Wait up!
pant, pant, pant
OK, running late but now I’m here.
Yeah, the T165 (and T170) should be on your list to demo!
do hearing aids and paddling mix?
WHAT!..
…Type slower I can’t hear you.
Hearing aids
There was an article in the Wall St. Journal a while back about how many folks with relatively mild hearing loss are having good luck with non-prescription hearing aids. This was one of the brands mentioned:
http://www.walkersgameear.com/products.htm
No personal experience – just passing it along.
Flatwater-OK, Whitewater-No
– Last Updated: Jan-13-07 1:06 PM EST –
If there's a chance of a swim (well, and *elevated chance), I'll take my hearing aids out and place them in a small water-tight container clipped into my PFD pocket.
Makes for interesting river trips with my friend who has a penchant for saying things like, "Do you hear that? What is that? Sounds like a waterfall!". My usual reply is a big grin and an elevated middle finger.
Phreon
mother in-law?
This Ain’t The Sea
– Last Updated: Jan-12-07 8:00 AM EST –
I own two of the boats mentioned, the Barracuda that tyou mention, and the Avocet that schizopak mentions.
The Prijon Barracuda is skegless, and I have yet to install my rudder on it (I own one though) because I have never felt a need. Sure, in ocean surf I might need it, but around here, edging and control is not an issue with it to need an ungainly rudder. You should consider this boat-- it is my favorite. I own two and if you want to drive up ormeet somewhere in IN to paddle it, you sure can. It is an uncommon boat--rroberts has one-- and that makes it special. Yes, it took me a while to learn it, but that is because I was a rank noob asking questions like :what is a brace" and such. If you have the basics ofkayaking down, as you do, I think you';d grow to really appreciate this boat. It is very fast perhpas the fastest plastic yak) and what I like about it is that I can travel further in a shorter amount of time and see more of the lake. Sure, even now, after owning it over a year it can get squirrly in extreme inland chop, but not so much that I capsize. It has clearly made me a better paddler. I bought the second, a carbon copy of my first, because a boat retailer was going out of business... it needed a good home. I bought it in Sept 2006 (my first in Oct 2005) and would sell it for same price I paid if someone wanted to buy it (it's still new)--or, I'd keep it as a spare, except only an experienced paddler can use it--someone with seat time. Not the mailman who says "I'd like to stroke one of those things some Saturday, Verne". My main concern was, does this thing turn? Answer: yes, and it's fun, it just requires an edge. Sort of like laying a motorcycle down on the pavement... slide turn for a quick 180 degrees. A casual turn is also not a problem and I appreciate it's tracking. The vice of most other Projons, like the Seayk, is that it weathercocks. The flat bottom tripple chimed hull never really gets a purchase on the water--somwthing Prijon should fix in my opinion. The Barracuda, howveer, is the only v-hulled Prijon, and althougb still triple chined, it does track much better (hence rudder optional) and I think it may be the ideal compromise between too much tracking and too much rocker.
The Avocet is newer to me. I like the fit of it, snug. It clearly tuns on a dime because of its generous rocker, and it is skegged. But still I selsom use the skeg. The seat is no where near as comfotable as my Cuda, but it might be a better roller as it has a low profile to the water and is more Greenland in hull shape. It is not as fast like the Cuda. It is a great playboat... if I lived on an active ocean, this might be the boat to have nmost of the time. As I do not (you wither it seems), the Cuda provides the most growth potential and a slight challenge until you master it for fun.
Email me if you ever want to try it and meet in Indiana someplace this springtime. Maybe rroberts is close to you, too.
PS Keep looking, your earpiece will turn up.
easy there
– Last Updated: Jan-12-07 9:34 AM EST –
I was just having fun with your phrase "inland" ( as opposed to "inland lakes"). Sorry about that.
I'm a midwesterner so I can relate completely. If you're anywhere near the great lakes you have sea-like conditions but any large lake can develop rough stuff if the wind has enough fetch.
Friend of mine has a poly avocet. Great boat, less volume than my explorer and they are available used if you look. I can tell you there is a very significant difference between this boat in poly vs. any dagger or necky boat.
I can tell you I'm also looking for a different boat, better and swifter on flatwater than my explorer with a bit less volume also. After shopping around I've decided to hold off and build my own lower volume boat this spring. You can build a s&g for not much more than you're considering paying.
The Tempest is a BASTARD!
Until you get it on the water.
Hey, I thought the Tempest was a
cunning little temptress that continually lures innocent paddlers, such as myself, out onto the water, causing serious loss of sick days……or is it just me?
But I highly recommend it!
Treezrus
That’s a Temptress (nm)
third the Elaho
to original poster:
I’m 6’1 and 180 and my Elaho is the newer rudder version(a bit longer, a bit less rocker than the skeg version) and i think it’s one of the better all purpose touring designs out there. will carry a load and be rock stable and pretty straight tracking, or happily play when empty. will also weathercock in some conditions but not viciousl( first i installed seaward gas pedal footpegs instead of stockers, now i think i’ll just put in solid pegs and remove rudder as i never use it).
Prijon SeaYak is similar but a bit wider with less volume in the bow and somewhat bigger fitting cockpit. i paddled it once and given the chance to trade the elaho straight across, i would,mostly for the kick ass plastic prijons are made of.
"it might be a better roller"
hmm.
How would one find out?
Roll it and smoke it.
what was bad about it?
No worries
My reply was “tongue in cheek” as well.
Hard to be subtle on the internet.
Phreon of “Flyover state”
Ugh…
I guess different boats for different folks, but the Avatar is the kind of sea kayak design you can only get from a company that specializes in designing rec boats.
There’s way too little volume, which makes it a really poor choice in condition, can’t load anything into it, and the neoprene hatches leak. The shorter version waddles like a duck when you paddle it because there isn’t enough boat astern to make it track properly.
Try a Capella 160 RM…it’s just over 16’, 3 layer poleythelene (which is stiffer and more bouyant than single layer), welded plastic bulkheads (not just glued in foam ones) which give structural integrity to the boat. All the deck fittings are recessed and use molded in brass fittings, so there are no holes in the kayak and no screws poking through your deck.
There isn’t an American-made kayak that compares for quality and attention to detail.
Weigh in
Since you co-desinged the series, could you weigh in on the T-165 based on my criteria?
Phreon
Good poly boats
In my book -
T165
Avocet
Capella 160
Aquanaut LV PE
The new 3 layer poly construction that Valley (2006 boats) and P&H (2004-) use is stiffer, lighter, more abrasion resistant than the single layer poly constructions of Wildy, CD, and a slew of others.
what
do you want me to say?
sure the T-165 is MY personal favorite? why? cuz it does this and that…just right…
you need to paddle a bunch of the boats recommended here and one will speak to ya. I can find good and bad in most designs. weigh the traits that matter to ya and decide.
mostly…go paddle.
steve