Hi all,
Some of you might have heard my tale of woe, which is presented here in brief: I live in Oklahoma, no kayak dealers anywhere close, drove 5 hours just to sit in a couple boats in the store, but no demo paddling, want to upgrade to touring kayak for large lakes with lots o’ wind. It could be months before I finally can go someplace where I can demo some boats, and even then, I really need to stick to used to fit in my budget. Boats on my list to consider are WS Tempest, Cape Horn and P&H Capella.
BUT: there is a WS Sealution with a broken rudder at a price that is low enough that I feel I could buy it now, sight unseen, and thus perhaps get out on the water sooner rather than later. So my twofold request for advice is:
- Sealution: this boat has mixed reviews in the review section. Me: 5’8", 190 lbs. Paddling to be used for: large lakes, needs to be able to handle wind and chop. I’ve paddled a rec boat for 9 months and am ready to move to a more touring boat and improve skills such as edging. I’ve taken a roll class and am learning (but have not mastered) to roll. Any feedback on this model and how well suited or not it would be for me/my paddling? Again - I know this is probably not the BEST boat, but if the price is right, could it be a GOOD boat?
- A broken rudder: a do-it-yourself project doesn’t intimidate me, but I don’t know how the rudder works on this boat, or how complicated fixing or repairing a rudder is in general. Any input on this?
Thanks in advance for any input.
Cheers,
Lupe