Necky Manitou II Tandem vs. Wilderness Systems Pamlico 145t w/ rudder
Which is better? I have a choice of buying either but I’m a newbie. Any help? Thanks
If you intend to paddle solo, neither one would be a good choice.
Neither. Take a look at the resources on this site to understand the types and uses of kayaks before spending money.
Look under Learn on the top line menu, then at least read the stuff under Getting Started.
These are both recreational class double kayaks. As such, they are meant for calm, flat, non-moving water where you are close to shore. Not appropriate for ocean, large lakes, moving rivers, etc.
The large single open cockpit on the Pamlico would allow the front seat to slide to the middle position so it could be paddled as a single kayak. It would not paddle well as a single - it would be a beast - slow and hard to make move where you want to go, as any large kayak would be. But it could be done better than the Manitou, where a solo paddler would be in the rear cockpit opening.
The Pamlico is wider, which allows it to carry more weight, but also makes it a bit harder to paddle, especially for smaller paddlers (they would possibly be whacking their hands on the combing as they paddle). The Pamlico is lighter (though not light), which would be better for carrying/transporting off the water.
The Necky has deck lines, where the Pamlico does not. These are important should you flip over, as they provide a way to hold on to the kayak (or for a rescuer to maneuver the kayak as they try to drain it). Neither kayak would be easy to rescue in deep water, hence the initial statement about recreational kayaks. If staying close to shore on smooth, calm water of small bodies of water is not your plan, neither of these would be recommended boats. That said, the lack of deck lines is not a big issue on the Pamlico, as basic ones can probably be easily added using the hardware they have already installed for the deck bungees.
If the Pamlico has a rudder, but the Manitou does not, that likely would be a deciding factor. Rudders are really meant to make a kayak paddle straight in winds and the like, and paddles used to turn. But in tandems, it is hard to communicate well to do the turns with paddles, so rudders are the norm for the majority of people to maneuver these large boats.