Agree
Steve’s point is well made. (and I appreciate his point about the boat acting a bit diff than the Gulfstream or Sirrocco - my recall was that it was a bit of a different hull albeit similar initial idea)
Look - where are you from Peconic Paddler? Maybe worth a drive if you are willing to go as far as NYC.
Also AKT in Peekskill
She’s in NJ and the boat is in NY, 3 hours away.
Another good place to try different kayaks is the Paddling Center in Annsville run by Atlantic Kayak Tours just north of Peekskill, NY.
(Probably easier to get to than Long Island.)
demo locations
This weekend I’m going to AKT. I don’t think they have the Slipstream, but they have several other boats I want to try. My next demo place (if I haven’t bought anything yet) will be the Jersey Paddler, which does carry CD boats, and many others.
not Peconic Paddler (?)
but I did see the boat, I was up there, there is just no place to demo it. So I have to demo another one, elsewhere, to see if I like it. Chances are it will from be a different year, but I guess that’s not too big a deal. There are outfitters in my area who carry CD so I can try one there. -ScenicRoute
If going to AKT …
– Last Updated: May-30-07 12:46 PM EST –
Forget Peconic Paddler then. I may have it in the wrong state anyway - names aren't my strong suit. You'll come much closer to what you'll want at AKT than most places IMO, especially with that Maine time. And say hi to Janice when you are there.
AKT has a demo Vela for sale, last I knew anyway, which is my short boat. It'd be tough for me to camp out of because I am terrible at packing, but many manage. It's a neat little boat and P&H does tough layups.
They should also have an Avocet and a Chatham 16 around, both of which come in plastic and many like as all-around boats. Both may be a little big for you for purity's sake, but both are highly manuverable boats that will support skills fine even with a bit of under-volume paddler. Also see if they got that Capella 160 they were waiting for last season (your size). A very important thing about plastic boats - while they will require a cart for you to carry a distance and are admittedly heavy, you don't have to cringe when they come off the car while you are sliding them up or down off the roof. (and there a lots of ways to slide a boat which take away the worst of the fo weightlifting aspect)
LOL! I thought you were calling me
Peconic Paddler. Hence the question mark. OK, yes, I see they are in Riverhead. That’s not too close to me, but never mind. AKT and The Jersey Paddler should have enough between them. Thanks, Celia. Always appreciate your answers.
AKT
– Last Updated: May-30-07 2:31 PM EST –
No Current Designs (no Slipstream) at AKT.
AKT has other boats that will be helpful to try (and you might prefer over the Slipstream). It's also a convenient place (once you are there) to demo boats.
Jersey Paddler has lots of stuff but it's a bit less convenient to demo boats at (there's also a small fee).
I’m one of the pnet reviewers
of this boat,in fact I’ve reviewed it twice since I bought it in 2001. I’m sure you’ve read those, so I’ll just add that you are exactly my size, so the boat should fit you quite well. Check the hatch fittings if you can see the boat before buying; mine were also not well sealed and the screws were not well seated and spin in place. The Slipstream can be a bit dodgy in following seas, but the skeg helps. I’ve surfed with mine from time to time in 3-4’ waves and that helped me learn to control the boat in those conditions. Good luck!
“You should be embarrassed if you…
capsize in that boat.” Well now, that depends on where we are paddling, does it not?
Dogmaticus
new jersey demos
If you are near the jersey shore, you may want to check out:
South Jersey Canoe and Kayak Classic
Saturday, June 2nd, 2007
10:00 to 4:00, Rain or Shine
Ocean County Park, Route 88, Lakewood, NJ
Over 100 models of canoes & kayaks; clinics & demonstrations; antique canoes; many manufacturers & canoe clubs; accessories; races and much, much more! Unlimited test paddling - $8.00 per person (event is free…fee is for test paddling only)
http://www.ocean.nj.us/parks/classic.html
It takes a lot
to capsize a Romany unintentionally.
I’ve done it in a whirlpool, under a 5.5 foot breaking wave, and in sharp seas with winds gusting to 30 mph.
However, the boat has extraordinarily high stability.
Again, you should paddle where…
lotsa folks paddle. Seen lotsa Romany capsizes. It ain’t a magic bullet, we own two of them, and we paddle all kinds a stuff. The Romany is a boat, a good boat, but not a magic bullet. The paddler is.
Dogmaticus
Never meant it to imply magic bullit
My capsize remark was meant light heartedly, as it was when first uttered by the coach I mentioned.
Any boat can be capsized. My brother-in-law capsized a Swifty unintentionally simply by waving to someone 
However, for a boat that is so responsive a Romany IS very forgiving.
Anywhere near Brick NJ?
Jersey Paddler should have the boat for demoing…Lou
I agree
Well, I certainly can’t argue with flatpick’s input.
However my wife and I are “smaller” paddlers and at the time there were even fewer kayaks designed for the smaller paddler. My statement of “relatively stable” was based on my experience with boats that fit me. My kayak before the Slipstream was a Eddyline Falcon 16. Want to feel tippy? Much less initial stability than the Slipstream. How about the NF Silhouette? For me the Silhouette has less initial stability than the Slipstream. However, yes, compared to a NDK Romany (or WS Tempest or VCP Avocet or Impex Montauk) the Slipstream is relatively unstable. I can easily do the BCU reverse figure 8 in a Romany. It feels like the Romany is a cheater boat for that skill. But, name me another full featured sea kayak besides the Slipstream built for the smaller paddler that weighs only about 45 lbs and doesn’t cost over $3K. There are some new ones that are supposed to fit the bill (Necky Eliza, CD Suka, CD Rumour?, others?) but I don’t have experience with them on the water yet. Anyone have additional recommendations for a seakayak that weighs about 45lbs?
Yes, I wish that the rear cockpit coaming on the Slipstream was much lower. I’m a dedicated GP’r so I know what you’re talking about.
ScenicRoute, to answer your question about skegs, yes, both the Slipstream and Romany have skegs. And I want to clarify something about the hatches on the Slipstream. The rubber hatch covers were fine (and we used 303 on them regularly), the problem I experienced was with leaky sealant under the hatch rims.
I want to echo flatpick’s recommendation to demo the Slipstream before buying and to demo as many other boats as possible also, but unfortunately until you get some of flatpick’s experience it’s sometimes hard to figure out what you’re looking for beyond the obvious issues of “fit”.
BTW flatpick, I love my Tempest 165! Thanks for your design!
yes! I just say this advertised
yesterday on the Jersey Paddler’s site and am definitely going. This seems like the perfect event at the right time for me. AKT will have to wait a couple of weeks.
how about Epic Cruiser?
Anyone know anything about that one? It’s 16’, 22.6", only 39lbs. The one I saw for sale online has a rudder though, I might prefer a skeg. Not sure if they come that way.
And the Impex Venture is another one I thought I might check out. It’s a cheaper version of the Montauk, 47lbs, day hatch…
Meaning of scoot
– Last Updated: May-31-07 10:54 AM EST –
No, not to accelerate. To try a better shot at this - to me a playful boat will tend to turn around in some fashion, over the top of a wave or in some current, so quickly that a newer paddler could easily find themselves facing a direction they had never planned. A boat that is quite manuverable but not really playful in my head will give the paddler a bit of a moment to counter that response, either by not being kicked around as easily or moving more slowly, but still be very easy to correct. A boat that is neither will take a very deep edge, good stroke and some determination to get around.
Admittedly these are all quite personal delineations - they work for me is all they have to do.
As an example - in 4 plus ft surf I felt that my Vela could be termed playful - I absolutely did not plan to do that 180 turn over the top of the wave, let alone do it so fast. In more normal sea conditions, the original DS Elaho is playful. The first year we had that boat in Maine my husband spent quite a while convincing it to stay on course to home one day because the conditions at the mouth of the cove were fun - it just didn't want to go in any straight direction.
My Explorer LV is not playful, but very manuverable. It'll give me a moment to realize that it's getting pushed in some direction and let me make the correction and in most instances take the correction without an extreme edge or technically perfect stroke.
The Dagger Cortez that someone had posted about earlier is neither. That boat just doesn't want to turn without some noticeable work on the part of the paddler.
By the way, my first real sea kayak was a CD Squall, of the Solstice series. That series was a great lot of boats for their time, and the Squall in particular was a fantastic boat. Fast for plastic, within that cohort still tighter fitting, and would get the paddler home thru just about anything. The back deck was a bear for a paddle float re-entry and it wasn't as supportive for a roll as a lot of what is out there now, tho' it wasn't at all bad either. But then came the really low profile boats and sea kayakers going out and taking rolling lessons before learning to paddle straight - things feel to me like they've changed.
thanks for the tips
I would never even have known to check such things as screws… that’s the thing about buying your first boat, you’re not sure what to check for sometimes, especially with a used one.
The lessons versus demo timing is a bit of a catch 22, since even after a lesson, without a boat I can’t practise what I learned except on tours, which adds up the expense pretty quickly. But, I’m sure I’ll figure it all out, and the right boat will present itself at the right time. All the advice on this site has been of tremendous help. It’s the reason I’m even looking for a longer, narrower beam boat, instead of a Tsunami. And boy, once I tried the narrower beam, what a difference that made! So thanks everone, your advice has been really very helpful. (by the way, I made it into my dry top for the first time last night. With powder. Getting back out was a whole different story…)
with "dodgy"
do you mean it doesn’t track that well in following seas?