In the ever-evolving story of corporate buyouts (Wilderness Systems, bought by Confluence, which was then bought by Pelican) it appears that the Wilderness Systems Tsunami 165 and 175 are being manufactured again! (Along with the Tempest 165 and 170.) As a longtime owner of a Tsunami 165 who has been depressed that they seemed gone forever, this is great news!
Link: Wilderness Systems touring kayaks
What’s funny (or suspicious) is that the webpage for the Tsunami 165 is all befuddled…the pics are of one of their dinky day-touring Tsunami 125’s, and even the description is of the Tsunami 125…but the price tag is definitely for a BIG Tsunami ($2,169) and there’s a photo of the big one at the top of the page. (C’mon Pelican! How hard is it to get your website in order???)
Of course these are all plastic boats, so plastic haters couldn’t care less about this, LOL (Said with a wink!) But if you like plastic boats (and I do), the Tsunami 165/175 are (IMO) the greatest long-distance plastic touring kayaks ever made when it comes to sheer gear-hauling power! Sure there are better plastic boats…but none with a 400-lb capacity. (That’s some serious gear storage!)
You can still occasionally find these boats secondhand…but for anyone looking to buy a fast, long-distance touring kayak, you can’t go wrong with either of the Tsunamis or Tempests. They don’t weigh that much more than composite boats, and they’re bulletproof.
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I replaced my aging Tarpon 160 with a new Tarpon 140. The 160 is no longer made.
Best I can tell the 140 has been changed by Pelican. It is a slug in the water.
When it comes to speed, I think the 2 feet between 14 and 16 feet makes a BIG difference! And who knows…if Pelican is making the Tsunamis again, the might start making the Tarpon 160 again?
So right after posting that the Wilderness Systems Tsunami’s are being made again…I read in another thread that Pelican (who owns Wilderness Systems) is filing for bankruptcy and/or is for sale.
Oh geez…I sure hope this doesn’t mean the end of Wilderness Systems! As the maker of some of the best plastic kayaks on the market, I really want them to survive and thrive! Honestly I couldn’t care less about any of Pelican’s other brands (except maybe Werner).
The Tempests have been available all along. Dealers need to order pre-season in order to get them, but they’ve been available.
The Tarpon 140 has NOT been modified in any way. It’s the same boat it was pre-2020. The other Tarpons got refreshed in 2019 (?) but not the 140. If someone wants a fast (relative) 14 footer, the Swell Watercraft Scupper 14 is the boat.
The Tsunami 165 and 175 have also been available for dealers to order pre-season. Low sales volume boats, so they don’t build to stock, but there are a few shops that have a need for them.
On the Pelican front, a new buyer was selected by the Canadian court in charge of the case last week. The new owners have a history with Pelican and plenty of cash available via a major player in Quebec commercial real estate. The Elie family, who founded Pelican, is out of the picture.
I guess I’m the one who has been modified , by age. Know where I can trade the 140 for a Swell?
I knew the Tempests have always been available…but there was at least a year or two when the Tsunamis were not on the Wilderness Systems website…so I assumed they were gone. Sounds like if I want a Tsunami 175, I might just have to find a dealer to special order one for me.