Dont recall the model. It was probably the 140 model on end of year sale. It was too cold and I was not equipped to test it (two hours from home). I sat in it and had plenty of clearance for hips, feet and knees. I planned to read reviews and return for a test paddle. I’m typically not swayed by a few negative comments, but that was the one recurring comment.
I have not tested it, which is why I recommended a potential buyer “read the reviews”. A test paddle that focused on the noted issues could clear up any performance questions.
Good tracking in benign conditions? Isn’t that what the OP is looking for?
Although I don’t share your broad-brush assessment of Eddyline (in)stability, that’s not my point here. Just staying on topic (for a change).
I wouldn’t equate “lakes” with benign conditions. In any case, I don’t think that stability in benign conditions is a badge of pride for any brand. It’s the minimum expected performance for all kayaks. All kayaks need a margin of safety beyond that for unexpected conditions.
I try to read your posts carefully. May I ask the same of you?
I did not and would not equate lakes with benign conditions. Lake Superior is practically in my back yard. I respect the challenges big water can present to paddlers of any skill level. Franky, none of the boats being discussed here are appropriate choices for Gitche Gumme or her siblings.
This discussion was initiated by a 71 year old beginner and his wife who will “use them for lakes [and] slow moving deep rivers”. To me, that means the intended use is quiet waters under calm conditions. As has been said many times on this forum, no boat does everything well. Choose based on your primary intended use and expect to compromise elsewhere. And if your needs change, then a new boat may be in order. (Oh, darn!)
You clearly hold Eddyline boats in low regard. Although I don’t share your view (my experience with them has been quite positive), I can appreciate your opinion as I shy away from a couple of other brands that are well-liked by others. While I don’t recommend these brands because of my own unsatisfactory experiences, I don’t discount the views of other paddlers either.
Just FYI, the nature of hull design is that you can have extreme primary stability or extreme secondary stability. Not both. You have to tolerate some wiggle in flat water to have a boat w top notch secondary stability.
You will figure this out eventually and the Hurricane 126 manages a moderate degree of both for the correctly sized paddler. But initial wiggle does not mean immediate capsize unless you stiffen up.
I guess you have to paddle Deltas and Hurricanes to experience how they do well with both primary and secondary stability. Best of both worlds, and I wouldn’t call it moderate. It’s more than moderate.
OPer said maximum of each. Not moderate. And is not a small person.
I suspect a caution that some wiggle does not indicate a problem was worth mentioning.
No hit on these boats and l have been in them. But having the primary stability of a Pungo and secondary of a Romany in the same hull is not likely.
Yes, of course. I have owned only two Eddylines that I paddled regularly, a Raven and Merlin XT. Both were Carbonlite and both are now discontinued. I used them in various conditions, mostly lakes of different sizes, but rarely (if ever) with more than 12"-16" chop except a time or two with the Raven near shore on Lake Champlain. I eventually traded the Raven for a glass Seda that seemed better suited to Champlain. The Merlin was my everyday cruiser until I sold it to buy a used Bell Rob Roy … Yep, I’m one of them weird Rob Roy cultists.
I still have two Eddyline 12-footers in the fleet (a 15-year old Skylark and a 4-year old Sandpiper. My partner (for whom any perceived instability is a deal-breaker) got the Sandpiper for casual touring (1/2 day or so) because exiting the larger cockpit is easier on the knees. We kept the Skylark for kids, grand-kids and guests. So far, only one guest has capsized, and that was in a Swift Adirondack LT while trying unsuccessfully to move from the boat to a floating dock.
I have no experience with Hurricane kayaks. I just don’t see them much around here, but will be on the lookout for an opportunity when the ice melts. I’ve paddled a Delta 14 a time or two and quite liked it, but these days even the thermoforms are heavier than I like so a Northstar Magic canoe is now my go to boat most days.
We bought a Northstar Northwinds 17 blacklight with carbon trim after renting a Wenonah Aurora or Spirit II but pretty sure it was the Aurora. We got along fine in the Wenonah and only took the Northwind 17 out one time on a calm small lake and it was very tippy uncomfortably so. The guys at Piragis told me to try putting 2 or 3 bags full of water in to weight it down but I think we will just sell it and buy a Spirit II. My wife doesn’t understand that you have to put a little bit of oomp into the stroke so I do 80% of the paddling and think we would get along better in two kayaks. She will have to learn or get instruction she wants to just doesn’t understand it yet. I do not want to make the same mistake with our Kayaks I was originally looking at a Steller Puffin S14S G2 and the guy at Liquid Surf and Sail in Fort Lauderdale quickly talked me out of it and steered me towards the Sweetwater 126. We are going to rent some kayaks next week in FLA and see what we think. We just want to putz around and be on the water and I do want a stable kayak and think the Sweetwater 126 will be s good boat Kayak for me to start and maybe for some time. I have no problem with buying another Kayak if I find it not to my liking but what is not to like about a kayak that is stable that I can even stand up in if I want without having a barge like a an Old Town Sportsman that weighs 85lbs I am not going to fish out of it or if I do vary sparingly. For recreation I like the Sweetwater 126 and my wife will get a Osprey which is also a pretty stable Kayak. I may buy one of those first and if I want more stabilty get the Sweetwater but there is no other lightweight sit on top Kayaks with stability that I can find.
I feel your pain with the OT Sportsman! Like many, my first canoe was a Grumman 18-footer. It was indestructible and could carry a ton, but loading it’s tank-like hull on my Chevy Caprice wagon, esp in any kind of wind, was such a back-breaker we moved on to solo kayaks.
A couple of years ago I tried canoeing again, but this time the solo variety. I really like getting the Magic (27 lbs in Starlight) going as fast as my ageing muscles will allow. It’s so much easier when anticipating and compensating for the motions of another paddler isn’t a concern.
Your plan to rent in FL is a good one, IMO. Experiment a bit with primary and secondary stability as mentioned by @Celia above. It 's an important differentiation that I failed to make. Good luck.
This is the kind of perspective that’s useful in a review, especially if you also mention your skill level.
My experience (single incident): Intermediate paddler, definitely not expert but over 20 years kayaking experience. Eddyline Journey (15.5’). Large remote lake. Day started out calm at 6:30 a.m. launch. Wind and waves rose at 10 a.m. Minimum two-foot waves near shore and guessing 30+ mph wind continued the whole day, past sunset. Six miles down the lake, I struggled with the Journey for an hour or so, waves constantly coming from the side. The Journey wants to turn over in those conditions. Finally forced to land. Stranded on the lake overnight without camping gear, no possibility of making a fire in that wind, temperature 32 degrees.
User error? Probably, but the kayak had a lot to do with the outcome.
This is why I say that people need to know what they’re buying and its limitations, and get a kayak that will be safe in worse conditions than they expect or hope for.
Wrong kayak + nonexpert skills + change in the weather = potentially fatal situation. In my experience, a very low deck with low volume in the bow and stern is the wrong choice for a nonexpert in rough water. I won’t include hard chines because people are so divided about that question, but I will say that the hard-chined Eddyline Journey was fond of going over quickly. I rehomed it after that trip, along with the Swift Kiwassa, which was actually worse in rough water.
When you paddle a Delta or Hurricane Sojourn (same hull), you feel the difference immediately. As conditions get worse, the hull does much of the stability work for you.
