Visited Onno over the weekend and test paddled the Tideline 19. As others have commented previously, Patrick is a quality guy. He’s friendly and knowledgeable. It was fascinating to see some of the projects he was working on.
Here are my impressions of the Tideline 19. The boat is extremely light given its length and stiffness. It’s fast, tracks well without the rudder, yet is easy to turn when edged. Primary stability is low though secondary seems good. The upswept bow is not as extreme as it appears in the pictures on the Onno web site – the boat looks better in person than in the website pictures. I liked the bungee arrangement for the hatches. Bungees will be quicker and should provide more constant tension than the strap arrangement many manufacturers use. Pat has also installed an interesting set of straps just behind the cockpit to assist with a paddle float rescue. Rather than holding the paddle while you climb in, the straps secure the end of the paddle. The seat is comfortable and I liked Pat’s Velcro adjustment feature.
Pat has a rudder that operates in a manner similar to the SealLine (SmarTrack) though it looks better. The footbar and gas pedals are nicer than anything else I’ve seen or used.
In closing, I thought I would share impressions from my visit and encourage folks to do business with, or at least consider, Onno.
Location
That’s real nice for California folks. Are there any Tideline dealers on the east coast?
dealers
I don’t know whether he has dealers on the east coast. It’s my impression that he sells direct.
dealers
Yep, only direct. Recommended to him that he make a trip east, doing Demos as he goes, but that takes a lot of time for a one man shop.
Futura doesn’t either and I’d sure like to try their models.
You getting a Tideline, MerlinMC?
Thanks MerlinMc … nice to meet you…
For anyone interested … initial stability of the 19 is the same or greater than the Glider / Extreme type boats due to it’s bump catching, ski like, under paddler section … and higher than an EFT.
East Coast Dealership
has been sought by Water Walker. Now just put a little (gentle) pressure on Pat;-)
Come On Pat
North Carolina is right near the middle of the east coast.