Sure hope to be paddling at 64!
Light weight boat will be the key for me as well (bad shoulder). If Warren can make an 18 foot boat at 38 pounds, I’m hoping other manufacturers start using the same or similar processes. My boat at 35 pounds! Current CF layups only shave a few pounds off the weight, and to me are not worth the premium.
Some day … when I’m retired …
… I may take one of those week long classes where you make the boat. That’s a ways off, maybe even longer given the current and anticipated economics!
There may be other options in the next 10 - 15 years for materials and construction that will bring the weight down.
Designs too. Right now I’ll admit that Warren and other boats like QCC, basically non-brit style, don’t have that rough water, sea kayak look to them, so I’ve never been inclined to try them out. But that’s judging a book by it’s cover, and short sighted in my part.
Well, I’m one of those close by …
… people. But it’s all relative. Up here in New England, we don’t tend to travel as far as folks in other parts of the country often so on a regular basis. I can get to Salem in an hour and a half, but haven’t been there in probably 10 years. Go figure…
And there’s also the dealer factor. None of the kayak shops I visit have Warren boats. Never seen one on the water. In a group. Don’t know anyone who has one, knows someone who has one, or has even mentioned one. Same for QCC. I see a lot of P&H, Valley, Wildy, and Impex on the water South of Boston. Necky and ND boats Boston area and North.
Now, realizing I haven’t been to Salem in that many years, and it’s a neat town, I’ll have to get up there for a visit this spring. If I remember, I’ll look up Warren and stop by for sure. Maybe while the wife and kids are looking in those touristy type shops, which they can do for hours, I’ll take a test paddle.
64 years old
Is way too old and unsafe to be paddling !
Yeah
– Last Updated: Nov-01-10 10:12 AM EST –
Thank heavens I'm only 62.
Other Qualities Besides Light Weight
I am not sure that I am qualified to answer Jonsprag1’s question about how Little Wings compare to traditional kayaks in large waves. My Little Wing at only 12.5-ft-long, just seems more ‘lively’ than the longer and considerably heavier boats that I rented. My boat, which is admittedly much shorter, turns faster and easier in waves and wind, accelerates faster, and at the same time is more stable and gives me a feeling of more confidence in larger waves. However, because of its short length, I have difficultly keeping up with longer boats on longer trips, which is why I am ordering a Little Wing 15.5.
I have not had much seat time in more traditional sea kayaks, and I am not an advanced paddler who could do a more informed comparison between the Little Wings and traditional kayaks. All kayak designs are compromises. From my perspective, the positive characteristics of Little Wings are their light weight, their stability (resistance to capsizing), their speed for overall length, their directional stability in wind and waves, and their beautiful build quality and design (assuming you like their looks, which I do). To me, they are worth their high price, but for many they may not be.
Pfft. Logged in seven weeks
solo paddling funded by Social Security this year! Those flights with my canoe on the struts on the Beaver are expensive.
Oh I forgot. I should be in a home.
First things first!
Spend 3 grand on lessons,rentals, trips, and symposiums. Then you’ll be well on your way to deciding if a 3K kayak is for you. I’d only spend 3K on a kayak if I couldn’t get the boat I needed for a certain purpose any other way.
Kayaking is a very inexpensive sport. But the gas for trips could easily cost you $100 a month and you would need to at least double that to include the total cost per mile of the transportation.
It goes without saying that joining a club and car pooling is a great idea!
Yes (as the soon to be past president of the Carolina Kayak Club) I do have a vested interest in promoting club membership!
We have one locally
A paddler in our local group has a Little Wing, longer than 12 ft but I’m not sure how long, and it is a perfect boat for him. We are talking about someone who is a go-straight-fast paddler on calm inland water, usually outright flat, and appreciates the easy carrying weight. He does treat it a more carefully than those of us with glass boats that have already been used in rocky coastlines.
To my knowledge he has no interest in rolling, surf or dimensional water in general. So while I am sure that he has encountered a couple of feet on the Hudson here and there, he hasn’t taken it into the bigger conditions that often occur on the ocean or Great Lakes. Soo - there are some good advocates for this craft.
BUT - I am not sure about recommending it for the purpose of this original post. People looking for stability as a high priority are usually newer paddlers who are likely to find their paddling goals changing as they grow in their skills and comfort. The Wing is, while a more flexible boat than some might think, still a more focused boat for speed over maneuverability than many others out there. And $3300 is a lot of money to spend on something you may want to change out later on.
I’d suggest getting a used plastic do-it-all boat - Tempest or Avocet or something. These boats can be gotten for under $1000 used, will handle anything you need to do and their worst liability is maybe leaky hatches and weight. But get a cart, slide the boat on and off the roof to handle it, and since they are plastic you don’t have to care if you drop the things. After a season of paddling you can turn them around and go for the long term boat.
also curious about em
Like many here, I’ve also been very curious about the Warren designs, but haven’t seen one or know anyone with direct experience, and Portland Or has a big paddling community. I’m a big fan of odd unconventional designs, but feel that if they were so revolutionary and better than standard kayaks, there’d be many more people paddling them - despite the price tag.
Personally, I’ve upgraded through 6 plastic kayaks before gaining the experience and knowledge to finally build a light (and cheap) one that I know will be right for me. I can’t imagine paying over $3k for my first kayak, knowing I’ll outgrow it and lose a ton on resale - especially an unconventional design that might be harder to sell.
borrow
Hi Carl,
Well you could let me borrow it for a year or so .
Bill H.
Warren Light Craft
I know this post is years after you posted it but I have a Warren Light Craft 16 and love it. I’ve taken it into some pretty severe waters. The one drawback I’ve found that it is a little difficult to paddle when empty during weather equivilant of a small craft advisory. Ted and Zac built such a great boat that it sits very high on the water when empty. This is the same design trait that makes the boat much more streamlined than comparables boats of the same length.