"As I recall Wilderness Systems considers the Tsunamis to be 'transitional' boats. They don't seem intended for serious seas..."
are you serious about 'serious' seas??
=:-0)
The Tsunamis have proven well in all the same conditions including BIG seas, surf, wind, etc. in fact for technical rock gardens and surf the TS 120 is a hoot. The longer 160-165-175 are straighter tracking and demand a little more attention and work in maneuvering than say a Tempest, but handle the conditions fine.
Transitional Touring is Wildy’s own term I was writing from memory, but having been questioned, I checked Wilderness Systems’ site and the Tsunamis are termed ‘Transitional Touring.’
Anyway, I'd trust Flatpick's assesment of the boats rather than WS directly! (Yes, Flatpick works for WS but provides honest advice.)
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"If they are intended for big seas, why are they called 'transitional'?"
I'd guess it is mostly marketing. The Tsunamis and the Tempests are "similar" boats. By distinguishing one as "transitional" and the other as "performance", WS can change less for one and more for the other and attract the price-conscious put-off by expensive "performance" boats and attract the "snobs" put-off by the "transitional" boats.
Put another way, if they were in the same class, they would be competing against each other in the same pool of potential buyers. If they were both "performance" boats, it would be rather hard and confusing to explain the differences.
There is much more useful information in Flatpick's replies than on the web page.
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Comparing the 17 foot Tsunami and Tempests, the Tsunami is a bit wider (24 v 22 inches) and has more volume/capacity (400lb vs 300lb). It appears the Tsunami has a higher seat back too (which will tend to be less appealing to more experienced kayakers). Often, "performance" sea kayaks have a smaller cockit opening (I don't know if that's the case here). Also, there tends to be less fore deck height (ie, less room for your thighs) in "performance" sea kayaks.
There is probably a fair amount of overlap in performance.
For refernce sake - when we got our first kayaks "transitional" had a pretty specific meaning for both the guys in the kayak shop we purchased the boats from (a very solid shop whose owner has since taken his messed up back from lifting boats into another business venture) as well as descriptions by Dagger and maybe a couple of others.
The meaning that I had for "transitional" was a boat which was able to perform in conditions in the right hands, but due to its features and/or design was not intended to do serious tripping out on big water. In the case of our boats, it meant only one sealed bulkhead, a hull that was much better suited to a 180 than a 360 degree roll, fairly large cockpit with optional thigh hooks and limited rigging. Length was 13 ft.
Due to some unexpected weather changes we had an opportunity to test these boats out in significant conditions. And I agree that this was not what these boats were designed for - we made landfall but I don't think I took a a full breath for about a mile of a crash course in surfing. It wasn't comforting.
My recollection is that the "touring" name was mostly being used for boats closer to the 16 ft range and with more features. The original Tempest, with the early imploding hatch covers and the brand shiny new adjustable thigh brace system, was barely out and it was a measure of this shop that they had one.
“The meaning that I had for “transitional” was a boat which was able to perform in conditions in the right hands, but due to its features and/or design was not intended to do serious tripping out on big water.”
That’s a fairly standard meaning for “transitional” but it doesn’t appear to characterize the Tsunami 17.5 (which would seem to be quite well suited for “serious tripping”).
of good boats out there. I like the Sirocco and the Capella, but that's just me. If there's a decent shop in your area, find a few that fit and demo them. I think that fit is the first thing to look for. There may be many boats that accommodate your height and weight, but how does the seat feel? Are the thigh braces comfortable? Do you like the deck heights? Do your feet fit? Once you've found a couple of boats that you feel you can spend time in pain free, take them out and paddle them, and then make your decision.
perform in conditions in the right hands Well, isn’t that just about any boat?
A Swifty can peform in conditions in the right hands.
An advanced paddler can do amazing things in conditions in boats of not optimal design for such.
I’m guessing the design intent of the Tsunamis was not to sell to 5* paddlers. I would guess if the Tsunamis were intended for use by highly skilled paddlers in advanced conditions, we would see Flatpick, and other very skilled Wildy paddlers, paddling them more often.
"A Swifty can peform in conditions in the right hands."
The Tsunami 17.5 isn't a Swifty. It's not that much different than a Tempest 17.
Even the Tsunami 120 manages (somehow) to have a front and rear bulkheads.
"An advanced paddler can do amazing things in conditions in boats of not optimal design for such."
What boat is "optimal" for conditions?
If there is some property about a boat that you don't think suits it for something, be specific about it. It seems that most of the concern about "transitional" is snobbishness.
define best?? Not sure if you mean Roto or plastic?
Check into Eddyline, they have been doing Thermoformed Carbonlite the longest and by far the best. I have been beating up my Nighthawk 16 for a few years and it takes a beating well. Light and easy to load at 47 I think. Hope that helps
It appears that I have been 'snobbish' in thinking that the Tempest is more optimal for big seas than the Tsunami. A number here, including the designer, seem to feel a Tsunami can perform in big seas as well as a Tempest.
So, is Wildy being disingenuous in terming the Tsunami 'Transitional Touring' while referring to the Tempest as 'Performance Touring'?
I guess I should refrain in the future from recommending the Tempest over the Tsunami for paddlers interested in paddling big water, challenging seas and advancing their skills.
BTW: I've been in a Tsunami, and would sure feel more confident in any number of other boats in big seas. The big cockpit and volume of the boat and lack of liveliness made me feel less in control than many sea kayaks. I'm afraid for my money, I'd rather a Tempest for conditions than a Tsunami, but I guess I'm just a fool or snob ;-)