle slower or poop out more quickly than I do, even though I’m almost always the smallest person in the group.
Don’t let yourself become a self-fulfilling prophecy (“I am smaller; therefore I am slower”). You are talking about touring and camping, which are endurance-oriented and therefore reward overall fitness and good technique more than brute strength.
Now for the other kayak suggestion: NDK Romany LV (low volume). This is a really nice, really maneuverable kayak for us small paddlers. In fact, a medium-sized paddler won’t even fit in it. I stress that it is specifically the LV version, not the regular Romany (or the HV version). You will need to find a used one to meet the price limit, although I’ve heard there is now a plastic version being made.
The Explorer LV might also work, but I think you’ll have more fun with the Romany LV given that you mentioned rivers. The Explorer is a foot and a half longer.
Eliza
I tried the plastic Eliza. I tried a Rumour last year and really liked it. It was a great fit.
Smaller kayak
Consider a skin on frame kayak. They are custom made by you or someone else - as stable or tippy as you wish. They usually weigh around 30 lbs.
There is quite an active Greenland style Skin on Frame gang on the East Coast
a link to some good folks here :
http://kayakways.net/
tempest 165 sale
Eastern Mountain Sports is having a sale on their kayaks 20%off - a tempest 165 is one of them! just for your info!
Any boat will do the job.
Which boats are faster/easier to handle over long distances? - All
Which are too small for camping trips? - None
Which offer the most versatility in terms of being able to navigate different kinds of rivers & possibly even calm seas?- All
Will I be happy with any of these boats in 5 years? 10? - No
All my women friends paddle in full size adult male boats and are happy. You’re not a paddler yet. When you develop skills and experience, your desires for adventure might change totally. Not many people stay with their beginner boats - but nobody ever regrets them. Don’t obsess. Get a boat you feel comfortable in - one where where your arms are not compromised as you posted and enjoy paddling. Get two bulkheads if possible. There’s no perfect kayak. The resale market for used boats is enormous so if and when you want to move on, you will re-coop your money in a flash.
I agree totally
I had a friend that was 5’ and she had a devil of a time finding a nice sea kayak that fit her. She went to the East coast canoe and kayak festival and tried out all sorts of boats. She ended up getting a sweet deal on an Eddyline Night Hawk that an outfitter was selling on consignment. They wanted $1500 for it and she talked them down to $1300. It’s a wonderful boat and it fits her really well. I got a chance to paddle it and it has a really nice glide.
I find that a lot of the boats that they advertise for woman are still bulky or have a high profile deck.
They also don’t seem to get that women really need lighter boats. We have a hard time car topping 50+ pound boats. My friend actually bought a trailer before she did the boat because that was the only way that she could handle a long sea kayak.
P&H Capella 160 RM
As long as you’ve got your husband around for lifting. 
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
Valley and P&H Plastic is Superior
Admittedly, I have not read every post here, but it seems as if the discussion has shifted towards sea kayaks for you, and that many here are suggesting the Wilderness Systems Tempest 165. While I do not have any personal experience with the Tempest, my wife and I had purchased two new Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140s, so I am familiar with Wilderness Systems’ plastic and quality control. The plastic wilderness sytems uses is very soft - I accidentally sat on my Tsunami once and the entire front of it caved in. It popped right back out, but it was not very reassuring in strength. The bottom of my wife’s Tsunami was very thin, and you could easily flex the hull back and forth. These were not Duralite models, normal plastic. The hatch covers leaked on both of ours, and her back hatch rim was misformed so that we could never get a tight seal on the back hatch. With that said, we were very happy with the boats, just not the quality/stiffness of the plastic or the quaility control. Supposedly the QC has improved since the 2006.
We replaced our Tsunamis with a Valley Aquanaut LV and P&H Capella 160, both plastic. In our opinion, the quality of plastic on both boats is far superior to that of Wilderness Systems’ plastic. Both are triple layer plastic boats, with a layer of foam in between two plastic layers. They Capella 160 is considerably lighter than the Aquanaut LV, although it is slightly shorter. There have been no quality control issues on either boat, unlike the Tsunamis. No complaints whatsoever, and the seating is quite comfortable. I’m sure my wife, who is shorter, would recommed the Capella 160 RM, and I would recommend the Aquanaut LV as good boats to consider. Strong plastic, dry hatches, and good quality control on both boats. The cockpit is smaller on the Aquanaut LV than the Capella 160.
Again, I have no experience with the Tempest, but I wanted to rely my Wilderness Systems experiences.
some of the fastest paddlers…
i know are smaller people in full size or even big yaks
QC has not been good–Flatpick?
how about the boats rolling off the confluence line now. have they fixed the quality control issues?
what my friends have experienced are qc issues with the glass boats, not so much the plastic ones.
yup, plastic is better by far in the capella. i wish they made the tempests that way. how 'bout it, FP?
I find the capella though a bit too rockered for what we do over here in seattle. fairly big mileage where you don’t want to waste energy plowing water with that rockered hull.
Too-big boats are not fun or educational
I can’t believe the folks that said their smaller friends learn better in too-big kayaks. That’s crazy. If you’re struggling to brace yourself in the boat to keep from sliding around, you won’t develop edging skills. If the cockpit coaming is too high, you’ll have to compensate by holding your paddle too high, which will prevent you from learning strokes correctly. If the boat is too big for you in general, you won’t be able to control it in wind or waves. It will be too heavy and sit too high above the water. Plus you’ll have a really hard time rolling it, if you should want to do that eventually.
I’m 5’4", 130 lbs and struggled with a too-big boat for a couple of years. I loved it, it fit well, and I could roll it like a cowboy’s cigarette, but I was too light and so the boat sat too high above the water. What convinced me to change was having to turn back from paddling trips when the conditions got rough. I simply couldn’t control the boat. So instead of getting better, I missed opportunities to challenge myself.
I think your approach is admirable. Take your time, try as many boats as you can. I would suggest an Eddyline Merlin LT. It weighs 42 lbs, it will fit you well (we use one for teaching kids), and it’s thermoplastic, which is practically indestructible. We don’t have one for sale, but if you’re near Rhode Island you’re welcome to come by and demo ours.
Another manufacturer you might consider is Swift. They specialize in light recreational kayaks. The Kiwassa or the Saranac might work for you. They have them in thermoplastic, fiberglass and kevlar. www.swiftcanoe.com
Re Merlin LT
I’m surprised that some of the people here found the Merlin LT too big. It is one of the lowest-volume kayaks out there in terms of cockpit size. Are you sure you don’t have it confused with the Skylark or the Equinox? They both have huge cockpits and I have to splay my legs so far apart in them that it feels like my hipbones are coming out of their sockets.
I don’t see how a 6’ 180lb guy could even cram himself into a Merlin.
I think it’s one of Eddyline’s best designs, and one of the best small boats period.
325 pound carrying capacity is not smal
– Last Updated: May-07-08 8:18 PM EST –
I not only fit in the boat, but slid around in the cockpit. When I hip snapped to roll it up my butt slid across the seat pan a good bit before my hips made contact and righted the boat. I am 6' and 180 lbs.
The Merlin LT is 23" wide with a cockpit coaming of 31.5" x 16.5" That is a larger cockpit coaming than any of my sea kayaks and the boat itself is 1-2 inches wider than any of my sea kayaks.
The Merlin LT's carrying capacity is listed as 325 lbs and I believe it!
http://eddyline.com/eddyline-kayaks-legendary-design-merlin-lt.php