Tsunami 145 vs Manitou 14

-- Last Updated: May-05-06 4:05 PM EST --

Whats yalls thoughts on these two yaks. Im 6' 230lbs and I was looking for a good general purpose yak both seem to fit the bill on my budget.Im planing on using it for lakes , rivers (class I)and some long runs down the rivers to the cheasepeke bay and arbermal (ms)Sound in NC. I plan on going to a shop tommorow to put my hind parts in both of them to see if there is a fit differance.The dealer also said the zoar sport was in the same class and price range but I havnt read much on it.

I used to have a WW yak but thats been years ago so Im a born again newbie.I got into my friends perception captiva the other day and Im hooked again :) Hope my bass boat doesnt get jealous ;)
Thanks yall

The Manitou…or
I’d go with the Manitou. Seems WS has some quality control problems these days. Check out a Liquidlogic Pisgah too. A great boat that tops both these, IMHO.

QC
I agree on the quality issues WS had, but i don’t think Necky is much better. Ive been hearing this from many people and even stores that used to sell them that aparently ever since they became american, now part of Johnson outdoors,the quality has gone down the drain.

Tsunami
by far. but that is just my opinion. I got talked out of getting the Tsunami 145 when I was looking and got the Tempest 170 instead. Glad I did as I progressed a little farther along than I thought I would when I was first looking.



But the Tsunami was definitely the boat of choice as it was a good all around transitional to sea kayak. You may want to look at the 140 also. I was 6 ft and 235 when I started and the 140 seemed just right. Unless you are planning on week long camping, not sure if the 145 would be necessary. I am now down between 195 and 200 and this is specifically because I use the kayak as my gym. (less than a year)



(sometimes wish I had a 14 foot boat for some of the canals and rivers but the compromise there was the OK Scupper Pro for my wife…which doubles well for me when I want a shorter boat.)



check the boat out carefully. If it is in good shape buy it. If you are buying new, make sure you are buying from a reputable paddleshop that will stand behind the product. (for that matter, they will probably check out the boat better than you could)



At least that is what I experience from Florida Bay Outfitters in Key largo. They simply would not put me in a boat that wasn’t in good shape.



Paul

Manitou
I’d get the Manitou…Necky had some QC problems awhile back but it seems to be behind them now. I’ve seen nothing but problems this year with wilderness systems and the Tsunami’s have been among the worst for quality. We have refused delivery on many of their kayaks and cancelled our remaining orders due to poor quality.



The Manitou 14 from Necky, they paddle very nicely and have the feel of an actual sea kayak. Speed is very good as well for its length. Nearly everyone who has test paddled the Manitou and the Tsuanami has favoured the Manitou where I work in BC.



Cheers…Joe

I agree…buy from a reputable shop

– Last Updated: May-07-06 10:59 AM EST –

one that specializes in paddling, which usually means the small shops. (Lees in Kalamazoo, Outpost in Holland, MI) I buy from them to support them and they provide items and expertise that you rarely get from the big box stores. I looked at both WS and Necky. I bought the Pisgah. It just fit me better, and the fit, finish, and hardware just looked and felt better. Neat plastic trim jobs, bulkhead install was flawless, nice ABS and aluminum footpeg hardware, padded areas to brace with your knees, and great composite and rubber hatch covers. Obvious care went into the design. Nothing overly complicated or unnecessary was added. Just needed that bottle holder...I tried the Manitou 12 last summer and liked very much it too. The Pisgah just felt better overall. Buy what feels right to you.

Just my opinion, but I think bigger companies have too many accountants who know or care little about kayaking with a finger in the design decision that negatively affect the ultimate product.

there ya go
nothing like butt time on the water to make a decision.



It is all subjective. Talk to the smaller paddleshop owners. FBO has a couple of tsunamis I think but from last year. I don’t think they ordered any this year possibly because of quality concerns. My Tempest is two or three years old.



good luck!



Paul

skeg
Just remembered when i eyeballed a manitou 14 at a local dealer and the skeg looked distinctly crooked.

Pisgah should be good. I think Liquid Logic has soft-ish plastic ( I owned their Saluda) but the outfitting of the pisgah and the shape look good and looks like it wouldnt have any of the issues saluda suffered from.

WS Tsunami quality issues?
Just curious what sort of QC issues are cropping up on the Tsunami series. Are they evident from the start? A friend has a Tsunami 140 that she purchased earlier this year, and I don’t think she’s had any problems yet (although it has recently become her “back-up” boat).

tsumani
i had a tsumani 145, liked it but wanted a longer one, had no problems but it was made when they first came out, they were in nc, from what i’ve heard since moving to new locations they have a lot of qc problems, sold it so i could get the 165, been waiting about a month or so, no 165 yet, they were supposes to be out, but i haven’t seen or heard anyone that has one, talked to a dealer fri. he told me to expect it when i see it, so i’m leaning toward a necky looksha v, which will probably be a better kayak.

what I have been hearing
is that there is no consistency with their quality. It seems to be just as easy to get a good one as a bad one.



the couple that I have looked at at FBO seemed fine but I also saw two at a paddlefest that looked as if I could push my finger through the plastic with my finger…definitely did not look strong.



For now anyway, my advice (worth nothing) would be to check out the boat personally at the shop and not order one blindly.



Still a great boat though and definitely my choice over a necky.



Paul

I looked at a WS Pamlico (poly)
last summer and it looked scary thin and way to flexible. It looked hastily finished and put together. I guess it was bad enough to convince me to look elsewere, which I did. Maybe it was just a bad one, but if I was the QC guy, I don’t think I’d let that one go.

Thanks so far
I went to a shop this weekend and checked the Tsunami 145 and the necky boats out.They didnt have a manitou 14 so I couldnt side by side compare. Im planing on going by another shop in a week or 2 to check out the manitou 14.The WS duralite boats were very thin and soft but the gen 2 boats seemed on par with the rest. The Tsunmi with the phase 3 was comfy once I got it but it was a little tight slidin in compared to the zoar sport and the manitou 13.All the guys at the dealer and some of the customers said the necky boats paddle a little better then the WS boats. So I guess it comes down to comfort vs performance.Its never easy is it lol.

Thanks so far for the advice yall.

5 minute fix
Necky skegs are controlled by a non-kinking wire Vs a cable. The routing of this wire / tube can make the skeg appear off center. Usually when deployed it functions perfectly. But by loosening the mounting hardware and redirecting the tube a bit, you can align the skeg. Sometimes there’s a nylon strap that pulls against the tubing to align things. One thing is for sure…you WILL NOT kink that system. In fact I’ve retrofitted Brit boats to the wire very successfully and have not had any kinking since regardless of who borrows the boats.



Another thing… Wildy is going through a transitional stage, as Necky did a few short years ago. Innevitably issues arise no matter how hard everyone tries. I’m sure they will work through all that.

I’ve paddled manitou 14 …
nice kayak. IT’s pretty fast and fits nicley. It’s stable too.

Designed by an amazing shaper
The Manitou series was designed by the guy who supposedly invented the first wind surfer. He was asked to do an interview with the Discovery Channel about such. He’s also shaped many, many surfboards, and worked with Greg Barton when he started up. Excellent, humble, highly skilled man. Won’t divulge his name without his permission, just wanted to share what I think is interesting info. There are a lot of cool people behind the scene in this industry.