Looking at the photo of it, one word came to mind: barge. Maybe it doesn’t behave like one, but all that extra width just seems like a waste of energy and weight. I think I read it weighs about 77 lbs? If it kept the length and halved the width, it’d be under 40 lbs. If it were half the width, it could be stashed either inside a vehicle (since it is modular) or easily rooftopped in one piece or two–looks like the topside is pretty flat so all you’d need would be some pool noodles and good straps. Each section would be, what, 20 pounds! Even I could lift those onto the roof without trouble.
Why, oh, why do plastic non-surf-ski SOTs have to be so darned wide.
77lbs is the double
The single is 48.5lbs but at less than 10’ long and 29.5"wide it would be very slow. http://www.point65.com/default.asp?page=kayaks&cat=6&kayak=47
A single piece plastic sit on top that might be closer to your requirements is the Spirit CTR from Australia. Spirit paddlesports USA sell some of their other models but don’t show the CTR on their website. They may also be a bit expensive due to the current exchange rates and shipping costs. http://www.spiritpaddle.com.au/content.asp?cId=3&pId=1
http://www.spiritpaddlesportsusa.com/SPS%20USA%20BOATS.htm
Interesting
Thanks for the links. It’s always a little surprising to see what’s available in other parts of the world, whether automotive or kayaking. The U.S. caters too much to big=better mentality, until there’s some kind of mass panic.
They aren’t all wide.
My Cobra Expedition is 24 inches wide and lots of Sit on Tops are less than 26 inches wide. But most SOT’s are bought by anglers who want a wide and very stable fishing platform.
The typical Kayak fisherman I talk with says 4 miles is a lot of paddling in a day. The typical touring paddler I talk to says 20 miles is a lot if paddling in a day. So they want different boats. The weight of the boat for an angler is often about the same as the weight of the extra gear they want to bring along. Four rods are the standard, but six rods are common. Heavy duty carts are the norm. They never carry the kayaks they just lift one end at a time onto the cart or the car. You can learn a lot from them about how to handle heavily loaded boats.
If you want a more narrow SOT and want to stay with heavy plastic, check out the RTM disco. It is light and durable.
Really Should Check the Disco
Really, really nice boat for someone your size