Too Heavy
In Dec I purchased a 17’ Skerray RMX since I had always rented I never thought about loading and getting to the water. I’m ready to sell or trade for something in the 14-15’ 30# range.
I know I would use it more.
Check the lines on this…
http://www.playthesea-articles.co.uk/?a=A3F84C0DFF.php
http://www.playthesea-articles.co.uk/?a=6443E79EB7.php
http://www.playthesea.co.uk/
Being poly the Rockhopper isn’t in your weight range - but the concept and hull shape, with those chines/rails, is worth looking at for ideas. I haven’t found a decent image of the bottom, but if you hunt around those links and read the reviews and such you’ll get the idea.
“The RH340 has been designed with a bias toward close shore play (rock gardens, surf, overfalls) whilst retaining enough forward speed for trippin’ and exploration. The RH340 can also be used as a “crossover” kayak: sea, lake, coaching, touring.”
Thanks…
Grayak Thanks for sharing the info…always interesting to see how different designers approach the same issues.
Regards,
Waterrat
Mariner Coaster?
Maybe look at at Mariner Coaster? Better known for rock gardens than surfing, but in the lenght range
Cobra Re-Vision
I just bought a Cobra Re-Vision with 2 hatches today. I’m a complete novice, but managed to paddle home = approx. 5 miles without falling out 
Seems to go pretty fast. From what I hear it was developed for Australian lifeguards. Any tips are welcome 
HERE’S THE LINK & A PIC
http://www.hurricaneaquasports.com/phoenix.htm
Hey, Rat, it’s been a while! Vie gehts?
The Phoenix, like the Epic SOT Grayak noted, can be characterized a a stubby boat, but I’d use this one only as a point of departure. It’s nice & light, but FWIW, our friend Maryanne Solms liked both the OK S-Pro TW and the OK Prowler 13 over it, and ended up with the P13 after paddling all 3 for an afternoon at a kayak demo at Okeeheelee. And she’s a petite lil’ ole thing, so maybe that tells us something about the entirety of the boat matrix of attributes (inludung cost and visual appeal, as well as weight, transportability, and paddlability) and the whole boat-buying experience.
But I will say, based on some expeiences others have noted, and OUR experience with Sally’s Tracer, also made by Hurricane, that the Trylon thermo/vacuformed hull material is handome, lighter weight, and tough, all attributes it might be useful to incorporate into your design.
OTOH, it may -probably will? -take tooling beyond what you might be able to handle, as opposed to glassing up a foam core to make a mold to do futher production.
At any rate, good luck, keep cool, and have fun as you design away -and build -before getting out in your new design as you
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Your Boat Is Already Being Produced…
albeit slightly heavier than your specs. It’s call the Rockhopper. I posted a thread about it awhile back.
It’s made in England. Someone in New England ordered two. I am waiting to see (hopefully try one).
It’s exactly for the mission you described. Some short jaunts around challenging coast lines, playing rock gardens and surfing.
I want one.
sing
Getting Closer…
– Last Updated: Aug-05-05 11:21 AM EST –
Hi Sing
Grayak already mentioned it...Most of these plastic boats are quite heavy for their size...this one is like 52 lbs...twice as heavy as I would like to shoot for. Way too much weight for a 12' X 25" boat.
One of my main design parameters is a SOT design for warmer climate...something that can be enjoyed in the surf without the need to roll...I am not really interested in pursuing a Sit-In-Side configuration...other than that it seems to moving in the right direction. Thanks for the info.
Regards,
Waterrat
Surf?
Hi Tsunamichuck
While this might be an excellent choice for someone wanting a more conventional kayak design at a reduced weight…I am moving in a different dirrection…it doesn’t quite fit my design parameters on length, planning hull, SOT, or strength to handle extended surf sessions. Thanks for the response.
Regards,
Waterrat
Epic sit on top
The GPS is a fun boat and very light ,Iv’e had one
out a couple of times now and it handles well .It will tend to turn into the wind a little ,yet with
a bit of a sweep stroke its fine .
I can carry it with one arm ,and its not badly ballanced .John
I asked about these in UK
Nobody had seen them yet.
Epic SOT
– Last Updated: Aug-08-05 3:16 PM EST –
It certainly does have a displacment hull, but I hefted one at California Canoe and Kayak this weekend and it is LIGHT!
They said less than 30#
They make one about 2' longer, and I will be first in line!
Weight not everything
I don’t have a problem getting 55 pounds of kayak onto the roof by myself, so a light weight kayak wouldn’t have that great an appeal to me. For me, the big issue is a cockpit that I can grab easily to hoist that weight. I have a Pamlico 145 tandem that is very hard for me to lift because I can’t find a grip that is comfortable for me. One of my reservations about the Pungo is that the cockpit is so long that I can’t grab it lengthwise very easily. My dream boat would have a cockpit about 40 inches long.
What I’d really like is a cart that fits well on the boat every time and could fit in the rear hatch. At some launches, I hate having to either carry the boat all the way from the parking lot to the water or have to cart it to the water and then carry the cart back to my truck. I also hate that my cart doesn’t always stay on my kayak very well.
I could if I wanted to…
I too can lift my heavy kayaks onto my truck…but just like carting two 100 lb. Marshall 4X12 speaker cabinets upstairs at three o’clock in the morning…by myself…which I use to do after every gig…Now…If I have an option, I choose not to do things the hard way.
Options are good…right now there doesn’t seem to be many options in boats that fit my design parameters…Using a cart or other tools to help one deal with a hard to handle/heavy kayak is one approach…I would like to go more to the heart of the matter.
Regards,
Waterrat
cart
I dont know which cart you have but one solution is… I set the boat on the cart at the balance point. Bungee over the cockpit. Strap around the front of the cockpit. Shift the bungee around the back of the cockpit. My carts are homemade and this tie keeps them from twisting and you can lift the boat without the cart falling off.