Dude
? you Live in Australia why not order a Mirage kayak? It would probably be cheaper too… The tempest is a fine boat, but comparing it to a similarly priced (Export/shipping costs) mirage is like comparing a Dodge Neon to a Viper…
(you better try another analogy)
(I don’t suppose they’ve got any Dodge Neons or Vipers down there)
nope
if you have dry hatches, count your blessings and keep on paddlin’. If you DO have troubles new hatches are an EZ fix.
steve
so far…
we have only put the KS hatches on composite. This was a no-brainer, just swapping rims in manufacturing. with roto it’s quite a job. having to remove the rims in the mold and fabricate new ones is quite a job and really $$$$.
maybe someday in the future, but don’t hold your breath.
steve
yeppers
good size and NEW blood. I think you’ll be plenty happy!!!and comfy. 
steve
Good reputation
for Mirage, yer - suppose to be fast and well made plus good price but want to become a skeg head.
Mirage kayaks have an intergrated rudder system that does not ‘flip up’ in the conventional way, they’re popular boats in Aussie and look cool too.
Haven’t paddled the T - 165 or Mirage but drive a Daihatsu Charade (3 cylinder small car) and thats pretty nimble.
for your weight
I’m guessing you’d put out a bit less effort with the T165 at cruising speeds than the Chatham 16. Both good but different.
how much in Aussie dollars
are the T’s selling for in Perth? Great city by the way. I lived in Melbourne 3 years and always enjoyed a trip out your way. Am back in America and would bring back portable paddle gear for mates as I found price and availability to be issues.
About as much
… as a Mirage, $2500 + $120 $AU for air freight from the store - Mainpeak in Perth. I’d like to paddle down south one day and also Tasmania looks interesting. See some pretty amazing places in the US/Canada/Alaska too.
ok
– Last Updated: Nov-20-06 4:52 PM EST –
Daihatsu vs. Holden Monaro CV8 then...
How's that?
Every brand
has it’s issues from time to time. Wife’s pal is a gold medalist skier who says the same about the ski manufacturers. They seem to take turns. Some years back I tested for Sea Kayaker and will say that each boat I experienced had some flaws…minor to major. I have yet to own the perfect kayak. I think Confluence will sort some things out. Ironically, a few companies have tried to depart from Valley / Kajak Sport due to their cost. And, said hatches are technically nothing special, they just work…so one would think they’d be easy to duplicate. Impex for one tried another hatch and quickly went back. My guess is that Confluence has a hard time trying to mold the hatck coaming in (poly boats) and keep a tight tolerance. That’s tough to do, so you rely on the hatch cover to absorb a few thousandths of variation. Add pressure changes and whew…tough. Should not be an issue with composite. I much prefer composite boats…even for rock stuff.
No complaints about mine
Mine was made before the move, though. It is a roto T165.
The bow compartment always stays bone-dry no matter what. The other two vary, but the most water they ever take is literally a few drops each, and only when the hatch covers are under water (rolling or wet exit practice). The amounts involved can be dried with a Kleenex.
I’ve noticed that treating the covers with 303 (all the outside, plus the portion inside where the cover seals to the opening) helps. Maybe it allows a tad better seal/seating, even though then it feels almost too easy to seat. I also check to make sure there is no grit between cover and rim.
The other thing is that leakage seems to occur only when there is a noticeable temperature difference between water and air. Air temp and water temp each 53 deg–zero leakage after 15 rolls (I checked specifically for this that day). But air temp mid-60s and water temp mid-40s, same number of rolls–leaks. Ditto for summer’s 70 deg water and 90+ deg air. So it appears that by the time the diff is 20 deg either the day hatch or the stern hatch will leak, maybe both.
I’ve had similar results with a totally different hatch system on my Merganser 16. Big temp differences between air and water = more likely to get a few drops in. On that boat, if I crank really hard on the hatch cover tightener, I can avoid leaks. But usually I don’t crank it that hard.
It doesn’t bother me. I had much worse leakage in another maker’s sea kayak. Almost everything is in dry bags anyway.
it’s only WATER
heck if we wanted to stay dry why would we go paddlin’??
I know, dumb saying! I DID get a chance to spend 10 days in Alaska in all kinds of conditions, in a boat that had 3 BONE dry hatches. whew, it WAS nice.
ps- not a CWS boat. 
steve